Step by Step Delete Windows Partition using fdisk command on Linux Fedora System

   The example below show the step by step on how to delete Windows partition using fdisk command.  The procedure below use fdisk command to delete the Windows partition table inside the external USB hard disk on Linux Fedora system... To delete Windows partition, please make sure that you know which partition that you want to delete before you follow the procedure below ... ones you delete the Windows partition... all data inside that partition also deleted (gone forever).  Please note that the same procedure could be apply to delete Linux partition.

Delete Windows Partition:

1.  List the windows partition that you want to delete using fdisk -l [target device] command.  The example below show that the Windows partition that we want to delete is on the /dev/sdb hard disk device and on the partition number 1 ( show as sdb1 )

[root@fedora ~]# fdisk -l /dev/sdb

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes

64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 38154 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00b4c6f2

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdb1               1       38154    39069680    c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)

[root@fedora ~]#

2 Execute the fdisk command as show on the example below.

[root@fedora ~]# fdisk /dev/sdb

The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 38154.

There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,

and could in certain setups cause problems with:

1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)

2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs

   (e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)

3.  Then type in 'm' key and hit Enter key to display the help menu for fdisk command.

Command (m for help): m   <-- 'm' key to display fdisk help

Command action

   a   toggle a bootable flag

   b   edit bsd disklabel

   c   toggle the dos compatibility flag

   d   delete a partition

   l   list known partition types

   m   print this menu

   n   add a new partition

   o   create a new empty DOS partition table

   p   print the partition table

   q   quit without saving changes

   s   create a new empty Sun disklabel

   t   change a partition's system id

   u   change display/entry units

   v   verify the partition table

   w   write table to disk and exit

   x   extra functionality (experts only)

4.  Type in 'd' key and hit Enter key to delete a partition, select the partition that you want to delete.

Command (m for help): d   <-- 'd' key to delete partition, select the partition to delete if you have mere then 1 partition

Selected partition 1

5.  Verify again by type in 'p' command, to list all partition table inside the hard disk.

Command (m for help): p   <-- 'p' key to list partition table

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes

64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 38154 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00b4c6f2

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

6.  Save the changes that you made by type in the 'w' key then hit Enter key

Command (m for help): w   <-- 'w' key to write partition table to disk

The partition table has been altered!

Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.

Syncing disks.

[root@fedora ~]#

Check deleted partition on hard disk

To verify: After exit the fdisk command... check Windows deleted partition again using fdisk command as show on example below.

[root@fedora ~]# fdisk -l /dev/sdb

Disk /dev/sdb: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes

64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 38154 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x00b4c6f2

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

[root@fedora ~]#

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