Windows XP Pro installed twice

Hey how do i format the c:\ i know you need a bootdisc but i aint got one, anyone know where i can download?

Anyone?

im not sure but if you format C: you might lose your boot.ini file which tells the computer where to boot up from.

EDIT: thought he was talking about his XP disc.

-aaron

If you have a WinXP install CD you don't need a bootdisk, just boot from the CD and you're set. Edit: You can set the CD drive in the BIOS as a bootable drive before the hard disk. If you have something like Win9x and need a bootdisk visit http://www.bootdisk.com/.

hey i installed xp on my E drive cos i wanted it to have more space as m other drive just 10gig and the E is 80gig so i cant have the E to be able startup on it's own if i endup formatting the C?

i think theres a way to change your drive letters, not sure if that would help.

hey i installed xp on my E drive cos i wanted it to have more space as m other drive just 10gig and the E is 80gig so i cant have the E to be able startup on it's own if i endup formatting the C?

What do you mean? You have 2 hard drives and you want to start up on one and then use another? Or you already have that set up and wonder if you can format the XP drive? In that case you would have a drive full of data, but you wouldn't be able to access it because it doesn't have an OS.

i think theres a way to change your drive letters, not sure if that would help.

No, it doesn't :P

Drive letters don't really matter, it's not like a file where you can just rename it.

boot.ini is on C drive.

i havent seen it on a different one.

he wants to format C but then he would be stuck because he'd lose his boot.ini file.

you could save the boot.ini to a floppy then, after you format, you could use the windows disk and go to repair and put that floppy back in and put it onto C.

you need to know some commands tho.

Here's what the boot.ini says when opened in notepad, i formatted today twice (installed on wrong disk) :/

So the bottom one is the C:\ and the one above the last is E:\ and the one abode that is X:\ and the one which is currently working is E:\ which i want to keep, could i remove the middle two e.g highlight them and delete?

Could i possibly move boot.ini to the E:\ which I'm on?

[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" =optin /fastdetect

do you have windows installed onto C or X?

it's on E and C but i deleted it off X and most of it is still on C but theres boot.ini etc left over (on C), i moved boot.ini and it got fxxked up so im formatting and installing it onto C :(

which i didnt want! which only has 8GB and dont wanna install programs onto another disk really..

So it's formatting now onto C and lets wait..

my step dad dont really like me doing this stuff he's back soon and theres.... 15 mins to go, will update thanx for your replies, but i didnt really listen and went my own way sorry as im into learning new things with pc's/technology.

Why don't you just make things easy for yourself by opening your PC case and moving the hard drive connections. Simply put change how they're plugged in by making your larger capacity E:\ drive the primary drive the C:\ drive the slave.

Why don't you just make things easy for yourself by opening your PC case and moving the hard drive connections. Simply put change how they're plugged in by making your larger capacity E:\ drive the primary drive the C:\ drive the slave.

D'oh!

:lol:

Try it?