Windows 7 will not let me delete XP


  1. Posts : 143
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #1

    Windows 7 will not let me delete XP


    Ok, so I got a computer that came preinstalled with XP. I then bought a Windows 7 DVD and arranged a dual boot. Well I figure out now I don't need Windows XP and it is just taking up valuable HDD space. For some weird reason Windows 7 thinks its E: and not C: (Windows 7 think XP is C:) So in disk management it will not let me delete XP, it says it is a system partition and cannot be deleted. I'm stuck at a block here.
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  2. Posts : 565
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #2

    RJ12 said:
    Ok, so I got a computer that came preinstalled with XP. I then bought a Windows 7 DVD and arranged a dual boot. Well I figure out now I don't need Windows XP and it is just taking up valuable HDD space. For some weird reason Windows 7 thinks its E: and not C: (Windows 7 think XP is C:) So in disk management it will not let me delete XP, it says it is a system partition and cannot be deleted. I'm stuck at a block here.
    Windows XP was installed first on C:\. That is normal. When you dual boot it installs to another partition/volume.

    Your best bet is to back everything up and completely reformat your drives, then just install Windows 7.
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  3. Posts : 11,408
    ME/XP/Vista/Win7
       #3
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  4. Posts : 143
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #4

    I don't really have a external hdd to back up on to though
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  5. Posts : 143
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #5


    Sure, Ill get that to you in a second
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  6. Posts : 143
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Here it is :)
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Windows 7 will not let me delete XP-screen-shot.png  
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  7. Posts : 11,408
    ME/XP/Vista/Win7
       #7

    As you have install Windows 7 to logical partition, you can not delete the Win XP partition.
    If you wont Windows7 only, the easyest way is a clean install. Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

    Make sure you backup your data first.
    Backup User and System Files
    Restore Backup User and System Files

    Windows Easy Transfer - Transfer To & From Computers

    SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation
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  8.    #8

    You have Windows 7 on a Logical data partition, so it needs to be converted first to a Primary partition so it can be marked Active and the System MBR can be recovered to it from XP. At the same time you can also delete XP and reclaim its disk space into your Win7 partition.

    The tool to do all of this is free Partition Wizard bootable CD. Boot PW, select 1 for screen res, rightclick on Win7 partition, select Modify>Convert to Primary, OK. Then select Modify>Set to Primary, OK.

    Now if you want to delete XP and recover its HD space into WIn7 partition, rightclick on XP, Delete, OK.

    Then rightclick again on WIn7, select Resize, left click drag the left grey border over to the left border of HD, OK. Apply all steps.

    WIn7 will not now start until you boot the Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD, click through to Recovery TOols list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots until Win7 starts. Startup Repair
    System Repair Disc - Create

    Back up your files first and a Win7 backup image as Resizing operations can fail, although we have not had one fail here using Partition Wizard for these operations hundreds of times.

    Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD
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  9. Posts : 143
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Well, I'm doing this for someone else, they said they will do a reformat later. I'll just go ahead and report it as solved.
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