Hopefully this is the last question/help I need before re-installing

[FireBrick]

You guys/gals have been a big help.
Just to refresh.

Wife installed Vista, and it really went weird.

Instead of removing XP which was on C drive
It somehow flopped the drive letters so what was c: now is on D: and vice
versa.
so now it looks like both versions are still on the machine but the drive
info is confused.
It works, but very confusing.

So I've backed up to a outboard backup drive and also to DVD's all the stuff
I need to save.

So my question is:
How do I first reformat c and d, and THEN do a clean install of Vista
Premium on C: as it should be.

The issue is that the drive info is presently confused and I want to make
sure that is straightened out first. I know this because if I try to do a
Vista backup of D: which has all the saved files, it's really the Vista
program that gets backup and vice versa. Sort of 'good' twin and 'evil'
twin.

please and thank you.

 

[peter]

In a dual boot configuration both XP and Vista report themselves as being on
the C drive depending upon which
OS you are in.If you are in XP the drive it is installed on will show up as
C...from there you could format D and as such remove Vista but the
boot sector would still give you the option of starting with XP or Vista
since that is located on the C drive.
If you start your system in Vista it will report itself as being on C but
most likely is actually on what you know as the D drive..If you format the
other HD from within Vista you will not be able to boot at all..

If you just wish to reinstall Vista disconnect the drive you do NOT want to
install it on...Then during the install format the
drive you are installing to. After you have Vista installed and running re
connect the other drive and format it.
Now you are sure it is on the Primary Active drive.. usually called C.
Good Luck
peter