Removing Linux Mint

Damocles

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At the suggestion of a friend I installed Linux Mint onto a older, spare laptop that had been running sluggishly. After several months of usage I've come to the conclusion that while it may be a smoother running operating system there are too many long familiar apps that I prefer using and which are not compatible. I've decided, therefore, to return this laptop to Windows.

But, how do I do that?

The machine is an Acer Aspire 7745

I've tried the standard Acer formula for restoring it (Alt + F10) but the machine just beeps until I release the keys and then boots into Linux.

I've tried loading a flash drive with Windows Media Creation Tool to install Windows 10 (and set the BIOS to boot from USB flash drive) but when I try to boot up the machine tells me to remove all media and press any key before it then boots, again, into Linux.

If I boot into Linux and go to Disks I see

Filesystem Partition 1 (Partition Type: W95 FAT32 (Bootable)) which I can "unmount," "delete," Format, Edit Partition, Edit Filesystem, Resize, Check, Repair, Edit Mount Options, Create Partition Image, Restore Partition Image, Benchmark Partition.

Extended Partition 2 (Partition type: Extended) which I can "delete," Edit, Resize, Create Partition Image, Restore Partition Image, Benchmark Partition

Filesystem Partition 5 (Partition Type: Linux) which offers the same options as Partition 1

Essentially, I want to completely remove Linux and restore Windows even if that means wiping the hard drive.



What are the possibilities?
 


At the suggestion of a friend I installed Linux Mint onto a older, spare laptop that had been running sluggishly. After several months of usage I've come to the conclusion that while it may be a smoother running operating system there are too many long familiar apps that I prefer using and which are not compatible. I've decided, therefore, to return this laptop to Windows.

But, how do I do that?

The machine is an Acer Aspire 7745

I've tried the standard Acer formula for restoring it (Alt + F10) but the machine just beeps until I release the keys and then boots into Linux.

I've tried loading a flash drive with Windows Media Creation Tool to install Windows 10 (and set the BIOS to boot from USB flash drive) but when I try to boot up the machine tells me to remove all media and press any key before it then boots, again, into Linux.

If I boot into Linux and go to Disks I see

Filesystem Partition 1 (Partition Type: W95 FAT32 (Bootable)) which I can "unmount," "delete," Format, Edit Partition, Edit Filesystem, Resize, Check, Repair, Edit Mount Options, Create Partition Image, Restore Partition Image, Benchmark Partition.

Extended Partition 2 (Partition type: Extended) which I can "delete," Edit, Resize, Create Partition Image, Restore Partition Image, Benchmark Partition

Filesystem Partition 5 (Partition Type: Linux) which offers the same options as Partition 1

Essentially, I want to completely remove Linux and restore Windows even if that means wiping the hard drive.



What are the possibilities?
Download the Windows version you want and make sure you have a thumb drive that you can use to format.

Download Ventoy: https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html

Installation instructions: https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_start.html
 
Simple.

Install Vindows straight over the top of it.

Good luck
 
Sorry for any perceived density but do I download Ventoy on the laptop running Linux or one running Windows? And do I download the Windows.zip of Ventoy or Linux.zip to run, I assume, on the Linux machine?
Read the last link I gave you. It's clear.
 
Are you quite sure there are no alternatives apps for the ones you are missing ?
 
Read the last link I gave you. It's clear.
Sorry but it's still not very clear...
Are you quite sure there are no alternatives apps for the ones you are missing ?
I've tried. Viable alternatives are either none existent or inadequate. Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, CCleaner, Guitar Pro, Band in a Box, various games... I don't like having to sign in every time I step away to make a cup of coffee and the machine goes into sleep mode. I don't like not being able to go to a site like Crucial to use their system scanner to determine how much RAM my machine is capable of and then in an effort to find out running a command though Terminal that gives me an inaccurate and unreliable result. I appreciate that for many Linux is more than adequate for their needs and while I can plainly see that it is a less cluttered and smoother running operating system that doesn't feed into someone's ever accumulating wealth I nevertheless find it awkward and inadequate for my needs. To each his own. Many people even like Mac...
 
Sorry but it's still not very clear...

I've tried. Viable alternatives are either none existent or inadequate. Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, CCleaner, Guitar Pro, Band in a Box, various games... I don't like having to sign in every time I step away to make a cup of coffee and the machine goes into sleep mode. I don't like not being able to go to a site like Crucial to use their system scanner to determine how much RAM my machine is capable of and then in an effort to find out running a command though Terminal that gives me an inaccurate and unreliable result. I appreciate that for many Linux is more than adequate for their needs and while I can plainly see that it is a less cluttered and smoother running operating system that doesn't feed into someone's ever accumulating wealth I nevertheless find it awkward and inadequate for my needs. To each his own. Many people even like Mac...
It actually is clear. I've used it a few times.
 
Just buy a new Windows computer.
 
Good Luck with win 11

I have the feeling you may return.

btw ccleaner and the like are totally unnecessary in Linux.
 
Just buy a new Windows computer.
Thanks but I already have 4 laptops and a desktop running Windows which is why I thought I'd test drive Linux on this particular laptop. But I find that I seldom use it and since it's a decent machine I hate seeing it go to waste.

Good Luck with win 11

I have the feeling you may return.

btw ccleaner and the like are totally unnecessary in Linux.
I'm always up for a free upgrade but none of my machines is compatible with Windows 11. I'm fine with Windows 10.
 
Thanks but I already have 4 laptops and a desktop running Windows which is why I thought I'd test drive Linux on this particular laptop. But I find that I seldom use it and since it's a decent machine I hate seeing it go to waste.


I'm always up for a free upgrade but none of my machines is compatible with Windows 11. I'm fine with Windows 10.
mhm yea ok
 
You should use a USB of at least 8GB in size.
And, actually I don't have any idea why your system doesn't boot from USB. And I don't think you made any mistakes while creating bootable USB because you used media creation tool to do its job.
Sooo, you can try this. You can either try woeusb or ventoy software to create a bootable windows drive on linux. thats the easiest way. However I recommend to format the drive in exFat format before doing anything.
 
You should use a USB of at least 8GB in size.
And, actually I don't have any idea why your system doesn't boot from USB. And I don't think you made any mistakes while creating bootable USB because you used media creation tool to do its job.
Sooo, you can try this. You can either try woeusb or ventoy software to create a bootable windows drive on linux. thats the easiest way. However I recommend to format the drive in exFat format before doing anything.
I already suggested Ventoy, he doesn't want to read the instructions on their site, but for someone to spell it out.
 
I already suggested Ventoy, he doesn't want to read the instructions on their site, but for someone to spell it out.
i see....
Sorry but it's still not very clear...

I've tried. Viable alternatives are either none existent or inadequate. Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, CCleaner, Guitar Pro, Band in a Box, various games... I don't like having to sign in every time I step away to make a cup of coffee and the machine goes into sleep mode. I don't like not being able to go to a site like Crucial to use their system scanner to determine how much RAM my machine is capable of and then in an effort to find out running a command though Terminal that gives me an inaccurate and unreliable result. I appreciate that for many Linux is more than adequate for their needs and while I can plainly see that it is a less cluttered and smoother running operating system that doesn't feed into someone's ever accumulating wealth I nevertheless find it awkward and inadequate for my needs. To each his own. Many people even like Mac...
For Ventoy, you just have to download and run this on your linux machine.
Here's the file: https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/download/v1.0.71/ventoy-1.0.71-linux.tar.gz
and here's how to use their GUI: https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_linux_gui.html
 
i see....

For Ventoy, you just have to download and run this on your linux machine.
Here's the file: https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/download/v1.0.71/ventoy-1.0.71-linux.tar.gz
and here's how to use their GUI: https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_linux_gui.html
NVM, you don't even have to read the documentation. Visit this web page and scroll a bit. They have described how to use ventoy easily at the end of the webpage.

1647459612051.png
 
I already suggested Ventoy, he doesn't want to read the instructions on their site, but for someone to spell it out.
Actually, after some trial and error I figured it out. Unfortunately, when I boot up with one flash drive running Ventoy and one with an ISO of Windows it goes through several installation steps before informing me that "Windows can't be installed on Drive 0 Partition 1 (System) because this partition is too small" and it "can't be installed on Drive 0 Partition 2 (Logical) because Windows must be installed on a partition formatted as NTFS."

So now I've gone into Disks, and changed Partition 1 to NTFS and deleted Partition 2. Rebooted with both flash drives in place and it appears that now Windows is installing...finally.
 
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