Remove XP but keep Partition

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Guest

How do I remove XP Home from my C drive? I don't want to delete the
partition or re-create it, because I've also got files in the Windows,
System, & System 32 folders that other programs have installed there. I
want to keep those ones.
 
Well -- I want to uninstall XP. But not reinstall the other applications.
And when I reinstall XP, I want a clean, fresh, reinstall. I don't want it
to read any previous tweaks, customizations, preferences, etc that I may
have in my infinite wisdom (?) created in the past.

Question: Why is it impossible to simply uninstall XP? Every other program
I'm aware of has an uninstall option. Is using XP something like having a
child? Once you've done it, you're stuck for life?


--
< : )))) ><
Something's Fishy Around Here
 
No problem... I'm sure you already knew it, but often people forget to
mention that part about the uninstall procedure... :)
 
You would need to start over with two separate partitions. First, install
XP on one partition, then install your applications on the other partition.
However, that won't accomplish what you desire. Assuming a situation where
you needed to completely remove XP and reinstall on that separate partition,
the applications would still need to be reinstalled as a new install of the
Operating System would not recognize that any applications are installed.
Application installations and OS are married to one another.

You cannot completely remove an OS, wipe the drive, format, delete and
recreate the partition or any other such method and get away with not
reinstalling the applications and personally, this is one reason why I
stopped installing my applications on a separate partition from the OS
though I do keep most of my data files on a separate partition and that has
saved me any number of times.

That said, here's an alternate scenario and one that I use. Understand, I
do a lot of beta testing so I need to be able to wipe my drive and get up
and running quickly so I've used this scenario and I know it works. I do a
clean install of XP. That's an installation to a freshly created and
formatted partition. Once I have it set up and have the drivers installed
for my various hardware and have allowed it to run a bit so I know it is
stable, I then image the drive.

You can use any imaging software that is compatible with XP. I use Drive
Image 2002. I have a large hard drive and I have created a special
partition where I save my image files. Once created and saved, I now
install my applications, create an image of that setup and save it to the
partition I mentioned. I also create a third image of my setup after all
applications have been installed and my data files have been restored. It's
sometimes useful to have that even though it may be a bit dated and you have
more current backups. While most of my data is on a separate partition, I
do have some data as well as the rather large Outlook.pst file on partition
with the OS and applications.

There are a few reasons why I have an image of the Operating System alone.
First, your applications are in flux, you are adding and subtracting and
sometimes you might just want to start over with regard to application
installs. Under this scenario, you simply restore the OS and then install
the apps, it can be real time saver. Second, if you are having some issues,
sometimes in trying to figure out the source of the problem, it helps to be
able to install your applications one by one to determine the source of the
issue. Having an image of just your operating system install is an enormous
help in that regard.

When I need to do that type of diagnosis, I then create a new image,
replacing the one that had the OS, APPS and DATA combination so that it is
up to dat and when I'm done diagnosing, I can simply restore that recent
image.

There are people who continue to install on separate partitions and image
all of them. I can't say this is the issue for everyone but when I restored
separate images of my OS on one partition (Note, this was an OS into which
the other applications were installed but on a separate partition) and
another image of my applications on another partition, I found operation to
be erratic and not acceptable. Even though I have multiple partitions, I
keep my apps and OS on the same one. It's much simpler with regard to
handling image files and, as I said, I've found the system runs somewhat
erratically when you restore separate images on separate partitions.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions about this, certainly feel
free to ask in this thread.
 
Hi -- it certainly does help. Currently I have the C partition for the OS.
P partition for the Program. D partition for Data. F partition is the 2nd
hard drive for backups from HD#1 and for miscellaneous stuff until I burn it
to CD.

Since XP went haywire (happened when I downloaded and update that was not
uninstallable and which overwrote the system restore I had created), I've
had to make some changes.

I've now got the OS and Programs in the same partition on F drive. But I
understand I still need C drive for the boot-up. So I guess, after I wipe
it out, I'll have to reinstall everything again to the C partition.

I've begun to wonder myself about the wisdom of keeping OS and Programs
separate, since it appears that some program files go into the OS folders
anyhow. And the Documents and Settings folders don't seem to work as well
on the D drive as they do if they're on the same drive with the OS.

Let me confirm: You recommend program and OS on the same partition?

Question: Is it true that the boot record always stays on C?

Question: If true, shouldn't the OS and programs also be on C?

Then I could use the 2nd hard-drive, F, to hold the ghost images and data
backups, once I get a ghosting program.

Appreciate your response.


--
< : )))) ><
Something's Fishy Around Here


You would need to start over with two separate partitions. First,
install XP on one partition, then install your applications on the
other partition. However, that won't accomplish what you desire.
Assuming a situation where you needed to completely remove XP and
reinstall on that separate partition, the applications would still
need to be reinstalled as a new install of the Operating System would
not recognize that any applications are installed. Application
installations and OS are married to one another.

You cannot completely remove an OS, wipe the drive, format, delete and
recreate the partition or any other such method and get away with not
reinstalling the applications and personally, this is one reason why I
stopped installing my applications on a separate partition from the OS
though I do keep most of my data files on a separate partition and
that has saved me any number of times.

That said, here's an alternate scenario and one that I use.
Understand, I do a lot of beta testing so I need to be able to wipe
my drive and get up and running quickly so I've used this scenario
and I know it works. I do a clean install of XP. That's an
installation to a freshly created and formatted partition. Once I
have it set up and have the drivers installed for my various hardware
and have allowed it to run a bit so I know it is stable, I then image
the drive.

You can use any imaging software that is compatible with XP. I use
Drive Image 2002. I have a large hard drive and I have created a
special partition where I save my image files. Once created and
saved, I now install my applications, create an image of that setup
and save it to the partition I mentioned. I also create a third
image of my setup after all applications have been installed and my
data files have been restored. It's sometimes useful to have that
even though it may be a bit dated and you have more current backups.
While most of my data is on a separate partition, I do have some data
as well as the rather large Outlook.pst file on partition with the OS
and applications.

There are a few reasons why I have an image of the Operating System
alone. First, your applications are in flux, you are adding and
subtracting and sometimes you might just want to start over with
regard to application installs. Under this scenario, you simply
restore the OS and then install the apps, it can be real time saver.
Second, if you are having some issues, sometimes in trying to figure
out the source of the problem, it helps to be able to install your
applications one by one to determine the source of the issue. Having
an image of just your operating system install is an enormous help in
that regard.

When I need to do that type of diagnosis, I then create a new image,
replacing the one that had the OS, APPS and DATA combination so that
it is up to dat and when I'm done diagnosing, I can simply restore
that recent image.

There are people who continue to install on separate partitions and
image all of them. I can't say this is the issue for everyone but
when I restored separate images of my OS on one partition (Note, this
was an OS into which the other applications were installed but on a
separate partition) and another image of my applications on another
partition, I found operation to be erratic and not acceptable. Even
though I have multiple partitions, I keep my apps and OS on the same
one. It's much simpler with regard to handling image files and, as I
said, I've found the system runs somewhat erratically when you
restore separate images on separate partitions.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions about this,
certainly feel free to ask in this thread.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, Michael.

I've got a CD/DVD burner with my Sony Vaio laptop. It's an external. The
only thing is, the plug-in doodad is not a USB -- it's a proprietary Sony
plug-in with two little pluggy things. I guess I could network the ghost
file to the laptop and then burn to DVD.

I presume that the DVD will hold more data on a single disk than a CD would?


--
< : )))) ><
Something's Fishy Around Here


1)

I believe you're correct, the MBR is on C. If you dual boot with a
Windows 9x OS, the 9x OS must be on C and the MBR is stored there as
well even though XP is then on some other drive. If you install XP
single boot, then it usually goes on the C drive with the Master Boot
Record.

2)

Yes, I install apps and OS and a portion of my data, mostly the
Outlook.pst and some other things that really belong with the
application, for example, my Quicken Data Files, on the same drive,
in my case as I'm single booting, the C drive.

3)

I agree with the approach of using the second hard drive for images.
I'd go a step further. The only reason I don't burn my images to CD
is they are too large but I'm considering a DVD burner in the near
future, just waiting for some industry compatibility issues to be
ironed out and for Mt. Rainer (http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/75 and
http://www.mt-rainier.org/) to be made the default standard for
packet writing.

In any event, in addition to hard drive storage, I'd consider in
investing in a DVD burner to backup image files as well...I had three
hard drives go belly up in 1 year once so I'm fanatical about backup
and having more than one medium on which I store backups.:-)
Click to expand...
 
Hi there.

Just a note regarding:

Then I could use the 2nd hard-drive, F, to hold the ghost images
and data backups, !!! once I get a ghosting program. !!!

Can I reccomend "Symantec Norton Ghost 2003".

It is absolutely fabulous.
Very easy to use, and streets ahead of its competitors.
I keep 4 backup images of my system on my second hard drive.

1. A 25% system build. For when I want to star over more or less completely.
2. A 50% system build. For when I know exactly what I'm putting on, and I
have no testing to do.
3. A 75% system build. For when I want the base to my usual system.
4. A 100% system build. Taken on a regular basis, in case I stuff something
up and cannot retrieve the system perfectly.

It only takes me between 10 - 15 minutes to get a new system running
perfectly with Ghost.

I would be happy to give advice on it's use if you decided to take my
advice.

Good luck.

Harvey.
 
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