Had an XP dual boot with Win7 RTM. Deleted XP C: drive and moved RTM D: drive over into it's space. I would like to keep and license this installation using retail Win7 Ultimate Signature Edition received with party pack.
Is there a way to change the Win7 D: drive to C: by running a repair install (upgrade over OS) as I would like to find a way to do this without having to do a clean install.
It looks like from some of your other recent posts that you may already have found the answer to this problem. If not, I had (I think) a similar issue in that I actually tried the RC to RTM "upgrade trick" on a dual boot machine with XP, and after it was finished I deleted my XP partition and moved the Win7 partition into the XP space and enlarged it, thinking that when I get my key I will just activate it and be done. When I tried to re-boot, it re-booted properly into the Win7 logon screen but once logged in there was no desktop, no icons, no nothing. After six long hours, I found the answer here:
Multibooters, Vista Dual and Multibooting - Drive Letter Problems
I think this is what you are talking about? If so, the registry edit described here worked for me, but I had to go into safe mode to do it (I could not do the repair with the Win7 disc as you suggested). It took me about 10 seconds to remove the incorrect C: drive letter reference and change the Win7 partition to the correct C: drive letter reference, then re-boot and everthing was fine.
Hope this helps.
Damon
Damon I just re-read your post and think you had the exact same situation, down to the RC>RTM upgrade, moving parition, E>C, everything.
I was in the middle of helping a guy for hours try to recover his OS who had done the MS prescribed registry changes for installs that mysteriously change letters since assignment (his hadn't). My 5 day old forgotten post elevated on the page and I stopped in to check it out and just skimmed your post and then speed read the link which seemed to apply just to reimaged drives changing the letter.
Because I had once lost an OS trying to change the letter on C: drive from that MS KB tutorial, and was helping this guy who had just done the same, I am afraid I gave your post short shrift and I am sorry for that because it appears you had exactly the same situation as I did.
BTW, I clean installed when I received my Windows 7 Ultimate Signature edition last week.
Your post is a valuable resource and, since it worked for you, I really wish I had seen it earlier because I think it was exactly the solution I was looking for! Thanks, and sorry for fumbling my earlier response.
Last edited by gregrocker; 20 Oct 2009 at 01:39.
Weird. I guess my problem was different as when I restored my Win7 image to the new partition, the "new" drive letter assignment (E:) messed up all of my links to everything as everything seemed to be looking for C: (originally, regardless of which OS was running, it would call itself "C"). I have imaged and restored images numerous times (including several Win7 beta images) and this had never happened before UNTIL I ALSO DELETED THE XP PARTITION. Once I changed the registry entry in Win7 back to C: everything worked fine. Seems like the reverse of what you are concerned about happening.
But having said that, you have a lot more experience with these issues than me, and for the benefit of others who might read this, I will second your recommendation and say that unless an installation is completely borked already (as mine was after I restored the image) and you have nothing to lose, it is probably best not to try this.
Damon
Damon I just re-read your post and think you had the exact same situation, down to the RC>RTM upgrade, moving parition, E>C, everything.
I was in the middle of helping a guy for hours try to recover his OS who had done the MS prescribed registry changes for installs that mysteriously change letters since assignment (which his hadn't). My 5 day old forgotten post elevated on the page and I stopped in to check it out and just skimmed your post and then speed read the link which seemed to apply just to reimaged drives changing the letter.
Because I had once lost an OS trying to change the letter on C: drive from that MS KB tutorial, and was helping this guy who had just done the same, I am afraid I gave your post short shrift and I am sorry for that because it appears you had exactly the same situation as I did.
BTW, I clean installed when I received my Windows 7 Ultimate Signature edition last week.
Your post is a valuable resource and, since it worked for you, I really wish I had seen it earlier because I think it was exactly the solution I was looking for! Thanks, and sorry for fumbling my earlier response.
Last edited by gregrocker; 20 Oct 2009 at 01:38.
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