How to Remove Windows 2000 or Windows NT and Install Linux on Your Computer
This article discusses a Beta release of a Microsoft product. The information in this article is provided as-is and is subject to change without notice.No formal product support is available from Microsoft without paying out a large wodge of cash. You can find lots of help and support for Linux by looking on the Internet or from #linux IRCnet.
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
SUMMARY
This article describes how you can remove the Windows NT or Windows 2000 operating system from your computer, and then install the Linux operating system.
MORE INFORMATION
The partition types used by the Linux and Windows operating systems are compatible - if you're running Linux that is. You do not need to remove your existing Windows partitions to install Linux. Linux will usually detect any Windows partitions and allow you to access them directly.IMPORTANT: Before you follow the steps in this article, you should back up any important files you have. If you intend to restore the Windows operating system at a later date, please remember that you can easily make a dual-booting system instead. Linux does not insist on running roughshod over any other operating systems you have installed.
The Linux operating system is generally installed on partition type 83 (Linux native) or 82 (Linux swap). The Linux boot manager (LILO) can be configured to start from:
- The hard disk Master Boot Record (MBR).
- The root folder (superblock) of the Linux partition.
The Fdisk tool included in Linux can be used to delete the Windows partitions. To remove Windows NT or Windows 2000 from your computer and install Linux:
- Remove any FAT, FAT32 and NTFS paritions used by Windows - you won't be needing those anymore:
- Start your computer with the Linux setup floppy disk,type fdisk at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.
NOTE: For help using the Fdisk tool, type m at the command prompt, and then press ENTER. - Type p at the command prompt, and then press ENTER to display partition information. The first item listed is hard disk 1, partition 1 information, and the second item listed is hard disk 1, partition 2 information.
- Type d at the command prompt, and then press ENTER. You are then prompted for the partition number you want to delete. Type 1, and then press ENTER to delete partition number 1. Repeat this step until all the partitions have been deleted.
- You should now created at least one Linux native partition and it's a very good idea to make a small Linux swap partition. See the suggested disk layouts below and read the installation notes for more information.
- Type w, and then press ENTER to write this information to the partition table. Some errors may be generated as information is written to the partition table, but they should not be significant at this point since the next step is to restart the computer and then install the new operating system.
- Start your computer with the Linux setup floppy disk,type fdisk at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.
- Type q at the command prompt, and then press ENTER to quit the Fdisk tool.
- Insert either a bootable floppy disk or a bootable CD-ROM for the Linux operating system on your computer, and then press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to restart your computer.
- LILO will normally be installed by default. LILO allows you to create a dual-booting system that supports both Windows and Linux. See the LILO documentation for more information.
- Install Linux. Follow the installation instructions for the Linux distribution you want to install on your computer. The installation process assists you with creating the appropriate partitions on your computer.
Examples of Linux Partition Tables
Single SCSI drive
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (SCSI hard drive 1, partition 1) /dev/sda2 501 522 176715 82 Linux swap (SCSI hard drive 1, partition 2)
Multiple SCSI drives
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (SCSI hard drive 1, partition 1)
/dev/sda2 501 522 176715 82 Linux swap (SCSI hard drive 1, partition 2)
/dev/sdb1 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (SCSI hard drive 2, partition 1)
Single IDE drive
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (IDE hard drive 1, partition 1)
/dev/hda2 501 522 176715 82 Linux swap (IDE hard drive 1, partition 2)
Multiple IDE drives
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (IDE hard drive 1, partition 1)
/dev/hda2 501 522 176715 82 Linux swap (IDE hard drive 1, partition 2)
/dev/hdb1 1 500 4016218 83 Linux native (IDE hard drive 2, partition 1)Also, unlike Windows, Linux recognizes more than forty different partition types, such as:
- FAT 12 (Type 01)
- FAT 16 > 32 M Primary (Type 06)
- FAT 16 Extended (Type 05)
- FAT 32 w/o LBA Primary (Type 0b)
- FAT 32 w/LBA Primary (Type 0c)
- FAT 16 w/LBA (Type 0e)
- FAT 16 w/LBA Extended (Type 0f)
Additional query words:
Keywords : kbsetup Version : WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0 Platform : WINDOWS winnt Issue type : kbhowto
Last Reviewed:
December 17, 1999
Provided by Microsoft Product Support Services.