uninstalling windows xp!

You should find out where your original Boot.ini file is located. Open the Boot.ini with notepad Inside the file, you will need to remove the secondary installation: Edit it so it resembles the following: [boot loader] timeout=30 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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect Save this file, and restart your computer. The second entry should now be removed from the boot menu.

Thanks rharrison for the reply. Just to confirm that my boot.ini file looks like: [boot loader timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0 [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect If I compare this to what you have pasted above, I need to remove bottom most line from my file. However, I think that I need to remove bottom most line and then replace all Windows.0 entries to Windows But I am not sure. Can you please let me know if there is a way to confirm that which windows folder corresponds to which instance of windows xp? Also, 2 more queries: 1) can you please let me know, what contains inside the windows folder? 2) this method that you are telling in the above post only remove the corresponding windows xp entry from the boot menu and not uninstall the corresponding instance. correct?

With regards to your Boot.ini file, you only need to remove a part of the last line in the file.

If you see in my example below, both Windows XP entries are on the same line, you need to keep one.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

When edited properly, it should look like

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Only remove this part: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Next edit the beginning of the line by removing the ".0", also remove the ".0" from: default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0

If you remember when I asked you what your windir path was, this is checking the location of each Windows/Windows.0 folder. By looking at the path you can say the installation you are keeping is the one that uses C:\WINDOWS as the path.

You could rename Windows.old (or whatever you called it), back to Windows.0, load that operating system - and then find the windir path, which should be C:\Windows.0. The path should be different for every installaton of Windows on this computer.

To answer your questions:

1. The Windows folder is the location of most of the files that make Windows work.
2. The purpose of that method is to eliminate the extra Windows XP from boot-time loading. This is useful to do because, you can't accidentally try to boot from a Windows installation that isn't there any more. By taking out this entry you should also prevent the folder from being accessed by a Windows progam, this allows you to delete the leftover Windows.0 folder - if files were still in use, you may not be able to fully remove this folder and all of its contents.

I suggest keeping the leftover folder in Recycle Bin for a day or so or until you're sure there aren't any problems with the Windows installation you have left.

Many thanks rharrison for the information. just to confirm that by deleting windows.0 folder after that, second instance will be fully gone/uninstalled?

vijay.gupta, No problem If everything worked ok, the files for the second installation will all have been removed when you delete the folder. There is no need to remove anything else. Rich

Thanks rich but when i try to delete windows.0 folder, it gives message that it cannot delete flash.ocx file. It is being used by another program. How is it being used by another program?

Try uninstalling Adobe Flash player, then install it again after you remove the folder.

It didn't help My Boot.ini file has the following contents: [boot loader] timeout=30 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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect please let me know if I need to change the contents of boot.ini file in any way?

Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier, are you still getting the same message about not being able to delete the flash.ocx file? Or are you referring to a different problem? Just so we're both on the same track.

If it IS the flash player problem - the best solution may be to try using Adobe's flash uninstaller utility. You can find the flash uninstaller at the below location:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html - Uninstall Flash Player - Windows (xp)

Rich

yes. I am getting the same message about not being able to delete the flash.ocx file. It says Make Sure that the drive is not write protected or full. Access is Denied. I will try what you suggested and get back to you. Can you please check if my boot.ini file has correct entry now?

The Boot.ini file you posted seems correct. The problem here, is that flash player tends to install itself in your Windows directory - hence it needs to be removed prior to removing the Windows folder itself.

How can it install itself if I was not connected to Internet…anyways I will let you know after trying utility..:)

Maybe I phrased that wrongly. Not installed by itself as such, but perhaps you (the user) initiated the install of Flash some time before you wanted to remove the other Windows installation. What I meant was, the installer when ran, installs some of its files to the default %windir% path directory. If you're sure that you've never installed Flash yourself before, then that's a different concern altogether. Rich

hey rich, I tried using the uninstall utility also and after uninstalling it, I checked that flash player is uninstalled by going to adobe site and it says that flash is not installed. I tried this using Firefox 4. Do I need to do this using IE also? I am asking this because it didn't work after this and deleting windows.0 folder is still giving message: Cannot delete flash.ocx Access is Denied: Make Sure that the drive is not write protected or full Make sure that other program is not using this file Shall I provide you the screenshot if it helps?