Can not delete old vista installation on other partion

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Jakob Nielsen - 18 Jan 2007 21:38 GMT

When I was still running xp, but wanted to try out vista business, I
installed it on an extra partion where I could play with it.
Now I have changed entirely to vista and have it installed on my primary
partion and want to delete the old copy on the data partion... problem is
that I can't.

When I go to delete the windows folder, it fails, telling me the files are
write protected. When I try to skip, It still fails. When I try changing the
protection on the folder, I get an error telling me I do not have the access
and it lets me do it as admin, which I try and then again it tells me I have
no access.
This I have tried as admin and as ordinary user. I even tried it under xp
before I installed vista again. I can not get to the files, which are on a
ntpf drive.

How do I proceed?

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peter - 19 Jan 2007 01:34 GMT

Format the partition
peter

> When I was still running xp, but wanted to try out vista business, I
> installed it on an extra partion where I could play with it.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> How do I proceed?

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Jakob Nielsen - 19 Jan 2007 05:28 GMT

> Format the partition

This would be where I point out certain words in the original post.
"delete the old copy on the data partion..."

The principal word being "data partition". It is 120 GB of data which I have
no temporary storage for while formatting the partition. I can not imagine
that MS created an undeleteable OS. Obviously there must be a way to remove
it...?

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HarriT - 19 Jan 2007 16:21 GMT

Have you tried to change the ownership of the disk/partition/files. I think
I had a similar problem and changing the owner to local admin solved it.

> When I was still running xp, but wanted to try out vista business, I
> installed it on an extra partion where I could play with it.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> How do I proceed?

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Jimmy Brush - 19 Jan 2007 22:24 GMT

Hello,

Please try the following:

1) open admin command prompt

- Click start
- Type: cmd
- right-click it under programs
- click Run As Administrator

2) take ownership of everything (will take a while)

In the command prompt:
<change to the drive your old Vista install is on, e.g. d:\>
cd windows
takeown /F . /A /R /D Y > NUL

3) grant yourself permission to everything

In the command prompt:
icacls . /grant:r Administrators:(F) /T /L /Q

4) Delete everything

- Make sure you close any explorer or command windows that are looking at or
inside windows (except the cmd window you are using). If you don't, you will
receive an error while performing this step.

In the command prompt:
cd ..
rmdir /S /Q windows

That should do it :)

Signature

- JB

Windows Vista Support Faq
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

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Walter Blanchard - 20 Jan 2007 00:46 GMT

Jimmy,

Maybe you can help with this one.

HDD 0 is connected to the SATA 1 controller on Motherboard. It has 2
partitions; one primary with Vista installed, and one logical with data.
HDD 1 is connected to the SATA 2 controller on Motherboard. It has 1
primary partition with documents on it.

I have a Boot directory on both drive c: and drive d: BCDedit shows:
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=D:
default {current}
displayorder {current}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows Vista (TM) Ultimate
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows

I have tried everything I can think of to change the Boot Manager device to
partition=C: to no avail.
I have successfully deleted everything from d:\boot except BCD and BCD.LOG.
I have taken ownership of both files, but when I try to delete them, even
from an elevated Command Prompt, I get "Action cannot be completed because
file is open in another program."

Any advice or suggestions, please?

Signature

______________________________

Walter B
walterb[at]tampabay[dot]rr[dot]com
______________________________

> Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>
> That should do it :)

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Jimmy Brush - 20 Jan 2007 01:02 GMT

Hello,

If you go into computer management -> disk management, which partition is
listed as active?

- JB

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Walter Blanchard - 20 Jan 2007 02:46 GMT

All but one, and I don't know how to change them. See clip:

Signature

______________________________

Walter B
walterb[at]tampabay[dot]rr[dot]com
______________________________

> Hello,
>
> If you go into computer management -> disk management, which partition is
> listed as active?
>
> - JB

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Walter Blanchard - 20 Jan 2007 19:05 GMT

I think I fixed it! I disconnected the d: drive and ran repair from the
Vista DVD. Machine booted fine, no errors. I then reconnected the d:
drive, and deleted the boot directory and the bootmngr file. Rebooted with
no problems. Disk management now still shows the d: and x: drives as
Active, Primary, but happily, the c: drive now shows as System.

Signature

Walter B
walterb[at]tampabay[dot]rr[dot]com

> All but one, and I don't know how to change them. See clip:
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>>
>> - JB

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Jimmy Brush - 21 Jan 2007 16:53 GMT

Good solution :)

I was having trouble finding detailed information on how booting works in
Vista. You'd thing the bcdedit tool would allow you to change which store
was loaded during boot.

- JB

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Walter Blanchard - 21 Jan 2007 19:14 GMT

You would think...

Signature

Walter B
walterb[at]tampabay[dot]rr[dot]com

> Good solution :)
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> - JB

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