Topic: Deleting Windows Partition

[GillE]

As mentioned in the thread about the Sansa Fuze video format, I'm now at the point where I'm prepared to free up space on my HDD by deleting Windows altogether.  How can I delete this partition safely?

[D-Dan]

Assuming that you still have Ubuntu installed, and the you use grub as your bootloader simply boot Ubuntu, start gparted and delete the partition. Afterwards to you can either extend your existing Ubuntu partition into the empty space, or create a shiny new partition there.

Steve

[GillE]

That sounds reassuringly straight forward .  How would I find out if I use grub as my bootloader and how would I extend the existing Ubuntu partition into the empty space?  I've never tinkered with partitions before, not even with Windows.

[sam]

gparted allows you to tinker with partitions all in a graphical window. I expect you do use Grubb (its the default), what does it say at the top of the boot up screen, where you get to choose what OS? gparted is the same tool that you would have used on the initially ubuntu install..

Just make sure any important things are backed up before changing the partitions.

[davy51]

Ive found for me the safe way is delete the windows partition while in ubuntu

Go to gparted
right click on the partition windows is in and click delete

to enlarge Ubuntu partition
after the deleted windows

right click on the ubuntu partition and click   resize/ move

then you can use the arrows to enlarge the petition


then go to synaptic package manager
Type in grub in the search box

check to install

Grub pc
grub-common
startup manager
memtest


after these are installed

open a terminal and type

sudo update-grub


This works every time without a glitch

Grub will be installed and the partition will be all ubuntu


Sam may know an easier method but this is the one I use

[D-Dan]

That's about right, though I'm not so sure that it is necessary to reinstall grub. sudo update-grub should be sufficient.

Steve

[davy51]

Since Im relative newbie to linux I always reinstall grub just in case iits corrupted somehow

It saves a few steps if it doesnt show up when i reboot

[GillE]

I've stumbled at the first step .

I don't know where to find gparted so I opened a terminal and wrote 'gparted'.  It replied that gparted was not installed and instructed me to install it using the following code:

sudo apt-get install gparted

I did that and it installed the programme, then I saw this message on the terminal:

dpkg: status database area is locked by another process
E: sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

Where do I go from here?

[sam]

I guess 10.10 doesn't install it by default, I just tried it an installed it.

dpkg: status database area is locked by another process
E: sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

You probably have some other update program open, do you  have the software centre open - it doesn't like allowing you to install from the repository more than once at a time.

Could you post the rest of the output?

[D-Dan]

As Sam says, you definitely have either Software Manager, or an update package (like MintUpdate) already running. Software Manager et al are simply front ends to apt-get, and so you can only run one at a time. If you can't find an already running process then rebooting will fix it (or maybe even just log out and log back in).

Steve

[GillE]

I'll look at it again and see if I can sort it out.  It's having to take a back seat at the moment - my allotment needs loads of work and I've got trays full of seedlings to plant.