If you have a dual boot system with Windows Vista and another Windows version like Windows XP, 2000, etc and now you want to completely remove Windows Vista from your system, then this tutorial will help you.
1. Boot into other Windows version. Suppose you have Windows XP installed along with Windows Vista, then boot into Windows XP.
2. Insert your Windows Vista Setup DVD in your DVD drive. Click on "Start button -> All Programs -> Accessories". Right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run As Administrator". If you are prompted to enter password, enter the password and continue. You can also open Command Prompt in Administrator mode by typing "cmd" in Startmenu Search box and press "Ctrl+Shift+Enter".
3. Now provide following command:
[DVD_drive_letter]:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force
and then press Enter. Suppose your DVD drive letter is F:, then provide following command:
F:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force
4. Eject the Setup DVD and restart the system. Now your system will start in Windows XP automatically.
5. Now you can safely delete Windows Vista folders to reclaim the disk space:
Program Files
Users
Windows
You can format the whole partition too if its not the boot partition. e.g. if your Windows Vista was installed on a partition other than C:, then you can safely format that partition but if it was installed on C: drive, then don't format it. Just manually delete the above mentioned folders.
This article was posted by VG in following section: Troubleshooting, Windows Vista.
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fmdahir
the procedure provided above will work for my prob???
Preetesh
Hi VG,
Thanks a lot for your very helpful guide.
This should've been provided by Microsoft but all they have on their site are instuctions for removing 7 from Vista.
But Thank you for your guide.
Regards,
Preetesh
mmkay
Hello VG :>
I have Windows XP installed on C: and recently installed Windows 7 which I want to uninstall on another partition (which has a lot of data I can't lose, so no formatting), I deleted Windows 7 from boot menu as per the guide, but I can't seem to be able to manually delete the Windows folder.
I followed the solution you gave to the first comment about setting permissions, but in the security tab they aren't available and I can't set them. I googled a bit and found that I had to change the permissions of the parent directory which is the partition itself to have the Windows folder inherit the permissions.
So I set full control for all groups in partition H: and ticked replace all sub folders and files, but the Windows folder's permissions were still unchanged, and I could not delete it.
Is there anything I can do to alter the Windows folder's permissions, or any other way to delete the folder?
Thanks in advance :)
VG
^^ Did you try the "Take Ownership" option?
http://www.askvg.com/add-take-ownership-option-in-file-folder-context-menu-in-windows-vista/
mmkay
Take ownership option didn't work, but finally I managed to delete the files by booting ERD Commander, I love that thing :)
Hopefully it would help people that run to the same problem as I.
Ramy
i dont have the vista cd its oem from HP.
what can i do
thank u