[computerhopeless]

Hi all! First time here. Need some help!

I got a laptop from a friend and it is in german.
The Windows XP was installed in C drive.

We got a new original Windows XP English
versian and installed it with no problem. Later
I found out that it was installed in D drive,
and as i click the D drive it was advised not
to change anything in the folder. But the drive
being a much bigger capacity, i had wanted to
have my operating system in D drive.

Not knowing at that time that it was prompted
to install two XP on different drive, I wanted to
change it to C drive but not knowing how, just
tried exploring.

I tried to repair XP using the option for the
set up CD but the task was not completed
due to some fatal error messages. As the English
XP wouldn't start I decided to re-install again,
instead of repair. It took the whole night, and it
didn't complete - showing 4 minutes left to complete.

Despite not fully completed, It runs now, but not
complete as in many programs are missing.

My question is can i re-install the same Windows XP
English on the D Drive again. Will it automaticaly delete
off the prior incomplete XP set up? Does the prior XP
affect the new installation. What's the best thing to do now?

I understood that we can't erase an operating
system (ME) if there is no prior version installed?

THANKS!

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You can't change the existing drive letter (D) once Windows has been installed on it, but you can certainly re-install Windows from scratch using the same method you used the first time, with a few differences.

Because there is now already an operating system on 'D' which you installed the first time, Windows will warn you about that when you run setup again. Highlight partition 'D' and choose the option to "Delete the partition".
Next choose the option to install Windows on the newly created "Unallocated/Unpartitioned Space" (where your old installation of Windows used to be). Now go make a brew while windows formats the partion 'D', after which it will begin installing Windows as before.

One last word. If you want to put Windows on 'C' drive instead (as most people do), you must decide from the start. So instead of telling Windows Setup to delete 'D' partition, highlight 'C' partition instead, delete it, then choose that 'unallocated space' for installing Windows on. Then when Windows is running, you can either format the 'D' drive from within Windows (Control Panel- Administrative Tools - Computer Management) to wipe your old Windows off it, or simply delete the folders in it by opening that drive in 'My Computer'. You can now use it as a backup drive for your own files.

Edited by pip22, 09 September 2006 - 10:19 AM.

[pip22]

You can't change the existing drive letter (D) once Windows has been installed on it, but you can certainly re-install Windows from scratch using the same method you used the first time, with a few differences.

Because there is now already an operating system on 'D' which you installed the first time, Windows will warn you about that when you run setup again. Highlight partition 'D' and choose the option to "Delete the partition".
Next choose the option to install Windows on the newly created "Unallocated/Unpartitioned Space" (where your old installation of Windows used to be). Now go make a brew while windows formats the partion 'D', after which it will begin installing Windows as before.

One last word. If you want to put Windows on 'C' drive instead (as most people do), you must decide from the start. So instead of telling Windows Setup to delete 'D' partition, highlight 'C' partition instead, delete it, then choose that 'unallocated space' for installing Windows on. Then when Windows is running, you can either format the 'D' drive from within Windows (Control Panel- Administrative Tools - Computer Management) to wipe your old Windows off it, or simply delete the folders in it by opening that drive in 'My Computer'. You can now use it as a backup drive for your own files.

Edited by pip22, 09 September 2006 - 10:19 AM.