FX02

iTrader: (5)

I could not get a pc to boot up no matter what I tried, so I put in the XP disk and began to reinstall the operating system.

All went well up until a screen asking me if I wanted to overwrite the current install of xp or put it in a seperate folder which would mean I wouldn't lose the contents of my hard drive. I chose the latter and it has installed correctly resulting in me being able to access the contents of the hard drive (photos etc).

I have dragged what was in 'my documents' from the previous xp into the new 'my documents' and have all the valueable things I want to keep on the new install. Can I simply delete the folder named 'windows' from the pc and then rename the folder which has the new xp in it back to 'windows' or will I break something? Every time the pc starts I get asked which xp I want to use.
Apologies for the long winded question, but I am a computer numpty. Just trying to explain this has given me a headache.

If I had chosen the option to overwrite the version of xp that was already on the machine would I have lost the contents of 'my documents'?

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

I dont think it will allow you to delete the previous version of windows. Chances are you could have gone into the recovery console instead of re installing and done a fixboot or fixmbr (cant remember which) and you would probably have found your system booted on the original install with all docs intact.

When this has happened to me, it has usually been a sign of an imprending hard disc failure (maxtor drives only funnily enough)

FX02

iTrader: (5)

thanks jaytc2003. I tried using the recovery part of the disc but it asked for an adinistrator password which I don't have. I tried leaving it blank but with no joy. Maybe I will have to get everything I need to keep off the machine if it's about to go pear shape. If it is going to be a hard disc failure does this mean I will need a whole new machine, or can I get a replacement part?

scoobz72

All you needed to do was a chkdsk repair. You can edit the boot sector very easily to remove the dual booting from displaying.

Right click on My Computer, goto properties. Click the advanced tab, now select the Start up & Recovery button.
From there select the XP installation you are using from the dual boot option, is it the first or second? If its the second, then set your system to boot from the second. You can also uncheck the boxes to display the dual boot menu.
If needed I have a file to remove admin passwords, you simply burn it to disk and run from Boot up It will wipe the SAM database of all Admin passwords
Hope this helps.

Justin

scoobz72

And yes you would have lost all your documents ets as it replaces the windows folder with a new one. During this it formats the drive, so you done ok to keep your data.

Good experience is to trial and error, its the only way you learn

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Two copies of windows on the one partition is not really the best config to have. It can cause issues when installing certain software in the future.

I've personally always avoided doing this, as when faced with your situation I have chosen other methods to fix the issue. The normal one is to make another partition and install windows into that. That way the new clean copy is totally separate from the old one. Once booted into the clean copy, you can then copy your data over and delete the old partition.

You've done well not to lose data I think your next step is to backup your data. This should have been a painless warning of how important it is to look after your data. Once this is done you can try and delete the old windows folder. With a little fiddling you may be able to do what you want. However, if you have your data backed up, you can always simply reinstall from scratch and know you have a good setup.

scoobz72

ok so by now if your head aint spinning, the best thing to do is burn off the data onto DVD or USB pen. Then format the whole drive and load one XP installation on. 40 mins later its all done

FX02

iTrader: (5)

I think thats me sorted!!! Thanks chaps. I will back up what I need to keep onto an external hard drive and then do a complete re install of the xp.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

SyncBack make a free backup software (basic edition). You can schedule backups and even make it autorun backups when you connect your external USB drive.

It has the potential to be a complex program, but is really worth a little time. I use the paid for version so am no expert on the free one. There are easier backup programs, but they cost money.

scoobz72

I use Backup exec 10, which is a bit deep for PC users, the windows backup tool should be more than adequate also. We use this to create images of hard disks, but you cant beat ghost for fault free image deployment.