Re: Uninstall of W2k? Not simple for me!

From: Slip Kid (G-2_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 02/10/05 

Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 12:16:21 GMT

On or about 2/9/2005 10:44 PM, R. C. White with due consideration, replied :
> Hi, Michael.
>
> Well, your narrative meanders a bit and I might have missed some of it,
> but I think I got the important parts...

<snip>

>
> The WinNT4/2K/XP dual boot system is really pretty simple. It's kind of
> like the letter "Y". The base of the Y is the System Partition; the
> branches (and there can be more than two, of course) are the Boot
> Folders for each installation of Windows (mix'n'match the NT-based
> versions - and ignore Win9x/ME for now). And remember the
> counter-intuitive terminology: We BOOT from the SYSTEM partition and
> keep the operating SYSTEM files in the BOOT folder. The point is that
> there is only ONE System Partition, even though there may be multiple
> boot folders. There is only one set of the system files (NTLDR,
> NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini), and they must be in the Root of the System
> Partition (typically, C:\).

Line three of my post:

"I have two installs of W2k. Different partitions with the boot files
in a small Fat primary partition. "

Not much meanering.

> Although Microsoft (and nearly every Windows guru) strongly advises that
> only one copy of Windows be installed in a single volume, it is possible
> to install multiple copies in a volume. The default name of the boot
> volume is \Windows, except in WinNT and Win2K, in which the default name
> is \WinNT. If Win2K is installed into volumes C: and D:, the default
> names will be C:\WinNT and D:\WinNT. But if Win2K is installed twice
> into C:, the name of the second must be a variation, such as C:\WinNT-2.

Bolume? Partition? Same/same for me.

One volume (FAT) w/DOS and the boot files for two installs of W@K --
each in a different volume/partition. Anyone miss that?

> What happened in your case? Are both your copies of Win2K in Drive C:?

No, C:\ is the FAT partitition with Dos and the start/boot files for
both installs of W2k.

Again:
"I have two installs of W2k. Different partitions with the boot files
in a small Fat primary partition. "

Try this on for size:

C:\ FAT -- DOS and boot files for two W2k installs
D:\Newer install of W2k which will stay.
E:\ Totally corrupt W2k - Each repair has seemed to lead to another
problem. It's a goner.

> Win2K will not obey an order to delete its own boot folder, because
> that's like obeying an order to commit suicide. But it will happily
> delete another installation's boot folder, because if you are booted to
> D:\WinNT, then folder C:\WinNT is "just another folder". So, if all you
> want to do is get rid of your "bad" Win2K, just boot into the good one
> and delete the boot folder for the bad one, then edit C:\boot.ini to
> remove the line that offers to boot it.

Well, while the installs of W2k are in different partitions..they share
the boot partition, C:\

> One casualty of the deletion of the boot folder will be the Registry for
> that copy of Win2K. The Registry in Win2K is a set of special files,
> all in the \WinNT\system32\config folder; when you delete \Win2K, that
> entire Registry gets deleted, too. The computer will forget about all
> the applications that had been installed in that copy. You will need to
> install those apps again, unless they had been installed already in the
> remaining copy of Win2K, even if the apps files remain on the HD, so
> that entries can be made in the good Win2K's Registry.

Um, the boot folder need not be touched -- (it stands alone on C:|)
-execpt for an entry to the deleted W2k in boot.ini.

I wrote: " I know I can wipe out the various folders associated with the
W2k install? And remove its reference from boot.ini?"

> If you wanted to preserve your original Registry, you could do an
> in-place upgrade (also known as a repair reinstallation). But if you
> want to wipe out your original Win2K and start over, you could just
> delete C:\WinNT, but don't reformat C:, then clean install Win2K again
> into C:. You would need to reinstall your apps, but your data files
> would remain intact.

The inplace upgrade didn't take. (after the crash which wiped out the
profiles, it did an in place upgrade -- all was fine - untill
re-install of SP4, - It blinked out during the install of the SP and
nothing will bring it back - It's history. I just want the best way
to remove it)

> If you have questions, please post back.

One question? If I delete the W2k folders and the boot.ini entry, is
that enough to prevent future problems (ex: confusion that th removed
W2k once existed in that partition.

Or, put better. I want to totally remove one install of W2k in one
volume which is in a differrent volume than the boot volume and the
other install of W2k --

C:\ FAT -- DOS and boot files for two W2k installs
D:\Newer install of W2k which will stay.
E:\ Totally corrupt W2k - Each repair has seemed to lead to another
problem. It's a goner.
.
1. I don't want to reformat E:\ volume - Um. if that was a
preference? I wouldn't be writing. Yeah, format E: was an early
'solution' -- which would wipe out all the other data in the volume I
wish to keep...

2. I don't want to disturb the boot volume. Yeah, I could do a repair
of the install in D:\ and it might go quick and easy (or not). Again,
why risk it if the boot volume -- which is barely related to the volume
which contains the corrupt W2k? (other than the boot.ini entry)

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