Shortly after the Windows 8 Developer and Consumer Preview became widely available, we showed you how you can
install and test them as a virtual machine
.
For those of you who have gone the extra mile and installed Windows 8 as dual boot on your current operating system but are now looking for a way to uninstall it, here is the simplest way to do so.
You cannot go ahead and format the Windows 8 drive to remove it from your system. It will just result in an unbootable computer. Since Windows 8 is already installed on an existing operating system, the Master Boot Record or MBR (the area on the hard disk that stores boot data) is carried over to Windows 8 and therefore, before you format the partition, you will have to convert the boot records back to the previous version of Windows you were using.
Cool Tip: Learn How to Boot in Windows 7 by Default After Installing Windows 8 in Dual Boot with Windows 7. For a list of all our posts about Windows 8, see our Windows 8 tab page.
So let’s put the MBR back where it belongs. Remember that this process, while easy, is a bit wacky, so don’t blame us if you get it wrong. We think you’re bold enough because you installed Windows 8 in dual-boot from the start.
We go here.
Uninstall Windows 8 from a Dual Boot Setup
Step 1: Download BOOTICE (Softpedia Mirror), an easy MBR editor for Windows, on your base OS. For example, if you are using Windows 8 in dual boot with Windows 7, download the tool on Windows 7. Once downloaded, extract and run the portable tool with administrative privileges.
Step 2: After you launch BOOTICE, navigate to the Edit BCD tab and click View/Edit Button. Make sure System BCD is selected in the BCD file section.
Step 3: The previous step will open the BCD editor window. On the left sidebar, you can see the names of two (or more) operating systems installed on your computer. Select the Windows 8 operating system, press the Del button and press the . button Save current system node. Please do not change any other settings.
Step 4: Now restart your computer to see if the changes have been made (to be safer). If everything goes according to plan, you won’t see any boot menu where you are asked to select the OS you want to boot from and your base OS will load automatically.
Step 5: Now you can simply format the Windows 8 partition in the NTFS file system to completely erase Windows 8.
Note: If you used Windows 8 partition on your base OS to save any files or data, please backup it to another partition before formatting.
That’s easy, isn’t it? I tested this tool on my computer to remove Windows 8 Consumer Preview installed in dual boot with Windows7 and it worked. As long as you follow the steps mentioned above, everything should work fine.
Well, this process is for those who are using Windows 8 as dual boot on any other previous version of Windows. If you are installing Windows 8 standalone, you will have to format the system drive and perform a fresh install of another operating system. Do back up your important data though. It is a must whenever you start with such a process.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
