[inite]

1) Any clue as to check if they are useless and that i can delete them? They range from 500mb to 2gb. (Having 4 windows folder doesnt look normal to me.)

Heres the SS i took on some/all of the files in each of the 4 folders. Here we go:

Windows : http://img172.images.../windowsws8.jpg
Windows.0 : http://img92.imagesh...windows0lr3.jpg
Windows.1 : http://img177.images...windows1nd3.jpg
Windows.2 : http://img183.images...windows2ph9.jpg

2) When i reboot comp, i've got 3 options to the exact same copy of windows. How can i remove 1 of them?

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Hello inite...

Ok...let's find out which one of these systems you're using.

Click Start then Run and type %windir%...then click "OK". Remember the folder that is opened. For example, the folder may be C:\Windows.

Which folder opens?

Right-click My Computer and choose Properties.
Under the Advanced tab, in the Startup and Recovery section, click the Settings button. The "Startup and Recovery" dialog box appears. Under System startup, click the Edit button. In the notepad window that opens (boot.ini), copy/paste the contents of the window here for me.

Once I have this information, we'll se if we can clean this machine up a bit. I am curious, though, as to how you ended up with 4 operating systems installed...

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hello inite...

Ok...let's find out which one of these systems you're using.

Click Start then Run and type %windir%...then click "OK". Remember the folder that is opened. For example, the folder may be C:\Windows.

Which folder opens?

Right-click My Computer and choose Properties.
Under the Advanced tab, in the Startup and Recovery section, click the Settings button. The "Startup and Recovery" dialog box appears. Under System startup, click the Edit button. In the notepad window that opens (boot.ini), copy/paste the contents of the window here for me.

Once I have this information, we'll se if we can clean this machine up a bit. I am curious, though, as to how you ended up with 4 operating systems installed...

wannabe1

[inite]

Hi there, wannabe1.

C:\WINDOWS <-- this folder opened.

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.2="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.1="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

There we go. Appreciate the fast reply =)

Im curious myself too. I was clearing alot of files and realised i could do with more free space. The problem i was running was that i downloaded alot of files to my newly bought external hdd, and surprisingly, the free space size on my C drive is also decreasing, as though im downloading it there.

I cant seem to find the files anywhere in C drive though. Still tackling the problem.

[wannabe1]

Ok...

Open "My Computer" and double click on "Local Disk C:". Right click on each of the following folders and choose "Delete"...accept the change in each case:

• Windows.0
• Windows.1
• Windows.2

Note: If these folders don't want to delete, you may have to open the folder and delete a few of the folders within...then try to delete it again. They will eventually go.

Then open the boot.ini file again. In the notepad window, click "File", choose "Save As" and save a copy of the boot.ini to your desktop...name this file bootold.

In the open boot.ini, remove the lines in red below. Click "File" on the toolbar again, and choose "Save".

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.2="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.1="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Close all open windows and reboot. The machine should boot directly to your default installation and you will have regained several GB of free space on the drive.

If everything is working as it should, you can delete the bootold file you saved to the desktop.

[inite]

Ok, ty.

A quick question before i proceed though.

Windows.0
Windows.1
Windows.2

Because contents there are somewhat different, am i risking deleting files which my window is actually needed to run just that its not in the "window" folder?

Each folder seems to have a part of windows thats needed and if i delete it takes it out of the registery which means when i re-boot i won't have a computer to actully go back to. Or am i unduly worried?

[wannabe1]

Do you or have you ever used these other operating systems?

You are currently running from the registry in the C:WINDOWS folder and using the system files in that folder, as well. This is also shown as the default operating system in the boot.ini file. There should be no files in the extra folders that are in use. If there are, it will let you know when you try to delete them with an error that tells you a file is in use.

The problem with deleting the folders I anticipate will generate no error...it will simply seem to hang. This happens when a folder is too large for Windows to delete easily...hence my suggestion to delete a few of the files from within the folder.

In short, deleting these folders should not affect the way your machine is running.

I have to step out for a bit, but will check this thread when I return.

[inite]

Ok, ty so much. Instilled alot of confidence from your reply that i'll have no problem. Will report back when im done. Gonna grab something first though.

[inite]

Oh wait. Something popped up just before i delete.

[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.2="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Because i would like to have 2 options, the current one and another as backup, can i still delete the three files?

Windows.0
Windows.1
Windows.2

Or, according to the quote, if i were to have "partition(1)\WINDOWS.2" there, i cannot delete the "windows.2" file?

[computerwiz12890]

Exactly, if you delete windows.2, you'd lose the ability to boot to "partition(1)\WINDOWS.2" because that is where it is looking for your OS.

[inite]

Will this make a difference? because my .2 file is like 1.5gb, and the other .1 file is only 500mb, i leave both the folder and settings for .1 alone, will it still run the same?

Why did they have to have different sizes tho?

[computerwiz12890]

That's a good question. Odds are those "special" windows folders are corrupt. I think the best idea would be to remove them completly. Then, if you want to setup a second windows OS as a backup, we can help you with that.

Setting up a backup OS will be a little complicated, but we can help you to accomplish that if you want to.

Edited by computerwiz12890, 15 September 2006 - 10:39 AM.

[inite]

Are u able to elaborate abit on the "second windows OS as a backup"? How would that help my current situation?

Or is it more of a preventive measure incase deleting the 3 folders will cause my comp to malfunction?

[computerwiz12890]

From what you said earlier:

Because i would like to have 2 options, the current one and another as backup, can i still delete the three files?

The way I understand it is you want 2 copies of Windows XP on your computer (in other words, a second windows OS as a backup). That would not help your current situation, it is more work.

Or is it more of a preventive measure incase deleting the 3 folders will cause my comp to malfunction?

It is not a preventive measure for the "mission" we are on right now. Having a second OS would be handy if your main one would become corrupt in the future. But for non-advanced computer people, having to maintain and/or update a second OS would just be too much trouble.

It's up to you.

[wannabe1]

This is speculation, but what appears to have happened is that there were a couple of failed installations on the same partition as the original installation. Depending on how many files were copied to the installation folder, the folders could vary in size by a considerable amount.

Have you tried booting into any of the other operating systems to see if they even start up? I'd be willing to bet that they won't...give it a try to find out.

Let me know if any of the other installations work...

[inite]

Wow, yes your right. None of those 2 worked.

ok, so i should just delete everything, the 3 folders and the 2 lines.

However, can i make another copy of the exact same time from what im using now as a 2nd option in my boot.ini just incase my current one becomes corrupt, i can still turn to the other option and run system restore or at least "get on with life" without having to reformat the whole comp.