How to make a dual boot PC into single boot?

>>On Oct 31, 6:15*pm, occam <oc...@erewhon.nix> wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> I found an old Win98 PC, and decided to install Win XP on it (Drive D
>> to see if it would be too slow. It was not, even with 196 (!) MB of RAM.
>>
>> My question - how can I keep the Win XP and uninstall Win 98? (Right
>> now, on boot up, I get offered to boot up in either.)
>>
>> I have tried to reformat C: drive, but the system will not allow it.

Here's my suggestion:

1) Backup all the data that you want to save.

2) Boot from the XP installation CD

3) Delete C partition, recreate it and reformat it. Delete D
partition, recreate it and reformat it.

4) Install XP on the C partition.

5) Restore the data that you wanted to save.
--
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occam wrote:
> John John - MVP wrote:
>> occam wrote:
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> I found an old Win98 PC, and decided to install Win XP on it (Drive
>>> D to see if it would be too slow. It was not, even with 196 (!) MB
>>> of RAM.
>>>
>>> My question - how can I keep the Win XP and uninstall Win 98? (Right
>>> now, on boot up, I get offered to boot up in either.)
>>>
>>> I have tried to reformat C: drive, but the system will not allow it.
>> You will not be able to remove or format the C: drive, in NT terminology
>> this C: drive is refered to as the System Partition. This partition is
>> flagged as the 'Active Partition', it is the partition that is used to
>> boot the computer and it contains files necessary to boot Windows XP.
>>
>> You can remove all of the files on the C: partition *except* the
>> following which are necessary to boot Windows XP:
>>
>> Boot.ini
>> NTDETECT.COM
>> ntldr
>> NTBOOTDD.SYS (if present, which I doubt, used for SCSI Controllers
>> without a SCSI BIOS)
>>
>> John
>
> Hi John
>
> Thanks for that info. If I understand correctly therefore, then the
> better option is to re-install XP over Win 98 (in Drive C and
> re-format the Drive D (initial XP install)?

No, I think that you can leave it as it is, getting rid of all the files
except the ones noted above and use the rest of the disk as a storage
area. Or you can simply make the D: partition active and then *copy*
the above mentioned system files to the newly made active D: partition.

If you decide to make D: the active partition you will have to edit the
boot.ini file to change the partition number, the active partition is
usually enumerated as partition 1 on the disk. As it is now C: is
enumerated as partition 1 and D: is enumerated as partition 2, you are
most likely booting Windows XP on partition 2. When you mark D: as the
active partition it should be enumerated before the other partitions.

If you want to try this *copy* above mentioned system files to the D:
drive and then replace the boot.ini file (on both drives) with this one:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP partition(1)"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP partition(2)"
/fastdetect


Place this boot.ini file in the root folder of each drive. Before you
change the active flag on the partition you may want to reboot the
computer to test the new boot.ini file.

Use the built-in Disk Management tool (diskmgmt.msc) to "Mark" D: as
Active and then reboot the computer. One of the options in the above
boot.ini file should boot Windows. If Windows fails to boot then you
will have to toggle the active partition flag and make C: the active
partition again, you can use Fdisk on a Windows 98 Startup diskette to
toggle the active partition.

A safe way of going about this would be to create an NT floppy boot
diskette, see here: http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/

Of course if all of this utterly fails all you have to do is boot the
machine with the Windows XP installation disk and when at the
disk/partition selection screen delete all the partitions and then
create a new one and format it NTFS for the new Windows XP installation.
To avoid potential drive letter assignment mix ups reboot the computer
and restart the Windows XP setup program

John

occam wrote:
> Hi
>
> I found an old Win98 PC, and decided to install Win XP on it (Drive D
> to see if it would be too slow. It was not, even with 196 (!) MB of RAM.
>
> My question - how can I keep the Win XP and uninstall Win 98? (Right
> now, on boot up, I get offered to boot up in either.)
>
> I have tried to reformat C: drive, but the system will not allow it.
>
> Thanks
>

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and advice. I have now managed
to install XP on the C: partition and clear out the D: partition for data.