very quick dual boot question

[kato2274]

need to toss linux (red hat 7.3) on my home box that already has winxp pro. need to do this so I can work on school work from linux class over the X-mas break. I have no problem getting lilo to be able to boot both. my question is that if I decide not to keep linux on this machine after this term, is getting it back to the way it is now as simple as I think it is?

delete the linux partitions with partition magic or another utility
boot to XP recovery console
fdisk/mbr
fixboot

Just want verification before I start this.

thanks guys

[Percy]

I've never done this with XP, but I've done it with Win2k. It's even simpler than what you listed. Just fdisk the mbr (assuming you added Linux as the second OS) and restart the machine. Once back in Windows you can either use the Disk Management built into the OS (depending on how you set it up, whether you partitioned the drive or added a second one). The other option, after fdisking the MBR would be to boot to the CD and use the partioning/setup software on the CD.

[Radical Dreamer]

Use partition magic to delete and merge the partitions and do a fdisk /mbr and you are locked and loaded, nothing else needed.

Or you can just delete and re-create the partitons through fdisk, but then you dont get the single drive.

[Bubbarosa]

has anybody tried to run fdisk at the xp prompt?? It looks like this:

c:\>fdisk
'fdisk' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
c:\>

[Icharus]

XP uses the command line and scripting tool called DiskPart. It's a neat program because it will allow you to fdisk and format a drive without a reboot.

I don't know if it will help you with this problem though as I have not tried to use it this way.

Type diskpart, then type help for a list of commands.

[techs]

Originally posted by Bubbarosa
has anybody tried to run fdisk at the xp prompt?? It looks like this:

c:\>fdisk
'fdisk' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
c:\>

fdisk cannot be run from the disk you are fdisking. hence it wouldn't work as c:\fdisk under any circumstances.
Use a win98 boot disk with fdisk on it, boot to the floopy and type a:\fdisk /mbr