Want to resell your PC but don't want anyone to be able to access the contents of your hard drive? In this case, it is necessary completely uninstall Ubuntu. In this tutorial, we will see how to wipe your entire GNU / Linux system and get a totally blank disc in a few simple steps.
For this tutorial, you will need to have a bootable USB stick or CD with Ubuntu. If you do not know what it is, we invite you to consult our tutorial “How do I install Ubuntu on a USB stick?”.
To proceed with the uninstallation of Ubuntu, launch a Live session from a USB key by following the instructions of the tutorial “How to launch Ubuntu without installing it on my Computer?”. Once the session is ready, just follow the few steps below.
Note: The “dd” command used in this tutorial can perform many functions. Misused, it may also render your operating system inoperative. So be sure of yourself before you start!
Uninstall Ubuntu from the command line
- Open a terminal from the application launcher.
- Enter the order sudo swapoff -a to cut the virtual memory partition on your hard drive and avoid saving recoverable data afterwards.
- Then type the command sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda then validate with Enter. By default, Ubuntu installs on the disk identifier / Dev / sda. If you have another identifier, you will have to adapt the order accordingly.
- After a few minutes, the terminal will show you the result of the erasure. You can exit your Live USB session.
Your hard drive is now blank and no longer contains any data. You can install a new operating system like Windows 10 or resell your computer risk-free. Whichever you choose, Ubuntu is now completely erased!
To download :
Ubuntu
Find other tutorials on Ubuntu:
- How to create a restore point on Ubuntu?
- How to install Ubuntu?
- How to launch Ubuntu without installing it on my computer?
- How to install Ubuntu on a USB stick?
- How to update Ubuntu?
