Remove Vista from Vista/Windows 7 Dual Boot

OK I read this thread with interest
http://neosmart.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5163

I just want to double check summary before I start trashing stuff!

I had a working Vista system with two drives, one for OS and one for data
I installed Windows 7 with dual boot onto the data disk
I can happily dual boot
I now want to remove Vista completely
I think I do this
Boot to Windows 7
Run BCD
Select diagnostics / change boot drive
Select rescue my system
Reboot PC, in BIOS change Windows 7 to be first boot drive
Start Windows 7 in Administartion Tools, Computer Management, Disk Management delete Vista volume and then new/format
???

Do I need to do anything in the Remove Boot Entry section of BCD?

PS
Vista disk is Healthy, System,Active, Primary
Win 7 disk is healthy Boot PageFile, Active,CrashDupm,Primary

Hi whoosh, welcome to NST.
That sounds fine, with a couple of provisos.
a) Make sure you're using EasyBCD 2.0 latest build, 1.7 doesn't contain the necessary extras.
b)
"Do I need to do anything in the Remove Boot Entry section of BCD?"
If you mean Manage Bootloader / uninstall Vista bootloader - NO!!!!!
If you mean Add/Remove Entries / delete the Vista entry from the W7 BCD - Yes

Thanks Terry

Yes I am on the latest beta version 2.0.0.76

I did mean Manage Entries and not Manage Bootloader

When you say delete Vista entry from W7 BCD is that before I reboot and change the boot disk order in BIOS?

Does this mean I will still be using a Vista bootloader and not the Windows 7 one ?

No, remove the Vista entry as a final tidy up.
Easy2 will copy the contents of the Vista BCD to W7, but it uses W7 bits. Your boot will end up as a standard W7 version.

Worked a treat thanks
Did not need to remove Vista entry - it was already gone!

Cleverer than I thought then !

Can I try my next question here, or shall I start a new thread. I'm trying to get a faster disk as my W7 boot disk

I have put in another disk drive and copied my W7 partition and my data backup partition to it using Gparted.

When I disconnect my original Win7 disk from the PC and change the boot to the new disk in BIOS - it doesn't boot. Re-connect the original disk, change boot disk and W7 still runs - Phew!

In Disk Management I see my original disk C as Healthy system boot page file active crash dump primary partition

I see my new disk F as Healthy primary partition

Can I now use BCD Diagnostics, Change Boot Drive, rescue to change boot drive to F: (which I hope will then re-appear as C: when I re-boot) and change the boot disk order in BIOS?

whoosh said:

Can I now use BCD Diagnostics, Change Boot Drive, rescue to change boot drive to F: (which I hope will then re-appear as C: when I re-boot) and change the boot disk order in BIOS?

Click to expand...

Yes. You may also need to set F: to "active" in Disk Management, if the EasyBCD feature does not do so.

OK not working -
set F to active
changed boot disk to F
change boot disk in Bios
still see
Old disk c: boot page file active crash dump primary partition
new disk system active primary partition

still boots with old disk as C and new as F ?

perhaps this is culprit

There is one entry in the Windows Vista bootloader.
Default: Windows 7
Timeout: 30 seconds.
Boot Drive: F:\
Entry #1
Name: Windows 7
BCD ID: {current}
Drive: C:\
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

What do you mean?
You're definitely booting from the F: disk.
system = active partition with boot files
boot = currently running system

Hence why F: is system, and C: no longer is...
But you will need to edit the entry in the new W7 BCD to point at F: instead of C:, so then you'll be loading the newer system.

It appears not - C: is still my old Samsung, F: is my new Hitachi. If I disconnect the Samsung disk the system will not start ?

Do I need to edit/change something else in Change Settings?

I'm just a bit nervous that I will trash my system - I have all my data backed up, but I don't want to have to re-install and setup W7

It's getting complicated now
Last night I put it back how it was - C: Samsung as boot system etc - working fine

I just tried to make F: my boot disk, when I press rescue and select F: I get
Unhandled exception has ocurred in your application.If you click Continue the app will ignore this error and attempt to continue...click quit app will close
Object reference not set to an instance of an object

See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.
************** Exception Text **************
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at ..œ(Object , EventArgs )
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework64/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
EasyBCD
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.76
Win32 Version: 2.0.0.76
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/NeoSmart%20Technologies/EasyBCD/EasyBCD.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSI....0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSI...0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Runtime.Remoting
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSI..._b77a5c561934e089/System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
----------------------------------------
{70fc5d9e-3dc9-4d07-a468-323323133628}
Assembly Version: 0.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.0.76
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/NeoSmart Technologies/EasyBCD/EasyBCD.exe
----------------------------------------
System.Configuration
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSI....0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Configuration.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
Interop.Microsoft.Feeds.Interop
Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.0.76
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/NeoSmart Technologies/EasyBCD/EasyBCD.exe
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------
************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.
For example:
<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>
When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

I think your problem is the Clone has changed system letter to F, but internally it's looking for its drivers etc under their old address of C: (because it's a clone).
If so, the boot should get just far enough to run regedit and make the clone think of itself as C: again

I would attempt that - but I now think I am back to square one with all the boot/system stuff on C: and that error if I try and change it. I am trying another tack now - backup C: (Samsung) using Paragon Backup/Recovery V10. Then restore full partition to my F: (Hitachi) drive. Then I will try and boot from the new drive ....
Waiting for restore to finish, I'll report back later

Addendum:

Fixed !
Thanks for your help
1 backup Samsung Win7
2 restore Win 7 to Hitachi
Boot from W7 install disk - run repair recover (bit scary would not start first time)
Ran Win7
Ran BCD
Got it to boot from Hitachi (samsung boot partition disabled) or Samsung (saw both)
Ran BCD removed W7 entry from Samsung
reboot
Ran BCD removed 2nd Win7 entry
reboot
removed Win7 partition from Samsung
reboot
done - phew !