Can't remove dual boot option Win7 / Win XP

[dalai.lamia]

Hello,
I have been struggling with this for quite some time now.
I am using XP but I also tried installing 7. The installation would continuously fail (machine_check_exception on a blue screen) so I've given up. However, I can't seem to remove the boot choice when I start the machine.
I get a choice of "Win7" or "Older version of Win"

I my attempts, I formatted the F: drive where Win7 was installed.

I have read quite a few suggestions and neither has worked.

1. I tried editing the "boot.ini" file but there's nothing there other than WinXP:

;
;Warning: Boot.ini is used on Windows XP and earlier operating systems.
;Warning: Use BCDEDIT.exe to modify Windows Vista boot options.
;
[boot loader]
timeout=9
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

I also attempted the WinXP recovery console where I typed FIXMBR, then FIXBOOT - got success messages but nothing changed.

Strange thing was that when I inserted the WinXP CD and got to the "Recovery Console" part, it only showed

D:\Windows --- but I don't have a Windows installation on my D: drive. My XP is on C: and currently there is nothing on F: where Win7 was.
Anyway, after typing
D:\Windows fixmbr -- I got a "success" message. Then I was returned to C:\Windows and there I typed "fixboot" and once again got a "success" message but after reboot nothing changed.

I hope someone can help me here.

 

[Mychael]

Just to clarify. Did you try to put WIN 7 on a different drive to what your XP O/S is on?
If yes then get yourself a copy of Gparted (it's a free download) copy to a disk and boot from that disk.
Once into Gparted it will list all your HDD from a menu in the top right hand corner of the Gparted window.
Locate the drive you tried to put Win7 onto and see if it shows 'boot' in the information.
Highlight that drive and from the tabs at the top of the screen (cannot recall which ones so you'll need to have a bit of a look) you should be able to get a box which lists various settings for that drive. If a box called 'boot' is ticked then untick and click apply. The 'boot' should then disappear from the drive description.

Mychael

 

[dalai.lamia]

Yes, it is on a different drive, even on a different hard disk.
I am downloading GParted at the moment. Will try to work it out later and will post. Thanks!

 

[dalai.lamia]

GParted did not work - when I booted from the CD, I selected the first option GParted Live, it started loading but was stuck in the middle on the 3rd minute, so I had to reset the PC.
Also tried the other options on the menu but it just didn't work. Maybe the Image File was damaged.

Anyway, I realized that I could also load an image file of Win7, then write in the command line:
Drive:\Boot\Bootsect.exe /NT52 All /force
This opened the console and started r/w stuff. Then I simply restarted the computer and XP was automatically loaded

Now I have to figure out how to remove the Boot folder on C: as it is leftover from Win7.

Thanks!

 

[Nibiru2012]

Your best bet is to do a clean install of Windows 7 and delete all partitions. Let Windows 7 do its thing and you should be okay.

Messing around with boot folders will just cause you grief and lots of wasted time.

 

[dalai.lamia]

I used EasyBCD to look at the boot details of my PC - Win7 was still there, it had not been deleted.I deleted it from the OS list, restarted it wasn't there any more.

But the C:\Boot folder is still there and cannot be deleted. When I attempted to use EasyBCD's option to "Uninstall the vista bootloader" which writes to the MBR, XP wouldn't start. Luckily I managed to start using the "Last good configuration" option.

Now the computer restarts fine. But I'd like to be able to delete that folder and the bootmgr.exe.mui file.

Nibiru2010: I can't install Win7 because of a "machine_check_exception" I get every time I try. Guess there's something about my hardware which Win7 doesn't like:

AMD Athlon x64 Dual Core at 2.21 Ghz, 3 RAM DDR2, Epox 9NDA3+ at socket 939.