• Deleting Grub File

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    #2523893

    Is there a utility that makes it easy to delete the Grub file?  If not, a process to delete the Grub file from within Windows and/or using a Linux portable trial version?

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    • #2523917

      Do you mean you want to go back to using the Windows bootloader? Grub is not just a single file that you can delete, but you can remove it or bypass it.

      If you are using a UEFI boot, all you need to do is to enter the UEFI settings on your PC and change the bootloader from Ubuntu (if you are using Ubuntu or Mint) or similar to Windows Boot Manager. The “Ubuntu” or other Linux-related option is GRUB, and Windows Boot Manager is the standard Windows bootloader. Installing Linux does not remove the original bootloader with UEFI.

      If it is a MBR/legacy boot, you would have to overwrite the old boot sector/bootloader. My go-to for that was always the Macrium Reflect rescue USB drive. It has an option to repair Windows boot issues, and it seldom fails. It works much more often than the Windows “fix start-up issues” option (or whatever it was called).

      Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
      XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
      Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

    • #2524492

      There is no specific utility that makes it easy to delete the Grub file, but it can be done using the command line in Linux. To delete the Grub file from within Windows, you can use a Linux live CD or USB to boot into a Linux environment and then use the command line to delete the Grub file. Alternatively, you can use a bootable USB drive with a Linux distribution that has a graphical user interface (GUI) to delete the Grub file. The process will vary depending on the specific Linux distribution you are using.

      • #2524840

        There’s no “the Grub file.”

        In the six Grub packages on my Neon system (a fairly typical setup) that were installed by default, there are ~1,200 files scattered among about 40 subdirectories across the file system. Yes, you can go and delete them all manually, if you wish, if you can find them all, but it’s going to be time-consuming and will be a real pain, and then you’re left with the rest of the Linux installation that won’t boot because a bunch of necessary files were deleted.

        A better way, I think, is to ask what the OP is trying to accomplish, and to offer assistance toward that goal. I made a guess that he is trying to get back to the Windows boot setup where it just boots Windows without the GRUB menu, but if that is not correct, more information about what he is trying to accomplish is needed.

        Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
        XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
        Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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