I wrote...
I installed Windows XP onto my D: drive, while leaving my Win98
installation on my C: drive. Since then, I have cleaned off my C: drive
except for the Windows 98 installation, and now I want to take out the C:
drive to use in another machine. The problem is that my system won't boot
without the files on the C: drive, so my question is how do I copy the
Windows XP system files to my D: drive to make it bootable?
Thanks for all the help and support. I figured out how to solve my problem.
For those who might have wished to see a solution, here is the one I came up
with:
Poking around a Google search for "change boot drive windows xp," I found a
link to a Microsoft KB article describing how to change drive letters.
Though this was not what I wanted, there was a related article listed at the
bottom pertaining to the DISKPART command line utility. Ah, the glory days
of the command line! I just knew I was saved when I read the article.
I used the utility to first set the D: drive partition as active. I then
copied the 3 system files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, and BOOT.INI) from the C:
drive to the D: drive. I then edited the BOOT.INI file to remove the
reference to the old system drive and make the D: drive disk(0). (First,
though, I had to use the command line ATTRIB -R -S -H to make the file
editable, since Windows Explorer wouldn't _allow_ me to do that.) I then
changed my BIOS boot sequency to boot from that drive instead of the other
one. The computer then booted with my D: drive without a hitch. Success!
I then brought up the Disk Management Console, which showed my C: drive
being used for the pagefile, so I still couldn't delete it, so bringing up
My Computer properties and clicking on Advanced, then Performance, I changed
by virtual memory settings to put the pagefile on the D: drive. After
rebooting, I can now delete my C: drive partition safely.
NOW I may need to take a look at changing drive letters, but before I do
that I need to find a nice, freeware registry editor that supports Search &
Replace...
Peace,
Brian Kastel
==================
If I may editorialize, why on earth would Microsoft create a disk management
console but then cripple it so that it would not be useful for its designed
purpose? The specs for DISKPART explicitly state that the command line
utility can do things its GUI brother cannot. Why, when both use the very
same services??? I mean, first of all, the DMC is buried under System
Tools, then Administrative Tools, then down the tree list in the Computer
Management Console, so it's not like some idiot user is going to casually
run across it and say, "Oh, what would happen if I click on Delete
Partition?" And if they did, then so freaking what? Why make the job so
much harder for system administrators? To justify professional fees? What
kind of ethics is that, if that is the rationale? I posit that it has been
and will continue to be a mistake to remove from the user control over the
system or make control more difficult. I submit, therefore, that people
will continue to take flight from these overarching practices in order to
regain control. Don't get me wrong; I love Microsoft's software, so I'm not
going anywhere, but this kind of stuff just pisses me off. I'm much more
than a casual user, and I should not have to go on archaeological
expeditions when I want to do basic system maintenance. I feel real pity
for the casual user who would be told, "Just reinstall the system," as if
the days or even weeks of reconfiguration and the application of updates are
of no consequence.
Okay, I'm done editorializing now.
