Windows 7: Removing XP from dual-boot (not on same drive as 7)

Hi

Like the proverbial bad penny I'm back for more advice. This time my problem is that I have a PC which is dual boot with XP and I want to remove XP. Snag is they are on separate drives and the Mobo only gives me the option "Hard Drive" to boot from - NOT a choice of either of the two drives installed. I am therefore assuming it is imperative to get Windows 7 onto drive 1 - but how?



I've been going round in circles this afternoon trying to sort it out but everything I've tried has fallen to ashes and I've been struggling to get a working system. Thankfully I have four bootable CDs (Windows 7 Repair CD, Partition Wizard, Paragon Rescue Kit 11.0, Acronis TrueImage Home 2010 with Acronis Disk Director 10.0) that are specifically for times such as these and between them they have enabled me to get back to where I started, i.e. a dual-boot system with XP and Windows 7. So, where do I go from here?

Since I will be asked for a graphic of the disk management window I attach it here for your perusal. Incidentally, the Windows 7 partition on drive 1 is simply a copy of that in partition K: done using PW. At this stage it has only been copied with nothing whatsoever done with it - it is just a copy of K: which is on drive 2.

Tracey

Unless the Windows 7 is on an Extended partition, if it is this will not worh; if the Windows 7 partition is not "System, Active" disconnect the XP HDD and set the Windows 7 HDD as second boot device after the CD/DVD drive, make the Windows 7 partition the Active partition and do the 3 separate startup repairs to (re)create the Windows System boot files to the Windows 7 partition.

Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

I don't see a snip of Windows disk management at all.

OK now I see you've added the snip.


If K: is the Windows 7 you want to keep.


Disconnect Disk 0 and set Disk 1 as the second boot device after the CD/DVD drive do the startup repairs to K: to (re)create the System boot files to that partition.

If I see this right, you installed Windows 7 on Disk1 when Disk0 was disconnected. If that is the case, just change the bootorder as BFK suggested (but no need to disconnect Disk0). You can then delete XP and the errant Windows 7 partitions on Disk0.

Wolfgang, the problem is that Startup Repair will write the System boot files to the first marked-Active partition.

Additionally even if you would mark all preceding partitions INActive using Partition Wizard or Diskpart it will most often write to the first Primary partition on DISK0.

Hi All

Thanks for all the replies. As I've already said (and I thought this would be suggested) I have a multiplicity of different boot devices I can select BUT...only one hard disk. At present I assume this will always be disk 0. It has occurred to me that it would perhaps be an idea to remove the side from the PC and swap over the SATA connectors for the two drives. It would then be a case of making numerous changes to the partitioning so that I get the partitions in the order I want. I suspect though that this may take a lot of time. Still, not that it matters over much since it is only a spare PC and can be done as and when I have the time. Only thing is it could start getting a bit messy. I'd appreciate any comments on this if anyone cares to make any. Again, thanks for all the comments.

whs
No, Windows 7 was installed with both disks connected since as far as I knew at the time, XP was needed in order to instal Windows 7. I understand that since then a way of doing a clean install with an upgrade version has in fact been found. See above in reply to your comment re-boot order.

Tracey

Here's an idea when you have the time.


I would do a partition-specific wipe to the C: XP partition and Move/Resize the right side down to about 200MB and create that new space as a Primary / Active partition and (re)create the System boot files to that (startup repairs), this way you won't have to do any HDD rearranging and everything can be left essentially as-is.

Have a look at this one starting at Step Two for an idea of what I'm referring to.

Partition : Recover Space Used by an Older OS

Did you install Windows 7 to Disk 1 from XP, as it should be C and not K when you are booted into it if it was correctly installed from booted DVD?

If you don't care what drive letter it is now that you've run it that way for awhile, then easiest would be to mark K Active in Disk management, power down to unplug Disk0 and plug its cable into Disk1 making sure it remains set to boot first in BIOS, boot the Windows 7 DVD/Repair CD to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times until Windows 7 starts on its own.

Afterwards plug back in the old XP HD to Disk1, use free Partition Wizard bootable CD to delete XP and repartition as you wish.

gregrocker

As far as I was aware at the time, I had to install Windows 7 with a qualifying OS installed. However, I believe it did give me the option of installing 7 to a different partition by doing a "Custom Install". Since I did not want to get rid of XP at that time I made space for 7 on drive 1 in partition K:

So what you are saying in your last post is to do the Startup Repair with the XP drive disconnected. OK, I now have to find out which is drive 0 and which is drive 1 but not too difficult. Will have a go at this today and let you know what happens. Before I do anything though I'll have to do some partition shuffling as there are programs that run at startup which are on my programs partition (I try my like hell to keep the Windows partition purely for Windows unless I'm given no choice).

Incidentally, on the previous thread I started (in the last week to ten days) a statement was made as follows:

Important:
When moving/resizing a partition which contains the Operating system (Windows 7) itself the BCD loader entry becomes invalid !! A "Windows Startup Repair" is the best solution in this case, so have your Windows 7 Repair CD ready.

Please tell me, is this right as I seem to remember resizing XP any number of times with no effect whatsoever on booting the PC - or does this just apply to Windows 7? Surely, if you're just resizing, the position of the boot files on the partition remain where they are so the pointers shouldn't need to be updated. If you move the partition then yes I can see how that MAY affect the booting process - but just resizing? (as you yourself have recommended many times with no mention of this problem!) I'd appreciate your comments.

Tracey

Have you seen / considered this, it will give you the new Windows "System Reserved" partition (which is a very good thing to add) and you won't have to figure-out / disconnect any HDDs.