help removing dupe operating system

[mm4c3k]

Hello all!
First post...and I'm looking for help (naturally!). Currently, I have one hard drive in my system--while trying to ahem "fix" my comp, I accidentally installed another Windows XP operating system into the second partition. Master drive is C: and H:. I would now like to remove/uninstall the extra and would like some advice on how to do so. I don't know if this helps, but attached is a notepad of the boot record. Any help is greatly appreciated in advance! Thank you.

boot loader.doc

[TT4Titans]

First are you wanting to keep two partitions one the drive or are you wanting to merge them into one?

if you are wanting 2 just go to control panel
if in category veiw got o performance and maintenance.if in classic administrative tools click same if in other and you click performance.now click on computer management then in the left pane click diskmanagment.after that right click which drive you want to get the copy off of and click format.

now your boot loader will need edited.right click on my computer click explore.now in the top task bar click tools then folder options now the veiw tab then scroll down and uncheck hide system files.now close all that except explore in the right pain double click boot.ini.now make it look like this.when done click file - save.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect

[dcc]

If your hard drive is installed in a PC running Windows XP, you can go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Storage - Disk Management. You can then right click and remove the partition that you want. You then can right click on that and restore the partition.

TT4Titans...we need to quit meeting this way. I was actually partitioning part of my hdd and had to wait to post this, so you beat me.

[mm4c3k]

thank you both for the quick response.
I have two partitions, C/H, which I would like to keep. The second partition on the disk contains other data (music, movies, files, etc) which i don't need to lose. If I format (as TT4Titans suggested) will I lose all this data??
Thanks again!
p.s. Yes, I am running XP

[TT4Titans]

TT4Titans...we need to quit meeting this way. I was actually partitioning part of my hdd and had to wait to post this, so you beat me.

LOL I am trying to catch up to you in post.

But yea mm4c3k if you format you will lose everything.get the OS loaded on the C if H is where your DATA is and then access it and copy it to C before you format.Now if you accidently started the install on H and it asked if you wanted to format and you did then it is gone.

There is software that would help in maybe recovering it.

[dcc]

You should be able to copy and paste from one partition to the other, after that follow the instructions to delete the partition. That is the beauty of the second partition, you don't have to reformat to change the OS or in this case to delete one.

[gerbil]

couldn't you just start up in the C: volume and then simply delete all the windows OS folders n files in the second volume? That would leave your other stuff untouched, wouldn't it? [I've never tried it... :)]
Last, or other, step would be to cut the last line from your boot.ini file.
I mean, who [an OS] would know?

[mm4c3k]

thanks for the replies! sorry i didn't get back in sooner, but i never got the email reply notification...
i will see what i can do and let you know. thanks, again!

[gerbil]

..there is a setting in your profile re notifications..

[mm4c3k]

just a thought: with regard to deleting all the files in H:, would uninstalling through the Norton System Works utility work? I did a search and they all appeared (both C:\System32 folders and H:\System32 folders)...

[gerbil]

I would have thought that if you opened C: you would have \program files and \WINDOWS folders, plus \Docs n Setts, [as well as others....]. These are the ones u use as your OS. So open H:\ and just delete H:\Windows [it won't fit in the bin..] and H:\Program Files folders. Check thru docs for files that you may wish to keep. I wouldn let Norton do anything.. If you are concerned post a pic of your explorer window with a bit of tree expansion...C:\ and H:\ .Or two pics...

[mm4c3k]

well, there was no backup or undo for the second OS. i went ahead and deleted the all the folders in H: and then edited the boot loader (removing the last line). i restarted without any problems and the second XP option (2nd partition) was no longer available as a selection. thanks guys!!