[nietsloh]

Rookie post...

I'm formatting and reinstalling WinXP on my ThinkPad but before I start loading up my files and programs I was thinking of dropping Ubuntu onto it, too. My question: It's my understanding that Ubuntu will create its own partition. Cool. But if I change my mind and don't want to play w/Ubuntu anymore and use ThinkPad's restore system to reformat and reinstall to the computer's original state, will the Ubuntu partition go away, too?

I don't want to put Ubuntu on my computer, change my mind, and then be stuck with some big partition that cuts into HD space.

[1002richards]

Hi,
I hope the link works? There are versions on Linux that you can boot from CD without the need to install and give you the worries that you describe:
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

Some versions you gould Google are: DSL (Damn Small Linux) Puppylinux and Slax. I'm no expert but all the ones I tried worked from CD and were easy to download & use. The only reason I'm not still using one is that I connect to the Internet via a USB cable & could not get any of the versions I tried to work that way.

I hope this is of some help?
Richard.

[saikee]

Think you got the wrong idea of installing a Linux.

You should have free unallocated hard disk space to create the partitions first, one for Ubuntu and one for swap of sizes 5 and 0.5Gb respectively, and tell the installer to install Ubuntu into it. These two partitions can be created using the Ubuntu CD and the partitioning tool is cfdisk.

When you install Ubuntu its boot loader will take over the hard disk MBR to dual boot the two systems.

Any time you want to ditch Ubuntu you boot up the Ubuntu CD using the same cfdisk to remove it or Winxp's disk management program which can remove Linux partitions but not creating them.

The Linux boot loader cannot be removed but can be overwrite with XP's MBR. You do it by booting XP installation CD, go into recovery console and type

fixmbr

Thereafter you can download "gparted" or "Parted Magic" to resize XP partition to absorb the free hard disk space. You use the same tool if you want unallocated hard disk space back for future Linux installation.

You can also run Ubuntu as a Live CD without the need of being installed into a hard disk but it runs slower and saving files is harder.

Alternatively you can install Ubuntu onto a USB hard disk to run it from there, i.e. USB hard plugged in you boot to Ubuntu, no USB hard disk you boot to XP.