Going back to one copy of XP after parallel install

[Guest]

Just spent some time working on my son's family PC running XP Home, where it
was failing BSOD on shutdown. No amount of repair/re-install of XP would
clear it, so I have done a parallel install of XP to folder c:\winxp. All is
now working fine on this 2nd copy, all accounts/data sorted out etc., and
it's been activated. At present the PC is showing the dual boot menu, which
is OK, I can get round that for him.

But can someone kindly clarify for me how I can now get rid of the original
XP in c:\windows? Do I have to uninstall it, or as on another thread, just
delete c:\windows? I'm a bit wary of that, but assume if I ever have to do
any repair work in the future, setup will detect the OS in c:\winxp. Also,
what changes should I make to edit the dual boot menu? MS tell you how to
install in parallel but not how to get rid of one - well, not that i can find


Thanks in advance.

 

[Nepatsfan]

(e-mail address removed),

Just spent some time working on my son's family PC running
XP Home, where it was failing BSOD on shutdown. No amount
of repair/re-install of XP would clear it, so I have done a
parallel install of XP to folder c:\winxp. All is now
working fine on this 2nd copy, all accounts/data sorted out
etc., and it's been activated. At present the PC is showing
the dual boot menu, which is OK, I can get round that for
him.

But can someone kindly clarify for me how I can now get rid
of the original XP in c:\windows? Do I have to uninstall
it, or as on another thread, just delete c:\windows? I'm a
bit wary of that, but assume if I ever have to do any repair
work in the future, setup will detect the OS in c:\winxp.
Also, what changes should I make to edit the dual boot menu?
MS tell you how to install in parallel but not how to get
rid of one - well, not that i can find

Thanks in advance.

You're on the right track as far as deleting the old C:\Windows
folder. You can edit the boot.ini file manually or use this
approach:

Boot into your working XP installation.
Go to Start -> Run and enter %windir% in the Open box.
Click OK.
Make note of what folder opens. In your case it should be
C:\Winxp.
Delete the other windows installation folder. This would be
C:\Windows.
Go to Start -> Run and enter msconfig in the Open box.
Click OK.
Click on the BOOT.INI tab.
Hit the "Check All Boot Paths" button.
You should be asked if you want to remove the entry for the
deleted installation.
Follow the prompts and this should result in your not seeing
the startup menu.

Here's an article which you might want to take a look at. It
explains how to edit the boot.ini file manually:

Microsoft Windows XP FAQ
Scroll down to #20, I have two installations of XP on the same
partition
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

(e-mail address removed),


You're on the right track as far as deleting the old C:\Windows
folder. You can edit the boot.ini file manually or use this
approach:

Boot into your working XP installation.
Go to Start -> Run and enter %windir% in the Open box.
Click OK.
Make note of what folder opens. In your case it should be
C:\Winxp.
Delete the other windows installation folder. This would be
C:\Windows.
Go to Start -> Run and enter msconfig in the Open box.
Click OK.
Click on the BOOT.INI tab.
Hit the "Check All Boot Paths" button.
You should be asked if you want to remove the entry for the
deleted installation.
Follow the prompts and this should result in your not seeing
the startup menu.

Here's an article which you might want to take a look at. It
explains how to edit the boot.ini file manually:

Microsoft Windows XP FAQ
Scroll down to #20, I have two installations of XP on the same
partition
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html

Good luck

Nepatsfan

Thanks for that. Checking the boot.ini using msconfig is something new for
me! I'll give it a go over the next few days.

 

[Guest]

:
I managed to sneak out have a try - it worked great! Had a bit of a tussle
with msconfig saying I needed to go back to the original boot.ini, but I
fixed it by editing it directly.

Many thanks for your help - I can now hand it all back for my son to mess up
again!

 

[Nepatsfan]

You're welcome.

Nepatsfan

(e-mail address removed),