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2 windows xp in one drive (drive c) i want to remove the other one.. please help! how will i do this?

i tried to install a windows xp home version but it failed. sometime after the system files were copied and after rebooting. i saw no way of getting around this, so i decided to get a new copy of windows xp, this time professional. it was installed successfully but i found out later on that the malfunctioning one was still installed! how will i remove it?

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  • 1 decade ago
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    I'm assuming the only reason you know the old copy of XP is on there is because when you boot your computer you get a black screen and it asks you if you want to boot XP Home or XP pro.

    Warning! While this is a Pretty simple operation I don't know your exact configuration. If you would like to send it to me then I will help you out but I'm posting the instructions just in case. This can make your computer un-bootable so if you don't think you can do it, please don't try.

    Option 1:

    When you installed XP pro you must not have formatted or deleted your old partition. If this is the case then you have 2 options. 1 is to remove the prompt that asks you which OS to boot. To do this you would need to open a file called boot.ini. it will be in your C: drive. You will have to make it visible by going to the the C: drive, then tools on the menu bar, folder options, view, and make sure that show hidden files and folders is on and that hide protected operating system files is unchecked. Once you open the boot.ini file all you have to do is delete the entry under [operating systems]. It should look something like this:

    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition"

    Once you delete that, you shouldn't get that prompt anymore. This should work because when you installed XP Pro it should have over written most of the XP Home files and shouldn't give you any more trouble.

    Option 2:

    The second option is simpler although it may take more time and be more of a hassle. The other way to make sure it's all gone is to do another install of XP Pro. This time when it asks you where to install you should se something that says Partition 1 or something like that. At this screen you should push D to delete the partition then enter and then L I think. If not, just follow the instructions. Once you do that, just complete the install formatting with NTFS and everything should be fine after that.

    Source(s): 10 years experience in the computer industry and owning my own IT business or almost 1 year now
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