Formatting windows partition/installing XP again
Hey cats!
I've done some hard lookin' over my windows partition and I've come to the conclusion that there's a lot of crap I don't need and don't want, and I'm really too lazy to just uninstall a bunch of it and figure out where all the orphaned files are and all that shizzy jazz, so I want to reformat my windows partition and install XP all over again.
BUT. there's always a but.
I've got two other partitions, one a linux partition, one a shared partition between the two OS's that I keep music and the like on (which I'm backing up before anything is done) that I don't want touched.
I know windows has a tendency to assume master control over the system and just install as it pleases. How, exactly, can I format my windows partition and re-install windows without having my other two partitions take the fall? I'm using an XP cd downloaded from the MSDN, so it's not some crazy backup CD or something like that.
Thanks in advance!
- Jon
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when you go to reinstall
when you go to reinstall windows, you should be able to wipe out your existing windows partition and install cleanly into it. just be careful which partitions you are selecting when setting up.
this should *not* have any affect on any other partitions. i've done this several times. the only thing to watch out for is depending how you have dual boot working, you might loose your boot loader if its on the windows partition.
i will take no blame for anything that happens, but it should work
Thanks for the info! I've
Thanks for the info!
I've re-installed windows countless times, but reinstalling it with partitions in play is another story. I'll give it a shot next weekend. I'm backing up my shared drive before I do anything, so it really won't cost me anything if the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket, but I'd PREFER to save myself some extra work if I can just rerun windows and leave linux and shared the way the were.
Thanks again! If anyone else has any stories of similar reinstallation adventures, I'd definately like to hear them.
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Jon "slyfox" Spenceley
Lab Facilitator
George Brown College, W07
I wish I could quit you.
The worst case is it nukes
The worst case is it nukes Grub, in which case you just boot up with a linux disc to fix it.
--
Andrew
Hahaha that it did^^ Though
Hahaha that it did^^
Though I was overjoyed to find that I had a virus within an afternoon of using windows (even with antivirus software running and spybot's internal system settings manager running). Brilliant, really.
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Jon "slyfox" Spenceley
Lab Facilitator
George Brown College, W07
I wish I could quit you.