|
Description
Right now, Wubi allows Windows users to install Ubuntu and, if they no longer need it, uninstall it. However, there is no way to easily uninstall Windows if it is no longer needed any more.
I propose that an item be created in Add/Remove that allows all Windows components to be removed, including having the Windows boot loader replaced entirely by GRUB, leaving the fully functioning Ubuntu installed on an NTFS partition.
Tags:
(none)
Attachments
 Bug #229701 : Ubuntu has no way of easily uninstalling Windows when installed with Wubi
|
|
Duplicates
Comments
|
sparky11 wrote on the 12 May 08 at 20:57
| |
I don't think this is possible, considering wubi needs windows to run ubuntu.
|
|
RyanPrior wrote on the 13 May 08 at 03:07
| |
That's not true. After Wubi finishes the Ubuntu installation, Windows is no longer needed.
|
|
nazgand wrote on the 13 May 08 at 03:18
|
The problems I foresee with this is that with wubi, ubuntu is stored in an ntfs system, as we all know is self-fragmenting. It is still completely possible though, what could be done is this:
Step 1: purge all files outside of the c:/ubuntu directory
Step 2: resize ntfs partition
Step 3: create ext3 partition, copy ubuntu onto it.
Step 4: delete ntfs
Step 5: resize ext3 to fill area ntfs previously occupied.
of course, if the ubuntu system uses over 1/2 the ntfs space, you would have to resize and copy twice, and if it occupies at least 2/3 of ntfs, it would take 3 copy & resize cycles, so on and so forth.
|
|
RyanPrior wrote on the 13 May 08 at 07:19
|
@Nazgand:
Compounding the problem you note is that I imagine this being a common use case:
George installs Ubuntu on his Windows box to try it out. He doesn't use it much, but he pops on every once in awhile.
Later, MS discontinues Windows XP, or forces him to upgrade away from Vista, etc. He decides that now is a time to start using Ubuntu.
Having used Ubuntu for a few months, George finds his hard is full and decides he'd like to remove Windows to save some space.
At this point, we could be talking about a dozen shrink-grow-copy cycles or more.
|
|
RyanPrior wrote on the 13 May 08 at 07:20
| |
As an addendum, this is why I suggested just leaving the NTFS partition in the idea. Certainly it would be wise to include an NTFS defragmentr for users who want to maintain an Ubuntu system long-term on NTFS.
|
|
unimatrix wrote on the 13 May 08 at 07:21
|
@nazgand:
I don't think most users will be happy with step 1.
It should only purge C:\Windows and maybe C:\Progra~1
Other stuff may contain user's files.
But we could move what's left of the C drive into a "Former Windows Drive" directory on ext3.
|
|
steve196 wrote on the 13 May 08 at 08:12
|
What for?
If you want to remove windows, you create a linux partition, move ubuntu there, move all your data over, delete the windows partition and resize the linux partition.
The "move all your data over" step is the one, that has too many scenarios, to be automatized, so the whole thing must be done by hand anyway.
If you stay with the wubi system, removing windows gives you only a few hundred megabytes of space and you can do it easily by hand.
|
|
pitwalker@gmail.com wrote on the 13 May 08 at 17:57
|
:-)
If an user decided windos no longer needed:
an tool (not wubi) can help for this process.
The idea is more real
when the user add a new harddisk to the system.
now the process is safer, easier and faster.
A clone tool for Ubuntu is not a bad thing.
|
|
pjm35@st-and.ac.uk wrote on the 2 Jun 08 at 08:58
|
Here's a real scenario: I'm new to Ubuntu and installed using Wubi. I've been using it for about 2 months and really want to obliterate Windows. At the moment I'mn starting down the barrel of copying all my files onto DVD since the amount of disk space and files I have will mean copying and resizing at least 15 times.
Surely allowing the user to select which files they want to KEEP rather than remove makes a lot more sense? Surely then the process could be automated more easily?
I am aware that this is obviously a complex thing to build but it's a brilliant idea and one that'll be used by a lot of Wubi users.
|
|
jmjohn wrote on the 11 Jun 08 at 00:15
|
Due to a combination of bad cd drives, corrupted windows install (running in safe mode), and disabled usb boot, this would be valuable to me too. This would make switching from screwed up computers much easier, and if you all chose to automate it, that would be a handy tool for computer repair.
It seems logical to, as nazgand writes, delete XP, reformat at ext3 and copy ubuntu there.
But how does one go about copying Ubuntu itself? Does linux allow this?
The only way I could see (as a newbie) is to install another version of ubuntu on the partition and then delete the NTFS ubuntu version.
Can anyone show me a better way?
Thanks
Jeremy
|
Post your comment
|
