How Do You Delete Windows?

[Sabrewolf21]

I just installed the harddrive from my old computer into the new one I just built. It has windows on it, but since I am using the windows on my new computers hard drive, I want to delete the one on the other drive completely. How do I get rid of windows completely on that drive (without formatting because I have files on that harddrive which I want to keep)?

 

[hjo3]

Right-click the Windows directory (x:\windows, x:\winnt) and select "delete?" That should get rid of most of it.

 

[Sabrewolf21]

will that completely uninstall the operating system from that drive though?

 

[hjo3]

No. But it will get rid of most of it. There are still some things you'll have to hunt down and delete on your own (like Documents & Settings, boot.ini, etc.) that aren't kept in that directory. There might be some 3rd party app that might do this...

 

[hjo3]

Wait, I think I just found something. What version of Windows is it that you want to remove?

 

[Booty]

Uh, why don't you just copy the files you want to keep onto the other drive, format, then move them back?

 

[ethebubbeth]

make a dos bootdisk...

format C:
hit y, then press enter
have a nice day

Seriously,
if you delete the windows directory on that drive it should get rid of it because that install of windows on that drive won't be prfotected in the registy.

It would be best to either move your files to the other drive temporarily or back them up and reformat though.

 

[hjo3]

Assuming you want to get rid of Windows 2000, here's how Microsoft says to proceed:

(Make sure your folder options are set to show hidden files.)

Delete the following files:
Boot.ini
Ntbootdd.sys
Ntdetect.com
NTLDR

On the drive on which Windows 2000 is installed, delete the following files if they exist:
Hiberfil.sys
Pagefile.sys

Delete the following folders if they exist:
Windows
Program Files
Documents and Settings

 

[Sabrewolf21]

I guess ill just move the files I want to keep to my new harddrive, format the other hard drive, and then move em back.

 

[Sabrewolf21]

Oh by the way its windows xp on both harddrives.

The harddrive in which i want to delete windows is a fat32 while my new computers harddrive is ntfs. Can I still move files from one harddrive to the other?

 

[hjo3]

Yep.