just installed vista...but messed up

[jazz_x]

I was installing vista on my computer as an upgrade, but I didnt untick the activate vista straight after the install thing, so as soon vista was installed it wouldnt let me get past the serial screen (i dont have one and am using this for the "30 day trial").

so i booted up the vista disc and did a fresh install but on my second internel hard drive so i wouldnt lose all the data from my normal hard drive. this time i unticked the box, so vista is running fine, ive managed to transfer all the files i wanted into the drive that vista is now running on and i would like to format the other drive. reason being, everytime i switch the computer on, it comes up with a screen asking me what operating system i would like to load (windows vista shows twice) and i dont want this. when i right click on the drive to format though, and click start, it says windows could not complete format.

any ideas?

 

[Raffaz]

Heres a few links that might help you.
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/92fc21e5-3b29-4b09-aa11-33478ae172761033.mspx
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/0a522b50-983b-4b6f-8e07-b33471e027c01033.mspx

Have you tried booting to the OS you want to keep, and then just deleting the other one in explorer? This will only work if its not the boot partition that you want to delete. If none of that works, then you might have to format and start again.

 

[jazz_x]

I have tried booting up the operating system I want to keep and trying to delete the other in explorer but it does not allow me to delete anything in Program Files or Windows. I just want to wipe everything on that drive.

 

[Steff]

Have you got the disk? just stick it in and delete the partitioned drive you want to be deleted.

 

[Raffaz]

You need to boot from the CD, you cant delete an OS if its running on the computer.

 

[wol-va-rine]

and remember to backup everything you want to keep first...

 

[Xiggy]

actually...i remember in xp there is some way to automatically choose which one you want to start on....because one time i had 2000...then upgraded to xp...so i made it start on xp...but ne ways you should have this option on vista...also just go ahead and start the setup so you can delete the otehr partition!

 

[jazz_x]

so i need to boot from the vista cd and it will give me the option to delete everything on the hard drive i want. then i reboot before it starts installing windows?

 

[Raffaz]

actually...i remember in xp there is some way to automatically choose which one you want to start on....because one time i had 2000...then upgraded to xp...so i made it start on xp...but ne ways you should have this option on vista...also just go ahead and start the setup so you can delete the otehr partition!

Its called boot.ini, and vista doesnt use it

 

[Raffaz]

so i need to boot from the vista cd and it will give me the option to delete everything on the hard drive i want. then i reboot before it starts installing windows?

Heres instructions
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp