Does the PC boot properly into Windows 7 with the E drive completely disconnected?
If you boot into Windows 7 with E disconnected, can you then use all your programs as you normally would?
Do you knowingly install any programs to the E drive?
Do you have a Windows 7 Professional installation disc and/or Product Key?
It appears programs have been installed to E in the past and I am wondering if you did so or if it was the previous owner?
REPLY IS BELOW
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Does the PC boot properly into Windows 7 with the E drive completely disconnected?
I'm not tech-savvy enough to answer your question here. If there's a way to test this, I'd love to know and then get back with you with the results.
If you boot into Windows 7 with E disconnected, can you then use all your programs as you normally would?
Once again, I'm not knowledgeable enough to answer your question, I'm sorry.
Do you knowingly install any programs to the E drive?
Knowingly, no. All my program downloads - at least to my knowledge - have been on the C drive.
Do you have a Windows 7 Professional installation disc and/or Product Key?
I do not; I purchased the PC from the seller just this way with Windows 7 Pro already installed.
It appears programs have been installed to E in the past and I am wondering if you did so or if it was the previous owner?
No, these programs had already been there from the previous owner, but I know so little about them and their function that I haven't touched them. I didn't want to just remove them, especially with my limited knowledge, as I know doing so could really cause a great deal of PC trouble (if I don't really know what I'm doing).
An easy way to disconnect E is to open the case and physically remove the drive's cables. Do you know what a hard drive looks like? Drives will have 2 cables connected to them. Do you have any way of distinguishing between C and E by eyesight? If not, you may have to disconnect a drive at random and see if you can then boot. If you still can boot with only 1 drive connected, post a picture of Disk Management. We need some way of determining which drive is bootable by itself.
I'm guessing the previous owner had a Windows install on Drive 1, then installed Drive 2 and put Windows on it without ever removing Windows on Drive 1.
So, it may be that you can simply reformat E (the old drive 1 in my scenario) and then carry on with C alone, using E for some other purpose.
Are you sure that PC has NO Windows product key? Look for a sticker on the bottom. Possibly a "Certificate Of Authenticity".
I'd wait for input from others.
If you have a product key, you can download and burn a Windows 7 disk and activate it.
Is this a name brand PC, such as HP or Acer?
It appears the E has an old XP installation on it with it's Windows and Documents and Settings files. If you don't have any need for XP, and say it isn't booting anyway - or even offering to boot on a Dual Boot Menu - then I would reclaim the entire E drive for storage by backing up any files you have on it and then Deleting it in Disk Management. Partition or Volume - Delete
Then create a new Partition there for storage of your files and a Win7 backup image. Partition or Volume - Create New
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
Another possible usage of the empty E drive is to install Windows 8 Consumer Preview from it's bootable ISO file burned to DVD, which will confgure a Dual Boot Menu with Win7. http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ta.html?filter[2]=Installation%20and%20Setup
Label the Drives in the Properties Name Box Windows 7 Home Premium and Data so you can find them easier.
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