Inherited PC

GreenNotM

If you have over written XP Pro with Home - do not worry - it is as good as gone - if you are just doing this for experience - see what is on the recovery partition .... and if the PC has a MS windows sticker aka COA you can re-install XP Pro...

jasmin10

Just thought I would jump on here for a quicky. I have been thinking whilst doing dinner. Surely it must be easier just to reinstall xp home again but this time do it so I just do a clean install.

After all it all takes an hour if that. When I reinstall how can I ensure that I get rid of the old o/s and delete this partition that the old os has been sitting in. or will re-installing it automatically get rid of this partition.

Thanks guys but I'm not a technical wizard as Albatross knows (he was on he pc helpping me til 4am one morning) so I think perhaps for everyones sakes this might be the easier option.

If you can advise on my queries I would appreciate it as at least I can try and get rid and start from scratch.

Thanks

x

crox

If you do do a complete reinstall you should get the oppertunity to delete partitions, you might as well delete them all, if you have no intention of installing xp pro there's no need to keep the recovery partitions.

I was going to say that you can find where your xp home is installed by looking at c (or d):\Documents and Settings and looking for your user names (assuming that they were different to the original owners - otherwise you can create a file in my documents and go looking for it).
Then I was going to say that you just format the other partition and use the recovered space.

Then I realised that if your boot files were on the formatted partition then you wouldn't be able to boot any way, so you might as well start afresh and delete all partitions.

jasmin10

so it will give me a chance to delete the unwanted partitions. Do I just say yes to all of them. How will it say it in easy speak as I don't remember seeing any options previously to ask if I wanted to delete any partitions.

CHR15

Choose ADVANCED INSTALL when you boot from your windows disk.

Delete all the partitions

Create a new partition (using all available space)

Format the new partition using NTFS

Continue the install as normal

GreenNotM

the drivers for the wireless card (if pc has one) may be on the recovery partition and anything else that is showing with an ! in device manager.

Is device manager all correct ? Please check what is on the recovery partition before you wave it goodbye - cos if the usb bus isn't working you won't be transferring files via a usb key ... or maybe even a cd/dvd drive .....

crox

GreenNotM wrote: »

the drivers for the wireless card (if pc has one) may be on the recovery partition and anything else that is showing with an ! in device manager.

It's a valid point, if you look at the recovery partition in computer manager, does it mention the file system e.g. NTFS, FAT32, FAT or unknown. If it's unknown then it'll be some sort of linux partition (that's how Dell did it on my laptop).

totalsolutions

Right then boys move over.
D drive -not interested in, may have files on it or a recovery option that you do not need now. Did you tell this clean install to use the d: drive?
Look at them and see if you want to keep them or delete the partion later but for now, leave it alone. On c: you should only have four folders; Document and Settings, Program files, MSOfiles-hidden-and WINDOWS (note the capitals in WINDOWS) Vista for example is called Windows.

Yes you can install WINDOWS again on the same partition, but it is not recommended, however if that happened then you would another WINDOWS folder called WINDOWS001. So which are you using to find out in create a new folder and save it using a name like MSE. Using win explorer then locate MSE in either WINDOWS or WINDOWS001, if it is in WINDOWS001 then just delete WINDOWS, 'cause your are not using that one.

Edit boot.ini ? dead easy Just delete the line with the defunct WINDOWS in it, but ask first here. My boot.ini file. note: it is a hidden system file.

[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

CHR15

I think this thread has been overtaken by events.
The OP wisely binned the whole lot, formatted and started again...


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=714053

totalsolutions

CHR15 wrote: »

I think this thread has been overtaken by events.
The OP wisely binned the whole lot, formatted and started again...


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=714053

Damm Just got going having read the 1st page!