I am reinstalling xp on an old dell. I don't have any cd's that came w/ the comp. I got the windows file through my university. I had to open the file in windows, and when it restarted it took me to the xp setup screen. I've deleted all the partitions, but the problem is it won't let me delete the main partition taking up all of the space on my hard drive b/c it says there's setup file on it (i'm assuming the os setup files). and there's not enough space left to create another partition. What can I do? Thanks.
reinstalling xp, problem with partitions
- Thread starter woody3250
- Start date
Ummm...
It appears that that the the setup file you got from your university is on that partition, thus in use on that partition since you're using the setup program, thus the partition is unable to be deleted. It's like opening an MS word file, then trying to delete that file with it still open; it's in use, so it's a no-go.
Is it possible for you to make a smaller partition and copy the Setup file to that, then run it so you can access the larger partitions? Or, will your universiy allow you to copy it to a CD (might need to be a .iso, I'm not sure what it is now)(*check with them before you do it*)? That way you can boot to it via BIOS and have free-reign over your HDD since the Setup is being run via CD.
On a side note, doesn't your Dell have a recovery partition? If so, you should be able to boot into it (after you turn on the system, look for a message when it's POSTing) and take care of everything from there. That is, rather, if you didn't delete the recovery partition itself...
Last edited: