Need to delete a system drive (not windows), how?

V

Vol

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
213
I use windows xp. I have 3 partition on one HD (C (windows), D (my doc) and E (other)) and one partition (F) on an other drive. What I want to do, is to merge the "D" and "E". So far, I moved my doc to the other drive (F). At this point, I do not have the option to format/delete "D", it says it is a system drive. I have the option to format/delete "E" though. I disable system restore on each partition but I still can't format the "D". It is still a "system" drive. How can I make it not a system drive?

Is there something else I could turn off or change the directory of some kind of service that is still stuck on my "D" partition where my doc were?

Thanks
 
you're going to need something like fdisk or partition magic. combining formatted partitions is iffy, you may be better off just learning to deal with it or reformatting the whole disk.
 
Maybe I didn't explained myself clearly but I will delete both partitions before formating. I deleted every files there was on these two partitions. The only thing remaining on the "D" is something I cannot see that takes around 3 gigs. Probably some system file, thus the "system drive" tag in "disk management" (I got windows in French so the terms I use may not be the exact one in English...).

I am about to format and reinstall windows on my primary PC, I do not wish to do it for my second PC too (where the problem lies) :(
 
It's probably the page file on that drive. Click Start - Control Panel - System. Then the Advanced tab, then under 'Performance' click 'Settings' (should be the top button). In the 'performance options' window click 'advanced' and then under 'virtual memory' click 'change'

Set a new swap file on your c drive, and set 'no paging file' for drive d.

OK all the way out, reboot and you should be able to delete that partition.

 
Thank you but that's not it. I already have the page file on the second HD. Any other suggestions?
 
I enable the view of hidden system files and here are what remains in the "D" drive:

Folder (they are on each partition, thus, no concern about em):
- RECYCLER
- System Volume Information

Files (they probably are the one that must be moved):
- boot.ini
- Bootfont.ini
- NTDETECT.COM
- ntldr (system file)

On my primary PC, the above files are on the windows partition. I will not manually move them as this will probably brake my system... Any thought abouts this?
 
It sounds like you installed XP onto the wrong drive, in which case you aren't going to fix it.

Unless these files are left over from a previous install, which should have been cleaned up before hand. If you are sure these files aren't needed, I'd boot to the recovery console, and delete them....or I'd use something like gdisk to kill those partitions.

On a side note, some people still want to argue that creating all these extra partitions is a good thing :rolleyes:
 
I installed windows only one time on this HD. I don't understand how windows could have been installed on the wrong partition... I wanted windows to be on the C and it's where it is (unless I didn't understood what you meant).

There aren't any boot.ini on the C partition so I guess windows use the one on the D. I looked and looked to find a way to change the location of the boot.ini and the other files but I didn't found anything besides "cut and paste" (no one suggested it, just a dumb idea from me).

You are right about too much partitions.... hence this thread :rolleyes:
One for windows and one for the other files is enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top