Deleting "Documents and Settings" folder

[24Peter]

I've got a hard drive with two partions. (This was the boot drive in my computer - Win XP.) The c: partition had my Windows install, programs, etc. The d: partition had "My Documents" on it and all my data. I put a new HD in my computer, reinstalled Windows, works fine, so I now want to use the original drive in an external enclosure and save all the data on the d: partition but wipe out and recover the space in c: partition. There's a "documents and settings" folder in all Windows installations on the main (usually "c") partition regardless of where your docs actually are. My question is, if I leave the d: partition intact but delete the c: partition (including the "Documents & Settings" folder), will it affect my data on the d: partition? Also, I'm using it in a USB/Firewire enclosure. Should I delete the boot sector off the drive as well? How do I do that?

 

[Brazen]

Yes, you can delete the C: partition without affecting the D: partition. Not sure how to wipe the MBR though, I know "fdisk /mbr" will wipe the MBR, but I don't know if just on the first harddrive or all harddrives or what.

 

[gsellis]

Wait. C: still has system files on it required to boot. Deleting C: will probably render the system unbootable.

 

[gsellis]

I am getting rusty at this... I think both ntldr and ntdect.com are the necessary files on C:. And I have not had to deal with this since W2K, but, the 'system' partition did need to be in the first 8GB for EIDE to find the boot loader that would then pass the boot on to another partition, such as 'D:'. Deleting the partition will also, most likely, make the 'D:' partition 'C:', and that will muck with all of the app settings looking for drive letters.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Wait. C: still has system files on it required to boot. Deleting C: will probably render the system unbootable.

Originally posted by: gsellis
I am getting rusty at this... I think both ntldr and ntdect.com are the necessary files on C:. And I have not had to deal with this since W2K, but, the 'system' partition did need to be in the first 8GB for EIDE to find the boot loader that would then pass the boot on to another partition, such as 'D:'. Deleting the partition will also, most likely, make the 'D:' partition 'C:', and that will muck with all of the app settings looking for drive letters.

Read the OP's entire post. He took out the old harddrives and put in a new one when he installed the new OS. How can boot files be written to a harddrive that is not even attached, eh? Yes there are boot files on the old harddrive, but of course those are for booting the old system on the old harddrive and have nothing to do with the new system.

24Peter, do not listen to gsellis, you can safely delete the first partition on your old harddrive without affecting your current system or the data on the second partition. Considering it's been three days now though, you probably have already done it. 😉

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: gsellis
Wait. C: still has system files on it required to boot. Deleting C: will probably render the system unbootable.

Originally posted by: gsellis
I am getting rusty at this... I think both ntldr and ntdect.com are the necessary files on C:. And I have not had to deal with this since W2K, but, the 'system' partition did need to be in the first 8GB for EIDE to find the boot loader that would then pass the boot on to another partition, such as 'D:'. Deleting the partition will also, most likely, make the 'D:' partition 'C:', and that will muck with all of the app settings looking for drive letters.

Read the OP's entire post. He took out the old harddrives and put in a new one when he installed the new OS. How can boot files be written to a harddrive that is not even attached, eh? Yes there are boot files on the old harddrive, but of course those are for booting the old system on the old harddrive and have nothing to do with the new system.

24Peter, do not listen to gsellis, you can safely delete the first partition on your old harddrive without affecting your current system or the data on the second partition. Considering it's been three days now though, you probably have already done it. 😉

You are correct. I freaking missed the second drive was installed and became the primary. Nevermind. Thanks Brazen.

If you have room on your new drive, copy the contents of "D:" to it, blow the whole thing away and reformat it as a new partition. It will be so much prettier than.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: gsellis
Wait. C: still has system files on it required to boot. Deleting C: will probably render the system unbootable.

Originally posted by: gsellis
I am getting rusty at this... I think both ntldr and ntdect.com are the necessary files on C:. And I have not had to deal with this since W2K, but, the 'system' partition did need to be in the first 8GB for EIDE to find the boot loader that would then pass the boot on to another partition, such as 'D:'. Deleting the partition will also, most likely, make the 'D:' partition 'C:', and that will muck with all of the app settings looking for drive letters.

Read the OP's entire post. He took out the old harddrives and put in a new one when he installed the new OS. How can boot files be written to a harddrive that is not even attached, eh? Yes there are boot files on the old harddrive, but of course those are for booting the old system on the old harddrive and have nothing to do with the new system.

24Peter, do not listen to gsellis, you can safely delete the first partition on your old harddrive without affecting your current system or the data on the second partition. Considering it's been three days now though, you probably have already done it. 😉

You are correct. I freaking missed the second drive was installed and became the primary. Nevermind. Thanks Brazen.

If you have room on your new drive, copy the contents of "D:" to it, blow the whole thing away and reformat it as a new partition. It will be so much prettier than.

No problem, it's very easy to overlook a detail or two when trying to visualize what they are doing. I really was trying to NOT sound condenscending 😉