How will removing partition effect boot manager

I should know the answer to this question but my mind isn't working. I have done this before but can't remember how *exactly* I did it.

I took my sister's 150GB HD and set her up with a dual boot with Windows 7 and XP. She now wants me to take Windows 7 off and just use XP for a while. If I use a 3rd party partitioning tool to remove the Windows 7 partition FROM WITHIN XP, will this screw up the boot manager? I think it should be fine. Just take out the partition and extend the XP partition into the free space and it should just boot to XP. Is this correct?

nate42nd said:

I should know the answer to this question but my mind isn't working. I have done this before but can't remember how *exactly* I did it.

I took my sister's 150GB HD and set her up with a dual boot with Windows 7 and XP. She now wants me to take Windows 7 off and just use XP for a while. If I use a 3rd party partitioning tool to remove the Windows 7 partition FROM WITHIN XP, will this screw up the boot manager? I think it should be fine. Just take out the partition and extend the XP partition into the free space and it should just boot to XP. Is this correct?

Your message implies your sister's HDD:
1. Started with new HDD
2. Installed w7 first
3. Installed XP

Was this the case, or did the machine come with XP installed,
then w7 installed afterwards?

When you boot XP, with hidden/system files 'showing', does there exist
both 'ntldr' and 'ntdetect.com' and the w7 'bootmgr' on the C: drive?

It's a desktop with XP installed first. I installed Windows 7. I have done this with 2 other machines but can't remember how. (taken Windows 7 off I mean)

The drive already had XP on it. I then installed Windows 7 RC in dual boot.

I have done this with another machine. I believe I just used Easeus Partition and deleted the partition Windows 7 was on and merged the XP partition into the free space created. I know it was not hard, I didn't have to do anything with the boot manager in that machine and it's the same exact situation. It simply started booting to XP at next restart.

I do not have the machine here with me. I need to go to her house and do it.

My memory is failing me. haha

nate42nd said:

I have done this with another machine. I believe I just used Easeus Partition and deleted the partition Windows 7 was on and merged the XP partition into the free space created. I know it was not hard, I didn't have to do anything with the boot manager in that machine and it's the same exact situation. It simply started booting to XP at next restart.

Don't know Easeus Partition,

so I'll just defer to those that do...

Well any partition manager then. I have done this once within Vista. I used the tool Vista has for partitioning.

Thanks for the reply. Have a great day.

remove the partition, then boot with the XP disc, and go to the console, and type

Code:

fixboot

and then

Code:

fixmbr

Thanks for the reply. I will keep this information.

Unfortunately the machine is not mine and she has no disk. She *made* recovery disks about 5 years ago (she thinks) and lost them.

Very useful information for the future. Thanks again Johngalt.

Any XP disc should work, IIRC - I don't think it had to be version specific.

Also, you can boot into XP and make a new set of discs, right?

It's an OEM that will only let you make one set as far as I can tell.

I have an XP disk from years ago. If I could use that it would help.

I have done this same thing on 2 machines. One had Vista (upgrade from XP while Windows 7 was on it too) and I simply used Vista to erase the partition.

The other one I used Easeaus Partition (a third party partitioning tool) and both booted into XP next boot.

Maybe I will have to tell her I need the machine for a day so I can work on it at home. I swear I never used command line or anything special

Also, it looks like my XP disk is not .... .... .... (legal) so I hate to use it for anything but....I suppose it would work for this since she lost hers.

I will try this method if I run into problems.