need to delete OS off recovery drive!

[gms]

Please help; I'm at my wits' end here...

I did the same thing this fellow did on this thread (accidentally installed a version of Windows 7 onto the recovery drive): http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/49760-accidently-installed-win7-recovery-d-2.html

And I thought I had found the answer with post # 18; however, when I go to the System Configuration pop-up window and highlight the "Boot" tab and then highlight the recovery drive and corresponding extra OS that it now contains, it dims out the "Delete" key and won't let me get rid of it per the instructions in the above thread...

I don't know what else to do... please help!!!

Thanks in advance!
Greg

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello gms, welcome to Seven Forums!



The odds are that the boot files (needed to boot/start Windows) are on that partition and if you delete it Windows won't start, to start with in the windows start menu, right click computer and select manage, in the left pane click disk management, then post a complete snip/screen-shot of disk management so we can see what you have, have a look at the tutorial at the link below.


How to Post a Screenshot in Seven Forums

 

[gms]

First time I've uploaded a screenshot in this manner... bear with me.

 

[gms]

The problem was my recovery drive was actually labeled (C: ) and I've NEVER owned a computer that the "C" drive wasn't my biggest harddrive...

 

[theog]

What OS is install to D:

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello again.



As I suspected the boot files are on your C: and you only want to have D: when you're finished, is that correct? The "System, Active" is where the boot files are.

 

[gms]

A brief background:

When we purchased this laptop (a Dell Inspiron), it came with Windows 7, the 64-bit version. My wife is taking a work-from-home job which only supports the 32-bit version of Windows 7, so I had to go out and buy the lesser version after just buying her a brand-new computer

I accidentally installed the 32-bit version on the C: drive (recovery) because -- as I stated above -- I've never seen anything BUT the large hard drive be labeled C...

Now I don't have enough space left to do a system restore and I keep getting pop-up windows stating I don't have enough memory left...

I really just want to restore my recovery drive to the way it was, if possible. If I have to, I guess we can just delete it off altogether if that's the only option available to me at this point...

I have now installed the needed 32-bit version to my D drive, which hopefully shows up as it was done correctly to you guys in my screenshot above.

Let me know if you have any more questions...

Thanks,
Greg

 

[theog]

Do you have both OS working OK?

 

[gms]

Yes, I believe both are installed correctly: I receive the black & white text screen asking which instance of Windows 7 I want to use when rebooting (I believe I saw this referred to as the "multi-boot screen" somewhere?

As it is... I think my OS install on the D drive is good; I just need to delete off the OS install on my recovery drive to free up all the space, but haven't found a way to do so yet -- hence the plea for help.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello Greg.



You seem to have a couple options as you have a 32-bit install disk to use, you could wipe everything on the PC and do a clean install, after you make backups of the stuff you don't want to lose, that may be the easiest way to go; have a look at this tutorial at the link below.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation




The other option is a bit more complicated, to move / re-create the boot files to the Windows partition that you want to keep, start by having a look at this tutorial at the link below; as you have questions feel free to ask them as needed.

Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD



Be sure to keep us informed what you choose to do.

 

[theog]

Which OS would like to have working OK on C:?

 

[gms]

I want the 32-bit version of Windows 7 as my OS and I need it installed on the D drive as opposed the recovery drive that I inadvertently installed it to...

And I'm perfectly content to do a clean install and start fresh if I can... I'll start reading the link below but check back in here before I actually start proceeding in case someone has something else to add.

 

[theog]

First backup all your date, than Wipe the HD with this tutorial
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-optimize-windows-re-installation.html
Than do a clean install with this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html?ltr=C
With x32 OR x64.

 

[gms]

OK, looks like both of you are saying the same thing...

Here goes!

I'll report back when I finish.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

This would be the way to go then, be sure you understand though, doing this WILL Over-Write everything on the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) be sure to make backups first.



SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

 

[theog]

Do you have the Hardware Drivers DVD?

 

[gms]

The laptop didn't come with any drivers at all...nothing but the computer itself.

I'm having trouble following the instructions in the above link, because my first step appears to be that I need to change the boot priority.

I am not being given a screen like it talks about in step # 1 because the first thing that appears is that "multi-boot screen" I mentioned above, where it asks me to choose which OS I want to utilize -- the one in D or the one in C.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Have a look at this tutorial at the link below.


How To Change the Drive Boot Priority in BIOS

 

[gms]

THAT'S the set of instructions I'm having problems with... I don't have a chance to see the BIOS screen, because instead I'm being given a choice of which OS I want to utilize.

Then... once I choose one of them, it goes straight to loading Windows and bypasses the BIOS screen; I never see it at all.

Is there another way to access it?

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

As soon as you power on the PC start tapping the delete key till the PC starts to see if that's the one.