How to remove XP partition from Dual Boot Windows 7 Machine
Before you begin, make an Win7 image backup along with a Win7 system repair & restore DVD. Control Panel > Backup & Restore > (left pane) Create a system image.
Oddly enough, the Win7 boot manager is located in the root directory of the XP partition. That's why you can't simply use disk manager and delete the XP partition. Therefore, bootmgr must be copied to the root directory of Win7.
1. In Windows 7, open File Explorer.
2. Select Organize > Folder & search options.
3. Click the View Tab > Select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.
4. Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” > OK
5. On XP drive (D:\), locate the file named “bootmgr” and click copy.
6. Change File Explorer to the Win7 drive (C:\) and paste to the root.
7. Once bootmgr resides in the root directory of Win7, return steps 3 & 4 to their original settings.
Next, you will need to run your Win7 OEM installation disk (not the system repair & restore DVD) to repair the boot files. Go into your BIOS and be sure your optical drive is the first boot device.
1. Put your Win7 OEM installation disk into the optical drive and reboot.
2. On the install Windows screen, select Repair Your Computer.
3. After Windows reports it has applied repairs, click Repair & Restart.
4. As the computer reboots, do not touch any keys; Windows should boot normally.
5. You can now remove the Win7 installation disk.
Now that bootmgr is in the correct location and the boot files have been repaired, you can delete the XP partition.
1. On the desktop, Right click COMPUTER > Manage > Disk Management.
2. Right click the Win7 partition and select “Mark partition as Active”.
3. If this option is grayed out, it's already active.
4. Right click the XP partition and select DELETE.
5. The old partition should now say Unallocated.
With XP out of the way, you can now reclaim the space for Win7 by resizing the partition.
1. Obtain a free copy of EaseUS Partition Manager version 9.3.0. Older versions will not work.
2. Run EaseUS Partition Manager and on the lower half of the screen, right click on Win7.
3. Select Resize/Move partition.
4. On the pop-up screen, drag Win7 so it occupies the entire partition.
5. On the Toolbar at the top, click Apply and follow the resulting directions.
One final step is to stop Windows from displaying the dual boot screen.
1. Right click COMPUTER > Properties > (left pane) Advanced System Settings.
2. Under Startup & Recovery, click Settings.
3. Set Win7 as the default operating system and uncheck “Time to display list of ...”.
Before you begin, make an Win7 image backup along with a Win7 system repair & restore DVD. Control Panel > Backup & Restore > (left pane) Create a system image.
Oddly enough, the Win7 boot manager is located in the root directory of the XP partition. That's why you can't simply use disk manager and delete the XP partition. Therefore, bootmgr must be copied to the root directory of Win7.
1. In Windows 7, open File Explorer.
2. Select Organize > Folder & search options.
3. Click the View Tab > Select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.
4. Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” > OK
5. On XP drive (D:\), locate the file named “bootmgr” and click copy.
6. Change File Explorer to the Win7 drive (C:\) and paste to the root.
7. Once bootmgr resides in the root directory of Win7, return steps 3 & 4 to their original settings.
Next, you will need to run your Win7 OEM installation disk (not the system repair & restore DVD) to repair the boot files. Go into your BIOS and be sure your optical drive is the first boot device.
1. Put your Win7 OEM installation disk into the optical drive and reboot.
2. On the install Windows screen, select Repair Your Computer.
3. After Windows reports it has applied repairs, click Repair & Restart.
4. As the computer reboots, do not touch any keys; Windows should boot normally.
5. You can now remove the Win7 installation disk.
Now that bootmgr is in the correct location and the boot files have been repaired, you can delete the XP partition.
1. On the desktop, Right click COMPUTER > Manage > Disk Management.
2. Right click the Win7 partition and select “Mark partition as Active”.
3. If this option is grayed out, it's already active.
4. Right click the XP partition and select DELETE.
5. The old partition should now say Unallocated.
With XP out of the way, you can now reclaim the space for Win7 by resizing the partition.
1. Obtain a free copy of EaseUS Partition Manager version 9.3.0. Older versions will not work.
2. Run EaseUS Partition Manager and on the lower half of the screen, right click on Win7.
3. Select Resize/Move partition.
4. On the pop-up screen, drag Win7 so it occupies the entire partition.
5. On the Toolbar at the top, click Apply and follow the resulting directions.
One final step is to stop Windows from displaying the dual boot screen.
1. Right click COMPUTER > Properties > (left pane) Advanced System Settings.
2. Under Startup & Recovery, click Settings.
3. Set Win7 as the default operating system and uncheck “Time to display list of ...”.
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