*How do I remove dual boot, safely?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dick
  • Start date Start date
D

Dick

I have WinXP Pro on my Pc twice. At switch on I get the offer of both.
I want to keep the one I use and get rid of the other. How do I do it
without compromising my system?
Please don't ask why I have this set-up. I've been unable to get an
understandable answere from the techi who installed WinXP.

Thanks.

PS

I am not computer literate. I use it as a tool to get jobs done.
WinXP has been for the last year problem free.
Please reply to this group. E-mail address is false.
Thanks
 
Does the second instance even work? If it's a bogus entry. Start, Run,
MSCONFIG, BOOT.INI, Check all boot paths.
 
Dick said:
I have WinXP Pro on my Pc twice. At switch on I get the offer of both.
I want to keep the one I use and get rid of the other. How do I do it
without compromising my system?
Click to expand...

It might not actually have two copies of WinXP on it; just 2 entries in
boot.ini which is a hidden file. In Windows Explorer, click
Tools-Folder Options-View and check View Hidden Files to see it.

Have a look at boot.ini and see if both text lines refer to the same
physical disk location (rdisk() etc.).

Removing the reference that you don't want will make your computer jump
right into the "correct" OS without prompting you, but then you might
have to decide what to do about the other partition - if it exists.

-Pat
 
Dick said:
I have WinXP Pro on my Pc twice. At switch on I get the offer of both.
I want to keep the one I use and get rid of the other. How do I do it
without compromising my system?
Please don't ask why I have this set-up. I've been unable to get an
understandable answere from the techi who installed WinXP.
Click to expand...
PS
I am not computer literate. I use it as a tool to get jobs done.
WinXP has been for the last year problem free.

Of limited use.
Click to expand...

If you look at that Microsoft web page
and you are (reasonably) cautious about not wanting to ruin something
then you might skip step 3, that deletes a whole windows installation,
and instead just try to follow the rest of the directions it gives
and just delete the correct line in boot.ini the begins with multi.

What that will do is leave the second windows installation on your
computer. You have said it works fine, and why mess with success.
But removing the correct line from boot.ini will make the annoying
question asking which version of Windows you want to use.

Or, if when you turn on the computer and don't touch the keyboard
then it will make the correct choice and boot the right version of
windows for you, then you could change the timeout=nn line to be
timeout=0
That will wait zero seconds, make the same choice it makes now,
not ask you the question, and you can avoid trying to decide which
multi line to delete and avoid the risk of removing lines from the
file.

I hope something in this helps.

If you need a bit more you can toss me email, address is valid.
I computerized my mother. That can teach someone a lot about this.
 
Start>Run>msconfig>ok
Click BOOT.INI tab>Check All Boot Paths and delete the unncessary one.

regards,
S.Sengupta[MS-MVP]
 
Back
Top