os upgrade question.

[Deagle]

Hi all. I just bought a winxp home full ver. and I want to install it.
Does this mean that I have to uninstall the previous os=win ME?
If I have to then Please help me locate where to uninstall win ME. When I bought this computer(never will buy prebuilt computer again)they partition my 40gb into 2 drive, C and D. D drive is data save and the other is for everything else. Does anyone have any idea which drive my win ME is locate?
Thanx, Still Learning!!!;)

[Budfred]

WinME is going to be on C:, but you don't necessarily have to uninstall it. You could do a dual boot by creating another partition to install WinXP in and put it there. It will set up a boot choice for when you log in. I believe the WinXP CD will let you do that as you install, just be careful to not simply accept defaults or it will install over WinME.

If you want to get rid of WinME, the best bet would be to format your C: drive and then install. Again you can do that from the WinXP CD.

Be sure to back up important data before you start, no matter what you do....

[Deagle]

Thanx for replying. Exactly how do I back up my data? Do I put it on a CD? As you know I will built a new comp soon and I want to bring software like mswork and msmoney etc... My question is how do I do that?
When I reformat it will erase all of my hd contend right? So does that mean I have to reinstall everything else.
I don't have the installation cd for most of my software because it's a prebuilt.
Thanx again!:p

[Paul Komski]

Since this is a proprietary pc with two partitions preinstalled it could be that there is various necessay stuff stored on the HDD, which it would be wise to NOT delete. What make and model is your pc?

Also have you checked the hardware for compatibility with XP? Running the install CD from within windows will do this for you as a first option and can also check on-line for the latest situation.

You don't have to proceed with the installation at this point.

If you decide to go ahead then it seems geneally to be best to NOT choose the upgrade option (even though that is what M$ recommends) but to choose a new install. Since you already have two partitions, watch the screens and choose to just install XP onto the D drive, as is and with no deleting or formatting, (assuming there is enough space there for it - about 2GB for starters - but 5GB would be preferable). That way all your data will still be intact and you can test out XP for the time being and still be able to use your other OS until you decide to rid yourself of it.

Just read the screens carefully during the installation processes and if unsure about what to do, make a note and come back here with any questions.

[Budfred]

I would urge you to back up your data even if you don't do anything, it is a good idea to do that regularly anyway. You can use a CDR if you have a CDRW drive, that is usually the best option for most people. You may not need to back up everything, just the things that can't be replaced like documents, financial files, scanned pictures and so on. I usually back up these things and also my browser address books, email and bookmarks. Usually all of this stuff fits on one CDR with room to spare...

I agree with Paul if you have a bunch of preinstalled software and no way to restore it, proceed with great caution. Some of those preinstalled things come with the option to make backup disks, so you may want to check your documentation and see if that is the case. That would allow you to reinstall later if you do a clean install. That said: even if you do you may have to install your current version of Windoze along with any restore disk programs. This means that to get the other software you will either need to upgrade with WinXP or dual boot. I would go with the dual boot if your hard drive is big enough to support it.

[Deagle]

First of all, my comp make is compaq and model 5wv294:(. I checked my system compatability with the xp install disk but it said "setup unable to reach microsoft windows update because it's currently unavailable"
I'll take Budfred advice and back up my data with cd-r. The problem is that I don't know a thing about what to back up.
Oh and my second partition is only 1.5gb:mad:

[Deagle]

Nevermind, I found out that it was my firewall that have prevented system compatability check.:D
Here's a brief summary on what the setup said:
-Hardware might need additional files=hp printer
-Software that doesn't support xp=digital dash board, hsp56 wdm device, iomega active disk, logitech camera control, nvidia nview, system info, viruscan, wildtangent
-Software that need to be reinstall=mcaffe virusscan for win9x, easy cd creator 4 (although I have a disk of nero cd burning software)
At the end it said that setup have found files that appear to be backup for winME. So when xp is install it will remove it and suggest that I backup these files, there are 29 of these files.
-Other upgrade info= might need to upgrade dvd decoder after setup completes
Ms directx9= inorder to maintain compatability with dx9, you'll need to download dx9 update for winxp, winxp sp1 and winserver 2k3.
So can you guys help me with the info that I provided above?
thanx in advanced!:p

[mjc]

hsp56 wdm device......that is your modem, there may not be XP drivers for it. Is it a Motorola modem by any chance? (some people have had luck with the 2k drivers, but most have not...:( )

easy cd creator 4...need to go to version 5 or ditch and go with Nero.

logitech camera control...another possible no go device, depending on the camera model.

[Deagle]

So the hsp56 is my modem? I don't need a modem if I got dsl right? My current comp has an ethernet card and I'm using dsl. Ok I'll ditch the easy CD creator and go with nero. The logitech cam that I have is a quickcam express that came with the system, I think its and old one for sure.

[Budfred]

If you have DSL, you don't need your modem = correct.

As for what to backup:

Document files, like what you would produce in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or any other program where you produce documents.

Scanned photos, articles or anything else you scanned and want to keep.

Music files. Video files. Anything you may have collected on the web or elsewhere and want to keep.

Email that you want to keep, address books, Favorites (bookmarks).

Financial files, like from Quicken or Money.

Anything else that you think you might miss later. Keep in mind that you can't simply just copy most programs and then reinstall, you have to have the original install program to do that. If you want to back up drivers to make sure you have them later, there is a program that will do that. However, since you are switching to WinXP, most of them probably won't work anyway. You may want to go looking for the drivers before you change anything and store them in a folder on your backup disk so you have them when you need them.

To actually make the disk, you simply create a data disk and drag & drop or browse to the folders you want. I usually copy whole folders to simplify and to make sure I get everything I might need later. You can also use backup programs that will condense everything and backup your entire system to multiple disks, but that may not be helpful when you convert to WinXP.

Again, I would see if there is anyway to make backups of the original programs you have and want to use later from whatever install area you have on the hard drive so that you will have those programs after you reformat. Otherwise, they will be magnetic memories...

[Deagle]

Ok so what software/hardware do I need drivers for? The one that I know of are my crappy graphic card and printer. Do I put the drivers into a backup disk and then install xp or install them before xp?
Here is a list of things that I will make a backup of, feel free to add what you think is missing.
Ms works, ms money, internet explorer, adobe acrobat, outlook express, mcaffe vscan, dvd express, soundmax.Will all of this fit in a 700mb cd-r? I also have a 650mb cd-rw but I don't know how to rewrite over it.(It only have musics on it)
I have the original setup disk for my dsl.
In my add/remove panel there are these things like active disk, desktop player,compaq hadrware discovery, and service connection, do I have to backup these too?
THanx!!!:)

[Budfred]

I would check in Device Manager to see what you might need drivers for and then look for the updated drivers for WinXP on the websites of the manufacturers of the devices. The video card and printer are both ones that you will probably need. You don't install the drivers until you are in the process of installing Windoze and it will call for the drivers when needed. Just have them handy. I would probably put them on you backup disk so that you don't have to keep track of a couple of different disks. Make sure you mark the backup with the date so you can identify it later.

I would use a new CDR to backup your files and it wouldn't hurt to make 2 of them just in case. CDRs are usually pretty cheap these days which is part of the reason they are good for backups.

The programs you list to back up will probably not fit onto a CDR, but you don't really need to back up the whole program. You will not be able to install the programs from such a backup so you really only need the data files. Things like McAfee Virusscan don't really contain any data that you would need to back up, so I wouldn't bother with that at all. If it is the version that came with your computer originally, it is terminally out of date anyway and you will need to get a new version. Rather than McAfee, you could go with AVG which is free.

Unless you have PDF files you want to backup, you also don't need to backup Acrobat. If you are talking about the full version, you probably have an install disk. If you are talking about the Reader it is available for free download from the Web anytime...

Soundmax, DVD Express MS Works, Money and the rest all need the install disks to reinstall, so backing them up won't do anything except waste space. Just back up the data that you can't replace and that will probably only be a couple hundred megabytes.

That Compaq Hardware Discovery you referred to may be where your drivers are kept for the current version of Windoze. It could simply be a help program though. I would check it out and save the drivers if they are there. I'm not sure what the other programs are, but the criteria for backing them up is if they contain data you can't replace/reinstall.

[Deagle]

I think you're correct Budfred.:) I don't have the installation disk for those programs so I will not back them up. I've just downloaded new driver for winxp for my printer and vid card. My adobe is only a reader so I will not back it up and I will download avg for antivirus use.
When I access device manager it said that there are drivers for my floppy and hadr disk controllers. Also for my keyboard/mouse. Do I really need to download these drivers and store them in the cdr? There are also drivers for my ethernet card and comm1 port.
Which data to you is nonreplaceble. I can always download back the vids and pics, game's files, programs like rambooster and popup stopper.
Thanx for helping me upgrade my os. I know it's frustrating to help a newbie like me, always ask stupid question.;)

[Budfred]

As so many have said before, the only truly stupid question is the one you don't ask. I admire your willingness to figure out what you are doing before jumping in feet first and then coming back to say "nothing works, what do I do???".

Anyway, you do not need to back up things like the floppy drivers and hard disk controller drivers since Windoze will have those by default. You do need to find and back up the Ethernet driver since that will almost certainly be different in WinXP. The COM port is also generic, but the keyboard and mouse may need updated drivers if they are not generic. If you have a specialized keyboard/mouse with things like volume control and web buttons on the keyboard, that is usually going to need drivers to run the extra functions. The basic functions will probably run with just the generic drivers.

I consider crucial data to be the stuff you can't replace easily. Even though I can find many of the files I have downloaded on the web again later, it would be a hassle, so I back them up. I may end up with several versions of a program this way, but I prefer that to hassling trying to find that little program that I liked so much but can't remember the name of... If you know where to get the programs easily and you think you will remember, you don't necessarily need to back them up....

The most important stuff to back up is any records you want to keep and would miss if you couldn't find them. I lost out on a rebate once because I didn't have the backup and the company lost my submission. Wasn't that much money, but irritating anyway.

The main thing before you start is to see if you can create install disks from the software Compaq put on your drive and that you paid for when you bought the computer. You may not be able to use these programs again if you format and install WinXP, so having backup install disks would be really nice. This would probably include you copy of MS Works and Money....

[Deagle]

Yay I found the installers for ms works. the icon looks like a box with a cd and a computer behind it and when I click on it it has the install option.
here's a recap on the things that I will backup
-ms works installer
-vid card and printer drivers
-outlook express
-internet explorer 6
I look for my ethernet card driver but it wasn't in their database
Anyway my question is that can I put the drivers in the same cd-r as the installers and outlook/interexplor or do they have to be separates?
Also can you tell me ths step to create the disk, it is just drag and drop?
THANX:p

[Fruss Tray Ted]

This is about your pc:

Processor Class: AMD® Athlon® Processor
Processor Speed: 1 GHz
Cache Size: 256 KB
Installed Memory: 128 MB pc100 SDRAM
Maximum Memory 768MB
Memory Slots 3 (3 banks of 1)
Hard Drive Capacity: 40 GB
CD-ROM Speed: 32 X
3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive
DVD-ROM
Sound Support: Digital Audio (16-bit)
Installed Video Memory: 8 MB
Display Size: 17 in
Display Type: Active Matrix LCD (TFT)
Modem Speed: 56 Kbps
_______________________________________

If you plan on using XP with this pc you had better upgrade your memory if it has not been done already. XP is a memory hog!

No need to backup these programs
-outlook express
-internet explorer 6
But save your address book, inbox and sent files in OE.
Also your favorites folder and any installers you may want.

Go to: Start> find> files and folders> type
*.exe and look through the list to find things you may have downloaded or is on you harddrive from the manufacturer that you want to keep.
To save address book go to Find Files *.wab Right click it in the results box and send to floppy.
Then Find Inbox and sent folders. These are larger and will need to be put on cd-r's.
There's more...

[Budfred]

Yep, as FTT said, you don't need to save IE and OE, just the files that you can't replace easily like your address books, email, Favorites lists and so on. You can put everything you want on one CDR, but you may want to set up different folders for them so that you can tell them apart. In particular, I would set up a Drivers folder.

As for the drag and drop on the CDR, it depends on your program. I use Click & Burn Pro which allows me to browse for folders, files or whatever and load it on to the CDR directory. When I click on BURN, it copies everything there.

With the MS Works installer, copying that may not make any difference. You need to find out it you have an option to create an actual install disk that would have the installer and all the program material on it. Since your software came preinstalled on your Compaq, you may have the option of creating such a disk or of buying the disk from Compaq at a low cost. I would look into these options if you want to keep any of the preinstalled stuff because you will probably lose them otherwise.

Keep in mind that there are other programs that you can use that will provide everything that Works provides and more for little or no cost. You can get a copy of Lotus Suite Millenium edition for as little as $20 OEM. You can use Open Office Suite which is free. Both provide compatibility with most MS generated documents without having to use MS at inflated prices.

[Deagle]

Oh but I thought the minimum to install xp is 64mb?:confused:
Nah, just kidding:D I've 384mb of RAM so I think qualify.
Here's all the files in my cdr direct:
Addresses-inbox,outbox,addresses
Drivers-printer,vid card
Favorites-websites
Installers-Ms works
But it only takes up about 29mb of disk space, I still have a lot more space.

[drdan]

Just one quick note about Easy CD and Nero. XP has pretty good CD writing software built in. Unless you want to do projects like slide shows you might just wait and see how you like XP's CD writing. If you pop a blank CDR in the CDRW drive XP will ask if you want to open a folder to write to the CD. Then you can go and select what you want to put on CD. So far for me it has worked flawlessly.

[Deagle]

I've just finish installing xp on my comp. I install it on my d drive so i think I still have my win ME on drive C. What do I do about my backup cd-r now? Do I pop it in and install new drivers and all of those things?
I'm happy now.:D

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Reinstalling all the drivers and such is optional at this point. It was done to prevent the 'Murphy's Law' from causing a loss if the install went awry.

Is dual booting working? Can you see your C: drive and contents? Can you boot from it?

I imagine you want to set up your mail and favorites in XP so you can experience browsing with it. Also it is time to set up your printer etc. and get them working. As discussed, some need new drivers, others not.

By putting XP on such a small partition you will need to use C: as your main storage 'room'. So a little reassigning of where XP's programs want to default storage to, is in order also. But this you can do on an as need basis, as you go sorta thing.

Not much else, just remember where to head if you run into trouble... ;)

[Paul Komski]

If you want to resize (or make other) partitions so that D takes some space from C, then get Partition Magic. The same general rule applies; make backups of your data before messing with partitons.

[Budfred]

Did XP ask for your updated drivers while it was installing? If it didn't, it may have put in generic drivers or it may even have used the correct ones. You will probably want to check at some point and possibly upgrade if they are generic.

[Deagle]

When I install xp never ask for any drivers at all.:eek: I think I reformatted my d drive so now I have like 2. something gb of disk space. I'm happy because I want to put my os separate from other infos.
My question is should I download sp1 and all of the others recommended updates from msupdates.com?
Also xp have a lot of stuff running behind it. When I press c+a+d I saw a lot of background stuff running. Which one can I safely take off without harming my system performance?
THANX :p
PS: I still have drive C but all the infos is lost. I want to format C now so I can install new stuff again. Can xp do that? :confused:

[Budfred]

You can get guidelines for streamlining WinXP at BlackViper's website (http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm) .

Whether or not to install SP1 depends on if you have enough space to do it. Since you have it in the smaller partition, you may have a space problem. You also need to make sure that you don't install any other programs into D: since you won't have the room. You may want to follow the suggestion that Paul Komski made about using Partition Magic to expand that partition a bit to give you a little room to work with, usually about 5 gigs is okay.

Also, I don't understand how your C: drive got wiped. XP can certainly format it for you, but it may switch your driver designations so that the small D: becomes C: since Windoze likes the boot partition to be C:.

[Paul Komski]

DONT Format C !!!
You will lose the bootloaders, which are always on the C Drive, wherever XP is.

Advise that you copy the three files, boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com onto a formatted floppy, since you can at least use it to boot into your XP installation if somehow you manage to corrupt the boot processes by deleting, formatting stuff. They will be in your C drive but may be hidden and read only files.

If there is stuff on the C drive that you don't want, then just delete those files and folders and don't format the whole drive. Don't touch the three main XP bootloaders. If Win9x is still installed then there will be another couple as well. Best to just delete any folders you don't want but leave all the files as they are that are not within folders and just sitting in the "root" of the C drive.

Perhaps you could copy your boot.ini file and paste it here so we can be more sure of what its instructions are.

Are you sure you installed XP onto D - its suspiciously like it is on C. Where and how many windows folders do you have on the two partitions C and D.

[Deagle]

I'm positive that I install xp on D drive because when I go to defrag it there are files that are not movable(the green ones). When I go search for boot.ini folders is say cannot find it.Although it doesn't look in the hidden files for it. Also when I go to drive D and click on windows or program files it said that these are hidden files and i shouldn't touch it.
I found ntdetect.com folder but when I click on it ti said its encounter an illegal operation and have to close. I also found ntldr but I need a specific program to open it.
Oh yeah and both of them were created on august 23,2001:confused:
And to correct myself, the C drive never got erase, just lost some info but all of my other downloaded programs are gone.
PS. how do I outlook express to create an quicklaunch icon on my task bar?
THANX:D

[Budfred]

I'm really not sure what you have done, so I will just answer the last question for now. To create any Quick Launch icon you click on the program you want and drag it to the Quick Launch bar. However, you may have it there already, so check the edge to see if any programs are on the part you don't see. You can drag the edge further out or rearrange the icons if you wish.

I will say one other thing, boot.ini is probably hidden and you will need to mark the "show hidden files" option to see it. Windoze doesn't want you messing with the hidden files because they can screw up your system if you are not careful, so be careful. When you find it, you can open it in Notepad and post the text here. When you close it, just make sure you don't save it with any changes.

[Deagle]

I enable the show hidden files in folder option but it stil can't find boot.ini.:( Also I still didn't put my backup cdr nto my drive yet. I'm still waiting for confirmation as how to do it.
One more thing, I can't control my sound volume anymore.:mad:

[Deagle]

Ok, it seems to me that I've made a mistake in installing xp on my tiny partition. Should I just install xp again but this time on my drive C instead? Please give me your opion.
Thanx a lot.:)

[Deagle]

After reading some infos about xp at blackviper.com I realized what I did wrong. When i install xp I choose to format my D drive with ntfs instead of fat32 which me uses. Now I couldn't access my C drive because it's fat32 and not the same as ntfs.:mad: BlackViper said that to dual both os have to use the same file system.
Well now I will use xp partition to delete the D drive and make a new partition when I install it. I have close to 40gb of disk space so could you guys advise me on how much gb should my new D drive be?:p
Yeah I figure it out myself!:D
THANX anyway;)

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Sorry but I'm putting in a lot of hours at work... and trying to guide you is like trying to steer a runaway locomotive :eek: One second you're making backups, next you let us know XP is already on your pc! (1st page: post on RAM, then next post, WHAM! XP is In There! )

9x cannot read ntfs but XP can read either one.

At this point if you don't have any ability to boot with ME, you might consider making partitions more usefully. But WAIT till you know for absolute sure or someone comes along who may help you solve accessing your C: drive!

You say not all info is lost on your C: drive? What can you see?

What do you get when you reboot your pc?

If you don't care about losing ME anymore well, I guess you could go "full steam ahead" with XP... :p Wipe the disk and start over. Put 5 gigs for XP and maybe a swap file and a couple other partitions as well.

Hey, you can always get ME on sale eventually and do it all over again.

Gotta go http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

[Budfred]

The question comes down to this: are you ready to give up all programs that came preinstalled on your computer??? If you are, you can use WinXP to repartition and install in a 5 gig partition like FTT said.

If you still want to see if you can use those programs, you will need to really slow down and go one step at a time, assuming you haven't already purged them.

Tell us as clearly as possible what you see you have left and what you want to do and we can probably help you do it.

[Deagle]

About using Win ME again? No I never want to use it again(no offense to Win ME user):)
Most of the [rograms that came preinstall with my pc is alrady out of date(3 yrs to be exact) I know that 3 yrs in the computer world is like 3 decades or centuries:D
I was wrong in saying that my C drive has been wipe. In fact all my infos is just sitting there and all I do is click on it and it responsse. It just that I have to reinstall all the games again.
Anyway I will take you guys advises and go repartition then install xp on a 5gb D drive. I won't start until I get a response from you guys.
Please excuse my errors, I'm still trying to learn.:D

[Budfred]

It isn't so much that you have made any errors, I am just worried that you are going to get done with this process and realize that you don't have a program that you wanted.

For example: I suspect that MS Works can be saved if you want it, but the installer that you backed up won't do it unless you back up the rest of the program files in a way that they can be accessed by the installer. This would require whatever system of backup that Compaq built in the preloaded software to do it.

If you really don't care about any of the software that is in there now and you have backed up your data files, you can go ahead with the WinXP install. When you boot into WinXP with the CD, it will give you options to partition and install. If it were my drive, I would partition 5 gig for XP, about 20 gig for other programs and about 15 gig for data. This would mean installing your games and other programs to the 20 gig and setting up each program to save files to the 15 gig.

[Paul Komski]

To read or edit boot.ini from WinXP
RClick My Computer
Properties
Advanced
Startup and RecoverY
EDIT BUTTON

But don't edit it.

And don't format any drives if this might delete the compaq bios.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

And don't format any drives if this might delete the compaq bios. Paul, I realize Comcrap still uses this in a hidden partition yes? So if Deagle fdisks and/or formats his entire drive he will run into problems with the whole 'shootin match'?

The workaround, I imagine, is to find free space to work with and if any more is needed to find programs and such to delete to free up more space so you can utilize more of the drive. But the point is, is not to wipe the entire disk.

How, if any, is there a way to do it in one clean sweep without harming the hidden partition? Any outside disk managers able to see the Compuke one?
__________________

Deagle, No biggie, when and if you do put in XP solely, it will need to be on C: not D: as you mentioned. Only because that is where the BIOS'es start from and will look to first for info or commands. Without another OS there like any of the 9x variety, something will need to take it's place.

Please answer:
If you can still see your data on C: can you find ME? Look here: Click on My Comp> C: Drive> is there a 'Windows' folder?

When you reboot is there an option to boot into more choices than one?

Ahhh the fun of working on an invisible patient... sorta :rolleyes:

http://www.capitolint.com/ray%20charles.gif

(No! Not you! Just your pc!!! ;) )

[Paul Komski]

I'm almost totally confused. It is not obvious where XP is installed or what happend to the previous windows. Indeed whether this is a single boot, dual boot or windows upgrade; on FAT? on NTFS? The boot.ini file might give some insight, or by viewing the disk manager within XP.

It appears that XP found all the drivers it needed without any help so perhaps this isn't a fundamental problem.

Option 1. Try and find out what has happened and maybe resize move partitions using PM or similar.

Option 2. Restore the Compaq to its factory condition using its boot disk and restore function. Then reinstall XP again. This assumes that all needed personal data is safely backed-up.

If reinstall XP after a Compaq factory restore, the decisions are:
(a) To simply upgrade. (Recommended by MS but we all know that it can have problems too). Might be the best option in this example though.

(b)
Dual Boot (1). Best if XP on a separate partition, and the easiest would be to take enough space from C and transfer it to D using PM or similar and then install XP onto D (as FAT IMHO).
Dual Boot (2). Could also dual boot with both Win9X and XP on C, but the main problem is the shared Program Files Folder that both OSes would share and the XP windows folder would probably be called windows.000

(c) To clean install XP straight onto C having first deleted the partition during the installation setup. The bootloaders would be fine because single boot on C and the bios should be intact on D or any other hidden partiton if one exists. I don't know just exactly where these are stored; they have always been a bit of mystery.

Finally - If the current setup is stable and the only problem is the size of the partition that XP is on, then get PM and resize it, just taking enough desired space from the C Drive.

Good luck, I will be out of action for a few days.

[Budfred]

I was under the impression that Compaq wasn't putting the BIOS setup on the hard drive anymore and that it hadn't been for several years. Is this true???

If it is, it would be safe to reformat and reinstall as long as Deagle is willing to lose all preinstalled software.

[Deagle]

Here's what it said in my boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows"
Idon't know what it means at all. See if you guys understand it.
THANX:D
And to answer FTT I still have a file call windows in my C drive.:confused:
Also when I boot up my comp it give me 30sec to choose between MS windows and xp. I guess that's how I know I have 2 OS.

[Budfred]

I am not sure how to read the boot.ini, but I know that if you have a dual boot, you should have two Windoze mentioned. It looks to me like your WinXP may be installed in C: and WinME may be history. Wait for someone who knows more about it to take any action though.

[Deagle]

Now I'm 99.9% positive that I have dual boot. The reason is because I restart my comp and choose to start with ms windows and guess what came up:eek: DUM DUM DA DUM WIN ME. Right now I'm using win me to type this message and I still have all of my programs and icon. It's just like I never install xp at all.

[Budfred]

It sure sounds like you have dual boot then.... Is it letting you choose between WinXP and WinME? That would be a standard dual boot. I didn't see that there were two Windoze in the boot.ini, but maybe I just missed something.

Since you do seem to have dual boot, you may want to leave it alone until you figure out where you stand with the preinstalled stuff and BIOS Setup. I couldn't find details about your system from Compaq with the info you gave, can you give a little more detail about the system, like the Compaq model type in addition to the model number you already posted. You might also want to run Aida32 (http://www.aida32.hu/aida-download.php?bit=32) or Belarc (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html) and post what you find here so we have a better idea of what your machine is. They are both programs that will analyze your system and give you a description. You would only need to post the first page or so of detail to get an idea of what your computer, motherboard and so on are...

[Deagle]

Well it letting me choose between xp and windows(me)
Well here my system specs from belarc:

Operating System System Model
Windows XP Professional (build 2600) Compaq Compaq PC
System Serial Number: (not really needed)
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
1000 megahertz AMD Athlon
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: Compaq 06E4h
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Compaq 786K1 09/14/2000
Drives Memory Modules c,d
40.01 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
25.81 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

COMPAQ DVD-ROM SD-612B [CD-ROM drive]
PHILIPS CDD4801 CD-R/RW [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

QUANTUM FIREBALLlct20 40 [Hard drive] (40.03 GB) -- drive 0 384 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM1' has 256 MB
Slot 'DIMM2' has 128 MB
Slot 'DIMM3' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (on drive 0) 37.08 GB 24.96 GB free
d: (on drive 0) 2.93 GB 849 MB free

Hope this help you help me!:D

[Fruss Tray Ted]

DUM DUM DA DUM WIN ME. Right now I'm using win me to type this message and I still have all of my programs and icon. It's just like I never install xp at all.

YUP (or NOPE, depends where you're 'frum') :D

Leave one set of keys at home... you get the choice of the Tahoe or the sedan, but you can't take both... :rolleyes: Square one, the garage door opener or home plate, WHATEVER... is to reboot. That's where to swap "vehicles".

Congratuations on your Dual Boot! High Five!! http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

Belarc is a little confused (as usual) but,,, keep the serial numbers to yourself, along with any personal info,,, just a heads up. You can alter the info after pasting to the reply box if necessary.

Have a cold one! On the House! (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/index.php?s=)

[Deagle]

I can't delete or alter my message now because I pass the 60min limit.
:( But now I don't want to dual boot anymore or at least not with win me. So could you check to see if my compcrap store my bios in C or not.
Thanx:D

[Budfred]

I still can't find details about your system, I need to know the model of the computer. Is it a Presario, DeskPro, or....

[Deagle]

Oh my bad.:eek: My model is a compcrap presario 5wv294.

[Budfred]

Where are you getting the model number 5wv294? I went to the Compaq Reference Library Support page (http://h71025.www7.hp.com/support/home/selectproduct.asp?countrycode=1000&destination=reflib) and I couldn't find a model to correspond with that number....

[Deagle]

I'm getting the model # from my comp tower/case. It's 5WV294 and here's a link: http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/main?sel_flg=modinfo&HP_model=202605-003
:D

[Budfred]

Documentation for your system is HERE. (http://www29.compaq.com/falco/doc_result.asp?Model=1849&Os=0) I was not able to tell if you have the BIOS setup info on the hard drive or not, but I didn't go through everything. I did notice that you should have a Compaq recovery disk, so if you don't you may want to contact them and find out what it would take to get one. This would contain Windoze, the preinstalled software and utilities for working with your system.

By the way: for future reference you Compaq is Presario in the 5000 series.

[Paul Komski]

If you want to single boot XP, as is, just delete the line
C:\="Microsoft Windows"
by editing the boot.ini file.

Then, if you really don't want WinME left on the system, delete the two folders (windows and program files) from the C Drive. Leave the files (those not inside folders) in the root of the C Drive alone. If you want to play safe and be able to get WinME back, then rename the Windows folder (on C) to WindowsOld and the Program Files folder (on C) to Program FilesOld instead of deleting them for now.

Then:-
Either - Get PM and enlarge D by taking some or a lot of the available space in C.

Or, install a second copy of WinXP straight onto C. No formatting, deleting, etc. Just install a new installation directly onto the C drive.

You will then have a dual boot of WinXP and WinXP and you can later remove the one on D when you are happy that the one on C is functioning properly.

When in the process of editing boot.ini, also change "Windows XP Professional" to "Windows XP #1" and you will be able to distinguish between the two WinXP installation if you go with the dual boot WinXP/WinXP (temporary) option.

[Deagle]

Ok I don't know what Paul just said but I think I'll stick with xp and me for now. Part of the reason is because I now know for sure that I'll have money to build a new comp in june(hopefully) or july. When I build it I will only istall xp and then I'll consult you guys about other things.:)
Until then thanx:D

[Paul Komski]

If things are running fine then thats OK. You do however have XP installed on a very small partition (for XP).

You can help to keep this functioning over time by:-
Keeping any pagefiles (virtual memory) only on the C drive.
Disabling the System Restore (which of course will not then be available to you).
Disable Hibernation (if it is enabled).
Install any program files only onto the C Drive, where you could create a ProgramFilesXP folder to install them into so as to not confuse them with the Program Files folder that ME is already using on the C drive.

You could do this now or alternatively when you start getting disk full messages.

PS I still think your best option would be to get Partition Magic and enlarge the D drive by taking some space from the C drive. It will be useful in the future if you are ever doing any other partition manipulations, etc.

PPS If you want anything explained more fully then just ask. Also, one of the advantages of having a dual-boot, even if you hardly ever use one of the OSes, is that if you ever get problems starting up one OS you should still be able to access you pc using the other OS.