46. Remove Windows Vista From Dual Boot System

Windows Vista works slightly different from earlier versions of Windows when installed on a dual boot system, in that it has a completely different boot loader.

When Windows Vista is first installed as a dual boot operating system a new boot folder is added to the root directory of your PC. This is a hidden file and therefore is not noticed. When you boot your PC a menu appears with the following options:

Earlier versions of Windows.
Windows Vista.

Clicking the Windows Vista option will boot the PC into Windows Vista. If, however, you select the earlier versions of Windows option, another menu will appear from which you can choose Windows XP or whatever earlier version - Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 server - you installed first.

Because of this new boot loader it is no as easy to remove Vista from a dual boot system scenario. Simply deleting the Vista partition will, of course, remove Windows Vista, but, unfortunately, it will not remove the Windows Vista boot loader. For this reason, if you simply delete the Windows Vista partition, on rebooting your machine you will not automatically boot into Windows XP (or an earlier version). Instead you will once again be presented with a menu from which you have to choose which operating system you wish to boot to.

Obviously, once you have removed the boot loader and rebooted the Vista operating system will still be on the partition you originally installed it on. To remove Vista completely you will need to Delete the partition that Windows Vista was installed upon.

To remove this menu, or more to the point, the boot loader, proceed as follows:

1/ Boot the PC to Windows Vista.

2/ Ensure you are logged onto the Internet and then download the shareware boot loader utility VistaBootPro. If you don't want to buy Vistabootpro you can always download a similar freeware product called EasyBCD

3/ Once you have downloaded VistaBootPro, install it on your machine.

4/ During Install VistaBootPro will install an icon on your desktop.

5/ Locate the VistaBootPro icon and Right Clickon it. Then, from the drop down menu, Click on the Run As Administrator option.

6/ User Account Control (UAC) will pop up and ask for permission to run the program.

7/ After you have given UAC permission - you must be the administrator or have administrator privileges - VistaBootPro will run.

8/ Once VistaBootPro opens, Click on the Bootloader tab.

9/ In the Bootloader Maintenance section, Click on the Radio button next to the option marked Uninstall the Vista Bootloader (Used to restore Legacy OS) option and then Click the Apply button.

10/ Finally Reboot your PC.

11/ On rebooting your machine you will boot directly into Windows XP (or an earlier operating system). No menu will appear.

12/ All that is left to do now is to delete the partition which originally contained Windows Vista. (Assuming you wish to remove the Vista partition from your hard drive).