Member Avatar for jemz

hello can you help me please i have 2 operating system in 1 pc dual booth...how can i uninstall one operating system...hoping for your positive responds...thank you in advance...

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As correctly pointed out, the usual workflow is to keep the OS that will remain, remove the other installation, and then clean up the boot menu. Two important clarifications that weren't spelled out in the thread: Windows distinguishes the "System" volume (where the boot files live) from the "Boot" volume (where the running Windows folder lives), and deleting the wrong partition will leave the machine unbootable. Also, failure to delete files (as reported) is most often because the files are on the currently running partition or are locked by the system.

Safe, practical workflow

  • Make a full backup or disk image first.
  • In the OS that will remain, open Disk Management to identify which partition is marked "System" and which is "Boot." If the unwanted Windows is on its own partition, delete that partition from Disk Management (or use a bootable partition tool such as GParted if resizing is needed). If both installs share one partition, do not try to manually delete system folders — instead plan a clean reinstall or reformat.
  • If the partition being removed currently holds the boot files, move or restore the boot files to the remaining partition and repair the MBR/boot record before deleting the old partition.

Common repair commands (boot from installation media)

  • Windows XP Recovery Console:

    fixmbr
fixboot
copy D:\i386\ntldr C:\
copy D:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\

    (replace D: with the CD/DVD drive letter shown)

  • Vista/7/8/10 repair (from recovery command prompt):

    bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot

Troubleshooting tips
If Windows refuses to delete files, boot from a WinPE/Live-USB and remove the partition or take ownership offline. After deleting, remove the old boot entry with the remaining OS's tools (msconfig/BCDedit/EasyBCD) rather than leaving stale entries. Always confirm the remaining partition is set Active and test booting before repartitioning or reusing the freed space.

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Member Avatar for gerbil

Hello, jemz, just load the OS you wish to keep, delete the files or the partition of the other OS, then modify your boot.ini to reflect the change. Let's say you decide to keep XP: rclick MyComputer > Properties > Advanced tab, Startup n Recovery Settings, press Edit. Make it something like this:
[boot loader]
timeout=4
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP-SP3 Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Press Ctrl-S.
Done.

Member Avatar for Member #579261

Hey gerbil,
i also have the same problem and i tried doing that but with Windows you can't delete any installation file!
What can i do next? hope am not hijacking this thread :)

Thanks

Member Avatar for gerbil

nyamo, you should be able to delete any file belonging to the other installation... to the running OS they are just any old file or folder. Delete Windows\ and Docs and Setts\ [you might wish to copy stuff out of the unwanted folders first].

Edited by gerbil because: n/a
Member Avatar for gerbil

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Edited by gerbil because: n/a
Member Avatar for jemz

Hello, jemz, just load the OS you wish to keep, delete the files or the partition of the other OS, then modify your boot.ini to reflect the change. Let's say you decide to keep XP: rclick MyComputer > Properties > Advanced tab, Startup n Recovery Settings, press Edit. Make it something like this:
[boot loader]
timeout=4
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP-SP3 Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Press Ctrl-S.
Done.

hello sir thank you for the reply...i will try this sir and i will write again if i have doubt...more power to you...thank you again...

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