# Removing an OS from a dual boot system

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-an-os-from-a-dual-boot-system/271025>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 25, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-an-os-from-a-dual-boot-system/271025 "2004-10-25T10:14:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-an-os-from-a-dual-boot-system/271025/1 "2004-10-25T10:14:32Z")

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There’s a laptop with just 4GB of HD space. It has Win 98 and Win 2000 and you can choose which one to boot at start-up. I really need to free some space, so I am thinking of removing Win 98. How can I do that?

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-an-os-from-a-dual-boot-system/271025/2 "2004-10-26T03:16:14Z")

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The quick and dirty way is to just delete the C:\WINDOWS directory (or whatever you installed 98 to if you didn’t use the default) then edit the hidden system file C:\BOOT.INI and remove 98 from the startup menu. You’ll leave a few system files behind, but not much.

BOOT.INI is a hidden system file with read only permissions. You will have to set your folder view to see hidden system files, and will have to change it temporarily to read/write instead of read only. There will be a line for each OS and a line setting the timeout for the menu.

If the command prompt gives you the willies, there’s a way to edit the boot menu from 2000. They keep moving this around in every version of NT so I can’t remember where it is (somewhere under the control panel), which is why I always just edit the BOOT.INI file instead.

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**Author:** ![The\_Llama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@The\_Llama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Llama)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-an-os-from-a-dual-boot-system/271025/3 "2004-10-26T05:18:45Z")

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in boot.ini don’t forget to change the numbers  
that is  
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

One of those numbers will be changed for dual boot. (Though I forget which.)  
I think rdisk will be a 1 if the operating system you want to keep is the second one.  
Either way make sure it’s all 0’s then a 1