Undo Dual boot and re-partition drive

[Briggy]

I have a single HD divided into 4 partiions: C: XP, D: Win2000, E:
and F: data

The system has a dual boot option at startup. I don´t use Win2000
anymore, and would like to get rid of it and then expand the C:
partition.

I have read in another post that I can remove the dual boot option by
going to Control Panel, System, Advanced, Startup and Recovery;
Clicking the Edit button and editing the BOOT.INI to remove the
reference to the second installation.

Is it then possible (and straightforward) to merge the c: and D:
partitions - or delete everything on d: and then expand the c:
partition?

Thanks in advance,
Briggy

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

You can do the first part, but to expand C to encompass D requires a third
party partitioning utility. You cannot do this with the drive tools included
with Windows (any version).

BootITNG from www.terabyteunlimited.com can do this from its boot floppy,
and for this maintenance you will not need to install it, or register it (in
short, it'll be free, but I would still strongly recommend paying for this
extremely useful program).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Guest]

This is a free partitioning program.

http://www.ranish.com/part/

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

I'm well aware of Ranish, and have used it on occasion with very favorable
results. Can you a) validate that this is a viable option and b) provide
instructions on how to use ranish for this scenario, as I generally use BING
(short for BootItNG) for these operations.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

This is a free partitioning program.

http://www.ranish.com/part/

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have a single HD divided into 4 partiions: C: XP, D: Win2000, E:
and F: data

The system has a dual boot option at startup. I don´t use Win2000
anymore, and would like to get rid of it and then expand the C:
partition.

I have read in another post that I can remove the dual boot option by
going to Control Panel, System, Advanced, Startup and Recovery;
Clicking the Edit button and editing the BOOT.INI to remove the
reference to the second installation.

Easier, if you delete the Win2000 folder, then run XP MSconfig.exe and
on the Boot.ini page click 'Check all Paths'. That will now find the
Win2000 entry goes nowhere and will delete it for you.

To expand the C: partition you would need a third party partition
manager, eg the one I use, BootIT NG, from http://www.BootitNG.com ($35
shareware - 30 day full functional trial)

Alternatively leave the partitioning alone and move material from the C
to the D - eg My Documents is probably taking up a lot of C and is easy
to move by opening a My Computer window on
C:\Documents and Settings\You\ to show it, another on D:, and use a
*right* drag - Move here to move it across. Same with some of the other
'My' folders there. Also move Temp Internet Files.

 

[Briggy]

Rick,
Thanks for your response. However it has occurred to me today that
perhaps I don´t need to repartition the drive, but simply install
(and/or re-install) programs/apps onto that second partition. I have
been watching the c: partition getting crowded and that was one of the
reasons I thought I´d get rid of the d: and expand the c:. Is it an
accepted practice to install applications to a partition seperate to
the c: drive?

Best wishes,
Briggy

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Sure, 99% of my programs are installed to volumes other than C:\.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Rick,
Thanks for your response. However it has occurred to me today that
perhaps I don´t need to repartition the drive, but simply install
(and/or re-install) programs/apps onto that second partition. I have
been watching the c: partition getting crowded and that was one of the
reasons I thought I´d get rid of the d: and expand the c:. Is it an
accepted practice to install applications to a partition seperate to
the c: drive?

I see that Rick's already answered you, but I thought I'd add my
voice to his. Yes, you can install applications on any partition
that's convenient for you. There's no reason to confine yourself
to C:.

Note, however, that if you've already installed to C: it's not
easy to *move* an application to another drive (it requires
special software, and I've had mixed results trying such
software). The best way to do that is to uninstall it, then
reinstall it wherever you want it.

 

[Briggy]

Thanks everyone, for answering my questions. Always good to check
when you are not sure! I´ll probably (over time) uninstall apps and
reinstall on 2nd partition. Less stressful than re-partitioning, in
my view.

Briggy

 

[Ken Blake]

Thanks everyone, for answering my questions. Always good to check
when you are not sure! I´ll probably (over time) uninstall apps and
reinstall on 2nd partition. Less stressful than re-partitioning, in
my view.

You're welcome. Glad to help. And I agree that's probably a good
choice for you.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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