I recently installed Linux on my machine that already had Windows 10, and now I've noticed a device listed as 'windows 10' under /dev/sdb1. I'm having issues because I can't format it directly, and when I try to delete files from it, I get a message saying it's a read-only file system. I managed to mount it through the desktop icon, but I'm confused about how to proceed. I just want to remove Windows and free up that space. Any advice?
3 Answers
If your Windows partition is on a separate drive or partition not used by Linux, check in GParted to see all your drives. If it's unused by Linux, you should be able to format and rename it without issues. GParted can handle that easily!
It looks like you've set up a dual-boot with Linux and Windows. The 'read-only' issue is probably due to Windows' 'fast startup' feature, which leaves the partition uncleanly mounted. To help you out, could you tell me if you’re trying to fully remove Windows, or just want to manage the partitions? That’ll help us give you the best advice.
I just want to delete it and get the space back. It does look like a typical C drive.
Consider reading up on how Linux handles partitions and filesystems. If you're wanting to wipe everything out, a clean reinstall of Linux might be your easiest route. It’ll allow you to start fresh without the clutter of the old Windows files.
I'll check that out, thanks!
I formatted it with GParted to ext4, but now I need help to make it show up under devices.