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How you remove Linux from a dual-boot computer varies according your initial operating system (OS X or Windows), and your Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu, Mandriva, or Fedora.

Uninstall Linux Dual Boot from Mac with OS X

To uninstall a Linux dual boot from OS X, uninstall Boot Camp. For more information, see How to Delete a Boot Camp Partition. Although this is for deleting a Windows partition, it should also work for a Linux partition.

Uninstall Typical Linux Dual Boot from PC with Windows

To uninstall a typical (generally non-Ubuntu) Linux dual boot from a PC with a Windows operating system, do the following:

1. In your Linux partition, back up any data, such as pictures or documents, that you wish to keep.
2. Back up your Windows partition. If possible, back up both your data and your Windows operating system.
3. Boot your PC to your Windows operating system.
4. Format the Linux partition to erase Linux and its data.
5. According to your specific Windows version, repair its MBR (Master Boot Record) as explained in Microsoft TechNet. See also Delete Linux from Startup Menu.

Uninstall Ubuntu Linux Dual Boot from PC with Windows

How you uninstall Ubuntu from a Windows dual boot varies according to how you have installed Ubuntu. On Windows, you can use Wubi (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer) to install Ubuntu Dual Boot. Wubi lets you try fully-functional Ubuntu without manually partitioning your hard drive. You install it automatically into a hidden partition. Subsequently, you can uninstall it as though it were an application.

Note that if you have not installed your Ubuntu dual boot through Wubi, you must uninstall your Ubuntu according to the procedure in the "Uninstall Typical Linux Dual Boot from PC with Windows" section above.

The following procedure shows how to Uninstall a Wubi Ubuntu Dual Boot from Windows XP. If you have a different Windows version, your exact procedure can vary.

To uninstall a Wubi Ubuntu Dual Boot from Windows XP, do the following:

1. Boot your PC to Windows XP.
2. Click "Start" > "Settings" > "Control Panel" to display the Control Panel.
3. Double-click on the "Add or Remove Programs" icon to display the "Add or Remove Programs" window.
4. Scroll to "Ubuntu" and then click "Remove" to display the "Ubuntu Uninstaller" window.
5. Click "Uninstall" to uninstall Ubuntu and display the "Uninstallation completed" message.

The above procedure does not change your PC dual-boot screen, It still displays "Ubuntu" as a bootable operating system even though it is no longer available. This is NOT a problem because your PC still boots to Windows automatically. However, if you wish eliminate the dual-boot screen, you need to edit the boot.ini file. For example, in Windows XP, you would use the procedure in the "Edit Windows XP boot.ini" section below.

Edit Windows XP boot.ini

To edit the boot.ini file in your Windows XP operating system, you need to back up the boot.ini file and then edit the original.

As a word of caustion: do NOT edit the boot.ini file unless you still have your Windows XP installation CD. If you make an error while editing the boot.ini file, you cannot boot your PC until after you repair the boot.ini file. To repair the boot.ini file, you must boot your Windows XP installation CD, and then use its Recovery Console to repair the boot.ini file.

Back Up Windows XP boot.ini - To back up your Windows XP boot.ini file, do the following:

1. Click "Start" > "Run", and then type "sysdm.cpl" to display the "System Properties" window.
2. Click on the "Advanced" tab to display its page.
3. In the "Startup and Recovery" section, click on "Settings" to display the "Startup and Recovery" window.
4. In the "System Startup" section, click "Edit" to display the "boot.ini - Notepad" window.
5. Print a copy of the boot.ini file.
6. Click "File" to display its menu, click "Save As" to display its window.
7. In the "File name" section, type "backup_boot.ini", and then click "Save" to back up the file.
8. Close the "boot.ini - Notepad" window, close the "Startup and Recovery" window, and then close the "System Properties" window.

Edit Windows XP boot.ini - To edit up your Windows XP boot.ini file, do the following:

1. Click "Start" > "Run", and then type "sysdm.cpl" to display the "System Properties" window.
2. Click on the "Advanced" tab to display its page.
3. In the "Startup and Recovery" section, click on "Settings" to display the "Startup and Recovery" window.
4. In the "System Startup" section, click "Edit" to display the "boot.ini - Notepad" window.
5. Delete everything after "Windows XP Professional /fastdetect" so that the file is similar to the following:
   
   [boot loader]
   timeout=15
   default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS
   [operating systems]
   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
   
   
6. Click "Save" to store your edits.
7. Close the "boot.ini - Notepad" window, close the "Startup and Recovery" window, and then close the "System Properties" window.