Windows 7: system optimisation: assistance with deleting vista

When I bought my new computer I had the HDD from my old computer (which ran vista) installed into the casing of my new system and used as a backup drive. it works fine, the only problem is the drive still contains vista which is taking up valuable space. My main question is, what process should I use to eradicate vista from the drive, without harming any of the files or games I have a run off that drive (but still through win 7 on my main HDD).

If the Vista installation is on a separate partition on that drive, you can get rid of it just by formatting the partition. But that's probably not the case.
Have you tried taking ownership of the Windows folder and then deleting it?

In Windows 7: Go to start, then right click on comnputer and click manage. Once Computer Management comes up, click on disk management in the left pane. Now, right click on the Windows Vista Partition and select delete. Once it has deleted, right click on your Windows 7 partition and select expand. Click ok on the dialog boxes that pop up.

The OP stated this is an old drive used as a backup in his new system, so he won't see a Vista Partition on the drive with Windows 7. Additionally, if it were located on the same disk as Windows 7 and he deleted the partition he would lose his other files as well; since he asked:
"what process should I use to eradicate vista from the drive, without harming any of the files or games I have a run off that drive"
that doesn't sould like it would work out very well.

Maybe I am missing something in your reply. Please let me know if that's the case.

Oh. Whoops! Yea DEFINATELY don't want to do that

Please post back a screenshot of your maxmized Disk Management drive map with listings, using the Snipping Tool in Start Menu. Screen Shots

We can advise you best once we see this on how to delete Vista partition after moving its files off which you want to sav.

THAT's what I meant lol

My guess is OP has the files/games on secondary HD on another partition, or should.

If not then I'd back up files to Primary, external or shift them to another partition shrunk out of Vista so that Vista can be properly deleted in Disk Mgmt, then created into a data partition or added to an existing HD data partition.

Games if on the Vista partition would need to be reinstalled.

Only as a last resort would I delete the Vista Windows folder as it is problematic to do and leaves residue.

I agree, it is messy. I haven't worked a lot in Vista, but most of the OEM installations I have dealt with had only two partitions, a recovery partition, and the rest of the drive was the Vista partition.

It could be done by now if the OP was still around.