Removing SP3 Xp

Hello my friend is having some trouble with XP SP3, he installed it but after install he got what is being called a "reboot loop" and he could not get into anything, safemode wouldn't boot, nothing. So I reinstalled XP without over writing all his data, so he can get into his files, but how do i remove xp from the other windows folder (or however) and then remove the xp install? I have tried using the sp3 uninstaller but it did not work,
thanks

-TNK

 

Just delete the old Windows folder, it's not needed anymore.
Though you could have removed SP3 through recovery console. Let me guess, he's got an HP/Compaq with an AMD CPU?

 

If I try delete the old windows folder all his stuff will be lost, his documents will be there but im sure there are things in the registry there and drivers are all there and games etc, so that does not help me

and no this is a gateway with an intel core 2 duo

 

If you've got a new Windows folder, why would the old one be needed? Unless your friend saves his files in C:\Windows all the time, it shouldn't cause loss of data. I'm not sure if there's any way to get around reinstalling software and drivers if you can't even get into safe mode in the initial install, so the loss of that registry information may be more or less inevitable. As to the actual documents - most of those should be in C:\Documents and Settings\Users\<name>\My Documents.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the way you set up the second install - it sounds like you did two on one partition so you have C:\Windows with the initial install and C:\WindowsXP or something of that sort with the second install?

 

If you installed to a new Windows folder (IE, on the install it found a previous version of windows so you chose "s" specify new directory, then no, it should not still be in use anymore. The other "xp install" that you want to remove is just a collective of files.

Don't believe me? Check device manager resources (right click a device, choose properties, click driver, click driver details) There's drivers being used, if it's your new Windows directory, no problem.
The registry hives are located in C:\Windows\system32\config, so mount one of those hives and compare it to your current Windows registry hive of the same type (so if you mount the software hive, compare to software)

Last I checked when you RE-INSTALL WINDOWS it no longer uses the old Windows directory. There are no hooks of the old system into the new one, it's just a folder of files for you to delete. If you want, you can even import the old registry but guess what? Then you're going to have a load of problems anyway.

 

Would like to find a way to just remove SP3 from other install

 

Wait, you mean so you can boot back to it? If so... that system might have been destroyed already. When you turn on the PC, do you get choices for which system too boot to? (Two windows XP options?)
If so, boot off a windows CD, select R, select whatever the directory is called for the old windows installation, then type cd $ntservicepackuninstall$\spuninst, press enter, then type batch spuninst.txt and hit enter. Once it's done, reboot, select the old OS on the boot selection menu and you should be good.

 

There are do windows XP options, and I have tried running the uninstall for sp3 but it said some file is missing or something? very weird, and after trying the repair thing i get a BSOD Q_Q thank you for trying to help, im not sure what else to do, i tried making a copy of the disc (using nlite) but on that one the repair option does not show up

-TNK

 

Are you saying what I suggested did not work, or that you were unable to get into the recovery console?

 

I am saying that I was unable to get into the recovery console, I tried using my disc and I thought I tried copying it to no avail

-TNK

 

Try another Windows XP disc. It does not have to be the same version that you have installed.

 

I don't think I have any other disc's would there be a way to nLite it? I tried but it didn't work but maybe I am doing something wrong. I have just 1 XP disc (wiith files on my computer for nLiting) and 1 Vista Disk...

-TNK

 

I don't think the Vista disc has it sadly.
Any vanilla XP disc will have it. Once the CD boots fully (bluescreen) you will have three options, the middle one being hit R for recovery console.