The Windows operating system is installed on the vast majority of computers. However, more and more computer owners are abandoning it in favor of the open source Linux operating system. When installing Linux, the first question a PC user faces is the question of uninstalling Windows.
Instructions
Step 1
If you have never worked with Linux, do not rush to uninstall Windows - let both OSs temporarily coexist on your computer. But if you are determined to get rid of Windows permanently, there are several ways to remove this operating system.
Step 2
The easiest and most reliable way is to use the Acronis Disk Director program. Find the version of the program launched from the CD at system startup. Acronis Disk Director not only allows you to easily and quickly remove Windows, but also helps you prepare the disk for installing another operating system.
Step 3
Insert the CD with Acronis Disk Director into the drive, restart your computer. At the time of system startup, select boot from CD, in most computers, to display the boot device selection menu, press F12. Choose to boot from CD. After the CD menu opens, start Acronis Disk Director. When the program starts, select the manual mode in the dialog box that appears.
Step 4
After starting the program, you will see a window with a list of disks available on your computer. If you just want to remove Windows, click the disk with the installed OS, then select the "Format" option in the left menu. Click the checkered flag icon at the top of the program window and confirm the operation. The disk with the installed OS will be formatted. Remember that this will delete all files on the disk being formatted.
Step 5
The need to format the disk may also arise if you had Windows 7 and you want to install Windows XP instead. If the drive is not formatted, problems may arise during the Windows XP setup phase. To be sure to avoid them, select full formatting in the program options.
Step 6
You can also format the Windows drive during the installation phase of another OS. For example, if you install Windows XP directly from the CD, you will see a menu listing the drives on your system. At this stage, you can format the drive on which you will install the OS.
Step 7
You can uninstall Windows from another installed operating system. In this case, simply delete the files of the unnecessary OS and correct the boot record so that the remote operating system does not appear in the list when the computer boots.
Step 8
If you purchased a laptop with Windows and want to install Linux instead (a very common situation), Windows can be uninstalled using the Linux distribution you are installing. Just start booting Linux from the CD and select formatting the disk from the file system organization menu.
