I need to remove a second install of windows xp pr

I tried to upgrade my old windows xp with a new fresh install but it installed onto the wrong HDD (its a 120 gb drive that holds all of my media files (pictures, home movies, music etc)) so every time I boot up it gives me the choice to select from two different windows to start (the first is the new wrong hdd install and the second is the old install) So I was wondering if there was a special way to remove the new install without reformatting? (I don't want to lose anything on either drive except for the windows)

please can someone help?

Hi! The key to fixing this will be editing your boot.ini file which will be on your C: drive to remove references to the erroneous install. If you open it into Notepad and paste the contents into here I can then tell you what to do remove from it. Once it is thus removed from the boot menu in this way then you will just be able to delete the uneeded Windows-related directories off the new drive. Best wishes, Andrew

[boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect here is what is in the boot.ini file this is the only boot.ini file on my computer so I guess its the right one

Hi!

You need to edit your boot.ini to be as follows. As you can see I've removed the reference to the unwanted OS on your 2nd drive and reset the default option to point back to the OS on the first drive.

[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

If you go into Control Panel - System, click on the Advanced tab and the Startup and Recovery Settings button, then you will see an Edit button to open and edit the boot.ini file in Notepad. That's easier than the alternative of having to edit file attributes before it'll let you edit it through other methods! Be absolutely 100% sure you edit it correctly - watch those (1)s and (0)s!
I suggest you save a backup copy of your boot.ini before editing it too!

Once edited, on reboot there should be no boot menu and you should go straight to your existing older OS. Then we can think about getting rid of the spare one.
One step at a time…

Best wishes,

Andrew

Note that the final line in the boot.ini beginning "multi(0)" is all one line as in when you quoted it. The forum has wrapped it onto two lines as the bold font is wider.

Hey thanks a whole heck of a lot that worked perfectally! And people told me unstalling windows is impossible pft now I know how Now to delete all of the files in the windows directory I dont need to keep

Hi!

You've probably get an extra Program Files and Documents and Settings folder on that 2nd drive to remove as well as a Windows one.

Glad it's working

Best wishes,

Andrew

Hi! Just a thought… Presuming you're deleting all these left overs from the 2nd drive while booted into the original Windows, don't forget that System Restore will be busily rememberng half the stuff you're deleting! Once you've deleted it all and ensured things are still working as you expected, you will want to disable system restore on that drive, reboot, and then re-enable it to clear out all that stuff. Best wishes, Andrew