Dual boot format

ksebruce · 04-04-2008, 03:00 PM

Hi I got a new pooter with Vista home premium installed. I have Vista ultimate which I have installed on second hard drive. Now decided I prefer Ultimate. Can anyone advise me how to format the C drive with Home premium on it? Don't want to install anything just format to recover the space.

jhbgaiem · 04-04-2008, 03:35 PM

If these are two physical drives and not partitions of the same drive, it should be an easy job as the Dual Boot program will be on the C: drive.
You could just swap the drives and make the old D: drive the primary and the old C: drive the secondary. (look at the BIOS setting)
Then just format the old C: drive which should now be the D: drive.
I am supposing that the drives are SATA and not IDE.

ksebruce · 04-04-2008, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhbgaiem

If these are two physical drives and not partitions of the same drive, it should be an easy job as the Dual Boot program will be on the C: drive.
You could just swap the drives and make the old D: drive the primary and the old C: drive the secondary. (look at the BIOS setting)
Then just format the old C: drive which should now be the D: drive.
I am supposing that the drives are SATA and not IDE.

Yep they are SATA thanks for that I'll try later. If they were IDE would that make a difference?

ksebruce · 04-04-2008, 04:59 PM

Hi in the BIOS drives are listed as SATA controlled but options for the drives are IDE, RAID or AHCP ( or similar in the last case) Mine are set to IDE, storage manager won't allow me to change the drive letters as quote "they are system discs or contain boot files)

jhbgaiem · 05-04-2008, 08:00 AM

Does your BIOS have a Boot priority section?

ksebruce · 05-04-2008, 08:13 AM

Hi yes it does. I have it set to boot from the second drive. Windows disc manager will not allow me to format or even change the drive letter on the first disk. I am led to believe this is because the the MBR is held there and if I format it my pooter won't boot up from either drive? This would mean a complete reformat which I am trying to avoid as I now have all my programs installed on the Vista Ultimate drive. I am told that although I did a "clean" install on the second drive the mbr is only held on the first drive?

My head hurts.

olley · 05-04-2008, 10:07 AM

Hi longtime since I messed about building PC's but unless its changed the boot drive has to be in the correct plug on the ribbon cable, thats for the old IDE drives, no idea about SATA.

Olley

ksebruce · 05-04-2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olley

Hi longtime since I messed about building PC's but unless its changed the boot drive has to be in the correct plug on the ribbon cable, thats for the old IDE drives, no idea about SATA.

Olley

Hi Olley, machine will boot from either drive. Tried changing order in BIOS but doesn't make any difference. Still get the choice of either drive on boot up tho if you don't choose will boot from whichever drive is first in BIOS.