Member Avatar for mjdodd

A small item! well about 6 gig. I have a compaq, amd 64 used to run xp reformatted to win 7 32 then to 64. All works well. On seeing the main hard disk it still appears to have a partition of about 6 g (drive d:) with old files (mainly hidden) all dated prior to 2010 and mostly looking like xp recovery. I suspect this is the manufacturers reinstall for xp. Simple question

Is it safe to delete this partition now that I use win 7 32/64 or are there parts of it that the OS may have to use. I have no intention of pressing reinstall at start up to go back to xp!!
ta for any advice
M

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Short, practical follow‑up based on what and have already noted.

Because the files are older OEM recovery content, the main precautions are to confirm the partition is not required for boot and to preserve the factory restore image if you might ever need it. Before deleting anything, make a full backup or system image and create the OEM recovery media (Compaq/HP Recovery Manager or Windows Backup) so you can restore to factory if needed. Also copy any drivers or small utility folders you might want later; OEM partitions often store those.

If you want to remove the 6 GB partition and give the space to Windows 7, delete the partition with your partition tool (you already have Partition Commander), then expand the Windows volume into the resulting unallocated space. Note: native Windows tools can only extend into contiguous unallocated space on the right, so if the free space is not adjacent you will need a third‑party mover/resize tool (Partition Commander will handle this). Always reboot and confirm Windows boots cleanly after the change.

Final cautions: some OEM machines keep a tiny “system” partition separate from C:, and some recovery procedures rely on an OEM boot option. If you see any partition labeled System, Active, or Recovery, double‑check its role before removing it. Given what you posted, it sounds safe to delete the old XP recovery partition, but create recovery media and a full image first so you can recover if anything unexpected happens.

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Member Avatar for altuin

You should first check that the recovery partition is not the first partition. You can do this by typing diskmgmt.msc in run or in the start menu search box. If it is not the first partition I think that you can safely delete it and reclaim the space (also by using diskmgmt.msc ).

Member Avatar for mjdodd

Both c: (win 7) and d: the 6 g one are described as primary partitions and the win 7 is the boot one. Thanks for the help I'llleave this thread open a while to see if there are any other comments and later close it as I am fairly sure it is safe to get rid of it;
ta
M

Member Avatar for altuin

I agree. If you have any questions about taking the freed up space into the win7 partition I can help you with that without the need to install partitioning software.

Member Avatar for mjdodd

no problem I have got partition commander which does an excellent job but thanks anyway.
M

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