Ubuntu not working for me

If I understand your post correctly you completely blasted the XP install with Ubuntu and now want to completely remove ubuntu to get a clean disc so you can install XP?

You're not the first and you will not be the last!

I suspect you have an OEM XP Disc (as supplied with most ready built systems) as a full retail should be able to do this without you having to do anything, the OEM disc expects you to have a blank hard disc.

If that is the case then I suggest the following:

Boot from the Ubuntu live CD to a live session

Once loaded go to the administartive tools menu and run the partition manager

By default this will show the details of the disc, you can then select the partitions on the disc and remove them. You need to apply changes to commit them.

Once you have removed all the partitions close down the live session.

Boot from the XP disc and you should be able to install.

I hope you're OK using the GUI of the partition manager if you have sight problems, if you do then let us know as there are other ways to achieve the same thing.

Hi Audio Voodoo,

Thank you for your suggestion. My sight issues are to do with perception, focus and interpretation of things around me. I use some software to help me get about on my computer, Dragon, Claro Read and Inspiration. I also have audio books and I use the magnifyer on my computer  

Anyway I have reinstalled ubuntu 11.10 from an ISO image DVD but I cant find the administrative tools in the menu? I found a partition manager that I downloaded from the software tab but I was unable to delete the drives as they were greyed out in the drop down menus.

I put the ISO DVD back into the machine and deleted the drives with the disc in and then tried to run the windows CD but it said there was no drive? I took the windows disc out and restarted the computer again and now I have this message

error no such partition
grub rescue>

do you or anyone else have any ideas?

Thank you Ruby X

Just another suggestion, With the live CD/DVD just like when you "deleted the drives" try to format the whole partition (if you have just one partition then the whole hard drive) then format it as NTFS, and give it another try, something else to think is that your XP CD may be also defective.

What was wrong with Ubuntu that you did not like it right away? just curious.

I think the original install was not right as I was unable to access the disk, see what was on the computer etc.

This was why I didnt like it I couldnt understand it because it didnt have any logic to me, blame it on the faulty install.

I have reinstalled and can now find the hard disk something that I wasnt able to view before and was able to use some of the diagnostic features in the disk programme.

I tried to format it but it wouldnt let me as it said it was buzy?

I will have another go tomorrow, will run the install again in case the buzy disk had something to do with my renaming the hard drive?

Thank you for your help.

Ruby X

I think you are trying to format the hd while using it, if you have installed Ubuntu, once you run the system it will not (not that easy that is) auto-destroy its own system files, you need the CD/DVD and run it like if you are going to install it again, once on the "live session" (Not the one you had installed) you should be able to format the drive, live it clean or use NTFS, your choice.

Remember you don't have to install Ubuntu to use it, also there is some pattern here, (bear with me, I am not an expert) could it be a problematic hard drive?, what kind of computer you have, how old is it, how good was XP before you switch it? I use to have a computer with similar symptoms (also with XP and Ubuntu) and after a month the hard drive was totally dead.