Question about computers.

[Kajira Callista]

A while back i had tons of trouble with this thing and the dell guy was able to walk me through getting it to work again. Now im not always on the ball and now....months later i have noticed that i have two operating systems in here and it is taking up a huge amout of disc space. So my question is...Does anyone know how to delete the system that isnt/wasnt working?

 

[Etoile]

What OS is it/are they?

 

[Kajira Callista]

What OS is it/are they?

Windows xp

 

[brioche]

Okay, is it really Windows XP twice or do you have Service Pack 1 and 2 on there?
You need the Service Packs on there, they are essential. Even if you re-imaged you'd have to download at least 2 and possibly 1 to be safe. (Re-imaging is starting from scratch with the boot disks that came with the computer.)
If it isn't the Service Packs you're speaking of, then what did you do when starting it back up again?

 

[Kajira Callista]

Okay, is it really Windows XP twice or do you have Service Pack 1 and 2 on there?
You need the Service Packs on there, they are essential. Even if you re-imaged you'd have to download at least 2 and possibly 1 to be safe. (Re-imaging is starting from scratch with the boot disks that came with the computer.)
If it isn't the Service Packs you're speaking of, then what did you do when starting it back up again?

they are both service pack 2 but the original disc was one so he had to leave the broken windows in there and have me reinstall sp1 then get the update for 2.
I didnt realize then that he was leaving the broken one in here. he prolly told me that but i was all stressed about the broken computer at the time.

 

[brioche]

they are both service pack 2 but the original disc was one so he had to leave the broken windows in there and have me reinstall sp1 then get the update for 2.
I didnt realize then that he was leaving the broken one in here. he prolly told me that but i was all stressed about the broken computer at the time.

Okay...
The problem is that once you install the Service Packs they cannot be deleted. They are there to stay, just like the stuff that the computer comes installed with IIRC.
So if you did somehow get a corrupted Service Pack then you would indeed have to re-download it in order for things to work.
Hmm.
If it's just the Service Pack that's doubled I'm pretty sure you're going to have to live with it.
In order to use Windows XP successfully and safely (ie internet) you need the original XP, and the two Service Packs working correctly. I'm almost positive that 2 was just some stuff that SP 1 didn't address. It didn't take as long to download and install (we were still on regular dial-up then, groan).
I don't see any way that this can be solved. How much of a drain is it on your memory? And how many gigs do you have of memory?

 

[m wisdom]

Do you have one folder under c: that is called WINDOWS and one that is called WINDOWS2?

 

[Kajira Callista]

Do you have one folder under c: that is called WINDOWS and one that is called WINDOWS2?

windows and windows 1

 

[Kajira Callista]

Okay...
The problem is that once you install the Service Packs they cannot be deleted. They are there to stay, just like the stuff that the computer comes installed with IIRC.
So if you did somehow get a corrupted Service Pack then you would indeed have to re-download it in order for things to work.
Hmm.
If it's just the Service Pack that's doubled I'm pretty sure you're going to have to live with it.
In order to use Windows XP successfully and safely (ie internet) you need the original XP, and the two Service Packs working correctly. I'm almost positive that 2 was just some stuff that SP 1 didn't address. It didn't take as long to download and install (we were still on regular dial-up then, groan).
I don't see any way that this can be solved. How much of a drain is it on your memory? And how many gigs do you have of memory?

it is using tons of space. it is the operating system and all the files and stuff i had in there.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

With them both being on the same drive it could get dicey trying to remove one or the other. I've done it before using a spare harddrive, and Norton Ghost software to make a copy, delete the bad one then make sure it all works before copying back.

But that would require the spare drive and such.

 

[brioche]

With them both being on the same drive it could get dicey trying to remove one or the other. I've done it before using a spare harddrive, and Norton Ghost software to make a copy, delete the bad one then make sure it all works before copying back.

But that would require the spare drive and such.

I was actually going to recommend Norton Ghost to her, but I'm not sure the spare drive is the way to go.
KC, Norton Ghost is a program where it makes a copy of your computer as it is on CDs (or DVDs if you have a DVD burner). Basically, all you do is put one CD after another into the burner and it takes care of the rest. You don't need to be a techie to back up your drive. It costs about $100 here. Then, if you screw something up, or it crashes for some reason, you just use the CDs to restore your computer.
Firstly, if you want to take this stuff off, I would pay someone to do it. I don't like the idea of messing around with it. That being said, it's your computer and your decision.
If you do decide to try to delete stuff yourself, I recommend purchasing Norton Ghost before you do something. Then if something happens you can restore yourself to the point you are at now.
Everything that happens has to be evaluated on a cost-benefit basis. If this memory loss is interfering with your operation of your computer, then by all means, do something. But you do need to be careful.

 

[brioche]

Just another thought - XP has a Properties process where you can compress your hard drive to increase memory. You might want to do that too.
You might as well defragment it too.
Of course if you've done this never mind.

 

[jacintexas]

Just another thought - XP has a Properties process where you can compress your hard drive to increase memory. You might want to do that too.
You might as well defragment it too.
Of course if you've done this never mind.

Just a word of advise.. never use the file compression feature of Windows. the reason is if you ever have a problem with the hard drive anbd have to get a new one.. the infomration on the compressed drive is lost forever.. there is no way recover the compressed data outside the original OS that compressed it. This info was told to me by at least 6 different Microsoft Certified Techs. Oh and the second window OS is only taking up about 2 gigs of drive space so if you need more hard drive space I'd buy another ans simply slave it to your exisiting system. It's quick an deasy (about 30 min max) It's such a royal pain to reinstall everything (it take me about 14 hours to install a new hard drive and reinstall all the OS and all programs I use plus copying over all of my files) I'd just leave things as they are if it's works fine. The second OS isn't going to hurt anything. as tehy say if it ain't broke don't fix it..

 

[catalina_francisco]

A while back i had tons of trouble with this thing and the dell guy was able to walk me through getting it to work again. Now im not always on the ball and now....months later i have noticed that i have two operating systems in here and it is taking up a huge amout of disc space. So my question is...Does anyone know how to delete the system that isnt/wasnt working?

What has happened is that the Dell guy has basically reinstalled your system without formatting your hard drive. The reason for that was probably to keep your data on it.

It is quite possible to remove the old version, but since hat could go wrong and in that case if you have not made a backup you will loose everything. Ghost is a very good solution for that. You can buy it quite cheap however there is a limit to the data it can backup simply because you will have to burn it on a CD or DVD. If I remember correctly ghost can backup up to 8 GB on a DVD so if you have less then that it is certainly worth the effort. If not then a USB hard drive might be an option and make a backup of your data to it.

Easier would be to make a backup of your data. Format your c drive and reinstall XP, Sp 2 and all of your applications. But that would also be quite a lot of time invested in it.

Francisco.

 

[brioche]

Just a word of advise.. never use the file compression feature of Windows. the reason is if you ever have a problem with the hard drive anbd have to get a new one.. the infomration on the compressed drive is lost forever.. there is no way recover the compressed data outside the original OS that compressed it. This info was told to me by at least 6 different Microsoft Certified Techs. Oh and the second window OS is only taking up about 2 gigs of drive space so if you need more hard drive space I'd buy another ans simply slave it to your exisiting system. It's quick an deasy (about 30 min max) It's such a royal pain to reinstall everything (it take me about 14 hours to install a new hard drive and reinstall all the OS and all programs I use plus copying over all of my files) I'd just leave things as they are if it's works fine. The second OS isn't going to hurt anything. as tehy say if it ain't broke don't fix it..

That is true, you can lose that information, UNLESS you buy a back up system like Notron Ghost. Then that information is recoverable because you have the original OS on the CDs.

 

[m wisdom]

windows and windows 1

Ok, one of the folders (most likely windows) have most of the old stuff in it and you should (but I will not guarantee it) be able to delete it. If you don't need the extra space I would leave it alone to be on the safe side.

 

[Kajira Callista]

Just a word of advise.. never use the file compression feature of Windows. the reason is if you ever have a problem with the hard drive anbd have to get a new one.. the infomration on the compressed drive is lost forever.. there is no way recover the compressed data outside the original OS that compressed it. This info was told to me by at least 6 different Microsoft Certified Techs. Oh and the second window OS is only taking up about 2 gigs of drive space so if you need more hard drive space I'd buy another ans simply slave it to your exisiting system. It's quick an deasy (about 30 min max) It's such a royal pain to reinstall everything (it take me about 14 hours to install a new hard drive and reinstall all the OS and all programs I use plus copying over all of my files) I'd just leave things as they are if it's works fine. The second OS isn't going to hurt anything. as tehy say if it ain't broke don't fix it..

its not just windows it is everything i had in the computer pior to the dell man making me add the os all over again.

 

[Kajira Callista]

Ok, one of the folders (most likely windows) have most of the old stuff in it and you should (but I will not guarantee it) be able to delete it. If you don't need the extra space I would leave it alone to be on the safe side.

i know he made me type in "windows1" to change the name to be able to reinstall in that scary black and white place where the mouse doesnt work.
it also asks me which one i want to use before the little windows thingy pops up. the dell guy had me set some time to 0 so i wouldnt see that when i turned on the computer. it was originally set to 30 seconds.

if i go into msconfig then boot.ini it is in there. when i click check boot paths it says that the first windows is not a valid operating system and there is an option to remove it from the boot.ini file. should i try that?

 

[jadefirefly]

Oh, wow. So you don't just have the OS in there twice, you have EVERYTHING in there twice?

Ye gads. If it were me, I'd take it to see someone a lot smarter than me, who can take it off without breaking it; I know for sure I wouldn't trust myself to do it without ruining it permanently.

But then, electronic things hate me. I am amazed every day that this laptop continues to turn on when I push the button.

 

[Kajira Callista]

Oh, wow. So you don't just have the OS in there twice, you have EVERYTHING in there twice?

Ye gads. If it were me, I'd take it to see someone a lot smarter than me, who can take it off without breaking it; I know for sure I wouldn't trust myself to do it without ruining it permanently.

But then, electronic things hate me. I am amazed every day that this laptop continues to turn on when I push the button.

yay im not the only one that electronic things hate.
i feel so much better now

 

[m wisdom]

i know he made me type in "windows1" to change the name to be able to reinstall in that scary black and white place where the mouse doesnt work.
it also asks me which one i want to use before the little windows thingy pops up. the dell guy had me set some time to 0 so i wouldnt see that when i turned on the computer. it was originally set to 30 seconds.

if i go into msconfig then boot.ini it is in there. when i click check boot paths it says that the first windows is not a valid operating system and there is an option to remove it from the boot.ini file. should i try that?

That will only remove the option to start your old windows, not actually remove it. You can do it of you want to but it won't help you get any more space

 

[Kajira Callista]

That will only remove the option to start your old windows, not actually remove it. You can do it of you want to but it won't help you get any more space

well come and fix it for me then damnit! *cries*

 

[ShyGuy68]

well come and fix it for me then damnit! *cries*

I would, if only I wasn't 6 timezones away from you.

 

[Kajira Callista]

I would, if only I wasn't 6 timezones away from you.

brat

 

[ShyGuy68]

brat

Takes one to know one!