My Windows XP has crashed and ended up installing it in another HD (80GB). Now I need to unistall XP from my first HD (SATA 400GD) but I need to keep all my media files (around 300gb) in the SATA HD, because it obviouslly would't fit in the HD I have XP now. Is there a way to unistall XP from the SATA HD without formating it? then I would be able to use the SATA HD as a storage HD and have my media files (already there) there.
Thanks,
2006-12-02 08:17:32 · 5 answers · asked by Gui 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
Assuming that you're going to use the SATA drive for storage and don't want to run Windows from it again, "uninstalling" Windows from it is as simple as deleting the Windows folder on it.
If the SATA drive is still your C: drive and Windows now boots from the D: or E: drive, the startup files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.com and Boot.ini) are still on it. Do NOT delete those files or your machine will not boot! You can edit the Boot.ini file to remove the reference to the old install so you aren't prompted for which version of Windows to boot to every time you start your machine.
If you removed the SATA drive and installed the 80 gig IDE unit, you may need to change your BIOS settings to that it will look on the IDE drive first and treat the SATA drive as drive D: (or possibly E: if your CD-Rom drive is D:) In that case, you can probably delete the Program Files folder as well, since none of your old programs will run from that location now that that drive is no longer the C: drive. Check carefully for any data files first; some apps store data files under the parent folder in Program Files instead of the My Documents folder. You'll also need to drill down through the Documents & Settings folder on the SATA drive and move any docs to the your current profile under C:\Documents & Settings.
2006-12-02 08:31:24 · answer #1 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I understand, you have 2 HDs in one computer. One has a new copy of XP, the other a messed up XP but also your media files. If that older HD is not physically damaged you should be able to connect it to a secondary SATA controller (on the motherboard) and just access it as a 'slave'/data drive, no problem. It does not matter whether it had XP installed on it, it does not need to be uninstalled.
Once hooked up and accessible as a slave drive, just delete C:\Windows and all files in C:\ (including hidden files), C:\ has boot/startup files that make the drive look like it has Windows on it.
Good luck.
2006-12-02 08:26:33 · answer #2 · answered by TBone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best thought would be to install both disks, at least temporarily and copy hard drive to hard drive. Then reformat the bad disk and use it as you wish.
Obvously you installed the new hard drive, so you should be able to install the old one as a slave. Power off, Open the PC, attach the drive to to the ribbon cable in the spare slot, plug in an extra power plug. If none are available, use the CD cables temporarily.
Book up and the old drive should be D. Copy and reformat.
If this is a laptop, try the same, but you'll need an external drive shell for the disk. .
Much cleaner than uninstall. .
2006-12-02 08:30:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can uninstall an OS unless it was upgraded from a previous OS. The best way is to transfer all your media to an external hdd or a 2nd hdd where the os doesn't reside, after, you should reformat all partions and start from scratch. I know it sounds like alot of work but it isn't. If you do use an external HDD (Harddrive) that would be the easiest, if you decide to use an internal HDD just to store your media, to make sure you don't delete the partition and all the info, I would suggest you open the case and unplug the power from your hdd so it doesn't show up at all in your install. I only say you do that just so you don't accidentally format the wrong hdd...hope that helps.
If you don't have an external hdd, I would just go buy one with 500gb of storage, and return it after your done, say you didn't like it. I know that may sound wrong but I know alot of people who have done that, they copied and backed up all their info, reformat all the hdd, install the OS and then copy all the info back from the external drive and then return it to the store with no problems. I have 1.1TB of hdd space, 1,100 GB and it took two external hard drives, and 1 internal to backup my 900+ GB of stored music, photos and dvd backups! At least you don't have my files...
2006-12-02 08:21:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
in case you've gotten doubts, set up it using Wubi. This installs it to a folder in abode windows. in case you do not love all of it you do is delete that folder. once you're new to Linux, i'd use Mint Linux, placed off of Ubuntu. different archives you would ought to set up are already integrated. in case you boot the CD and in the operating procedure, you'll be able to make sure it twin boot with abode windows. situation with it truly is in the adventure that your do no longer love it, it takes truly artwork on your component to get rid of it and the partition it created. operating it as a LiveCD, you would ought to tell it to maintain maximum of the configuration document on the cruel rigidity, so that you do not ought to initiate everywhere, each and every time you boot up the CD.
2016-11-30 01:35:02 · answer #5 · answered by kwiatkowski 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋