Installation overwrote windows installation too easily

[James Takac]

Hi Karl

On Monday 08 September 2008 22:35:39 Karl Larsen wrote:
> Ashley Benton wrote:
> > On Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 7:49 AM, Karl Larsen <k5di at zianet.com> wrote:
> >> Ken McLennan wrote:
> >>> G'day there One & All,
> >>>
> >>>>     Alas there is no software I am aware of that can tell the
> >>>> difference between Windows and any other data on a Hard Drive.
> >>>
> >>>    It doesn't have to determine any differences, nor to find what OSes
> >>> are installed anywhere. It needs to halt the process, offer a dialog
> >>> with an explicit warning to the user about what will happen and giving
> >>> them an opportunity to back out just in case they DO have windows (or
> >>> Solaris, or Fedora, or Mandriva, any other OS) installed. It doesn't
> >>> matter whether they do or not, but should provide the warning for a
> >>> worst case scenario.
> >>>
> >>>    I doubt it would be difficult, just a dialog with a "Cancel &
> >>> Return" option and a "Go Ahead and Nuke" option.
> >>>
> >>> See ya,
> >>> Ken
> >>
> >>     Loose a lot of Ubuntu converts that way. A Windows user knows little
> >> or even less than that about a computer. You ask them how many hard
> >> drives, they ask "what is a hard drive?".
> >>
> >>    In a perfect world everyone would be born computer smart and then
> >> you can ask them to use $sudo fdisk -l and decide from the output. That
> >> was how early Linux was done. A README said "make a partition and give
> >> it an ext2 file system". Then load the system from the cd-rom. Then
> >> there were very few Linux users :-)
> >>
> >>
> >> Karl
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >>        Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
> >>        Linux User
> >>        #450462   http://counter.li.org.
> >>   PGP 4208 4D6E 595F 22B9 FF1C  ECB6 4A3C 2C54 FE23 53A7
> >
> > Effectively I didn't know anything when I came from Windows but it is
> > very difficult to delete Windows by accident with the live cd. If you say
> > write to the entire hard drive and read the answer it tells you that
> > everything will be deleted. If you use only part of the hard drive you
> > can't leave less than the minimum space for Windows.
> > If you look at the opposite and have to reinstall Windows it doesn't
> > leave you a choice completely delete everything. You don't have the
> > option of leaving Ubuntu on the partition (at least not when you don't
> > use a partitioner to reinstall, and that I still don't know how to do),.
> > My point is if you get a virus in your windows partition and reinstall
> > from the Windows cd Ubuntu will be removed without other visible option
> > but if you have a problem with Ubuntu usually Windows is safe as long as
> > you read before to press OK.
> >
> > Meg
> >
> >> --
> >> ubuntu-users mailing list
> >> ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> >> Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> >> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
>
>     In the usual case the LiveCD of Ubuntu Hardy you do muddle through
> and get a dual boot of Windows and Ubuntu. Both work fine and you are
> happy.
>
>     If you have to re-load Windows it is difficult because Windows
> writes it's boot loader over the Grub one. But by then, if your curious,
> you have learned how Grub works and you can cover the Window loader with
> the Grub and your back in business.
>
>     In a perfect world you buy a new computer and it has Ubuntu loaded.
> You turn it on and use it.
>
> Karl
>
>
> --
>
> 	Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
> 	Linux User
> 	#450462   http://counter.li.org.
>    PGP 4208 4D6E 595F 22B9 FF1C  ECB6 4A3C 2C54 FE23 53A7



Your synopsis seems to assume windows is loaded last. That's the only way 
windows can write over grub. If Linux (Ubuntu in the case of this list) is 
loaded last and the windows filesystem is overwritten for one reason or 
another (user error, power failure, etc). 99% of the timer windows is there 
first and Ubuntu is loaded as an after thought.

Ive come across many people who know next to nothing about computers or 
operating systems from both windows and linux sides. I've lost track of how 
many systems I've had to reinstall on both sides of the camp (not counting my 
own systems when I do finally mess up like the riceeey script last time my 
end which messed up my ethernet and wireless on the eee pc. Part of the 
learning process afterall. You never truly succeed unless you truly mess up. 
That's how we truly learn

James