Removing Windows 7 partition

I installed Windows 7 on created partition. I played around a bit now I want to get rid of it. Is it safe to boot back into Vista and simply delete the partition Windows 7 is installed on via Disk Management? Will this affect booting Vista once gone (as there will be no boot manager) Ta!

 

check disk management on vista and if the windows 7 partition only says primary partition while the vista partition has everything else including the boot manage it is probably safe to delete the partition. I have done this myself after trying out windows 7 and nothing happened but just in case have the vista cd ready in order to use the repair functionality which I can guide you through if you want.

 

I was wondering about this too. Do you just right click the 7 partition and choose "delete" or what in disk management? Then does it just merge that storage space back into the drive you originally allocated it from?

 

There might be an option to 'extend' your primary partition after deleting the win7 partition.

You will need to fix your MBR when you do this. Easiest was is in the recovery center, type bootcfg -fixmbr

 

I edited the boot manager in Vista when I was dualbooting Vista and 7 Milestone 3 to make Vista boot by default (as 7 was on an external eSATA hard drive and not normally plugged in) and there was an option to remove it from the list. I can't see why it would break anything.

Greg

 

I removed the partition as slayerfaith1984 mentined- restarted and no problems, Vista automatically loaded. Only problem is I now have "unallocated space" where Windows 7 was installed. How can I merge this back?

 

Yea I haven't deleted it yet (still playing w/ 7) but when i do how do you re-merge that unallocated spaced back onto C drive?

Initially my HDD had a D recovery drive and the C drive w/ my programs, files, etc.

My partition drive for only windows 7 is drive F

If i choose to "delete volume" on the windows 7 F partition, and it becomes "unallocated space", THEN:

do i choose drive C and choose to "expand volume" to re-incorporate that storage space that was previously allocated to it before the partition?

 

Hey Paul I think I figured it out:

Go back into disk management, and right click the HDD partition that you initially took the 16gb or 20gb or whatever for the Windows 7 partition. Chose to "expand volume", then that HDD partition will re-integrate all unallocated space where windows 7 used to be on, and you're done. I recommend then you run disk defragmenter afterwards too just to keep things in order

 

I have the same question only I'm running XP. I created a partition with Partition Magic and installed Windows 7 there. I want to get rid of Win 7 but keep the partiion or size it down a bit so I can try out some flavor of Linux. I would like to dual boot XP and Linux. Any help would be appreciated.

 

I read somewhere that if you format the drive with a Vista CD/DVD then install Windows 7 on the Vista formatted Partitian then it won't make the hidden 200MB partition and you will have a much easier time with Acronic making Image backups and dual boot configurations and such.

 

I've done this myself. It's the same as when getting rid of Vista when dual booting with XP/Vista. Follow these steps:

1. Install EasyBCD on Windows 7. Open the program once installed.

2. Go to "Manage Bootloader"

3. Select "Uninstall the Vista Bootloader", then click "Write MBR"

4. Restart. You will directly boot to your XP partition!

[Courtesy of this guide, which I also used for reference in creating my XP/7 dual boot.]

Now if you want to completely rid of 7, just use whatever program you use for partition management to delete and destroy the data in the 7 partition. It will become an Unallocated Space, which you could then leave alone if you wish to install Linux in that space. As for Linux/XP dual boot, I am not the one to ask. Sorry. Hope this helps though!

 

Do I need to intall Bootloader if I want to get rid of Win7 completely? I want to keep the partition I created for 7 but I want to delete 7 completely. It may be a little while before I mess with Linux, so I wouldn't be dual booting immediately. If I just delete 7 do I need to make changes so it will just boot in XP?

 

Yes, because the dual boot is actually using the Vista/7 bootloader. If you just get rid of Win7, you won't be able to boot to XP.

Also, be sure that before getting rid of 7, you do not run into an ntldr missing or corrupt error for your XP boot.

 

I don't have Vista, so is it using the XP bootloader?

 

7 is just like Vista, so it is definitely using the 7 bootloader.

 

So my XP is using the 7 bootloader?