* d d <rot...@gmail.com> [120922 18:51]: > I need advice on removal of the microsoft hidden partition and other > software from a hard drive > leaving a completely clean hard drive. > > please respond by email only as I do not have reliable email > > Dick > 315+399-6113
It sounds as if your wish is simply to purge M$, the machine-specific "restore" partition, and bloatware from a new machine -- and not to restore the drive to the "as-shipped-from-the-drive-manufacturer" state. Perhaps the easiest approach is to download the "gparted" ISO image, copy the image to a small USB flash device (512 Mbyte is adequate) or to a CD, and then boot directly into gparted from the USB or CD. See: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php for ISO images and instructions. I have found gparted to be intuitive, rather fool-proof, and exceptionally easy to use for this task. Using this approach, I have purged the M$ from a number of machines -- including a Lenovo laptop, on which I subsequently installed Debian squeeze. Note that some newer machines are using a new BIOS scheme and a new partitioning scheme. If your machine is one of these, you may find it necessary to search with Google and educate yourself in order to repartition the drive according to the new scheme. But getting rid of the old partitions is not a problem; just use gparted. RLH -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20120923061044.ga2...@gospelbroadcasting.org
