Windows XP installation - boot/system volume issues

[F@TMAN]

I was trying to reinstall my windows OS when it detected my previous install, but on an incorrect drive letter. When I continued to the screen showing the partitions on my disk (I have 1 physical disk, with 3 partitions), the drive letters had indeed changed - it was now reporting my C: drive as D: (and vice-versa). I cancelled the reinstall and loaded my current installation, and looking in disk management it shows my C: drive as my BOOT volume, and my D: drive as a SYSTEM volume (note drive letters had reverted back correctly - C: is my windows installation). I checked the boot.ini file (currently on D: drive) and it correctly lists the partition NUMBER where windows is installed. Funnily enough, when I load up MSCONFIG it does not show a BOOT.INI tab.

 

Basically, I want to be able to simply delete my existing windows partition and reinstall windows on it as C:. I want to know if MOVING the required system files (NTLDR, boot.ini, ntdetect.com) to C: will change the volume status of my D: drive and allow me to reinstall my windows again on C:, or if simply deleting them (since I'm prepared to reinstall windows) will allow me to do so. Is there some way of preventing the installation of windows from putting these system files on a different partition (ie. I'd like my BOOT/SYSTEM volumes to be one in the same). I'm aware perhaps reformatting the whole drive and starting from scratch is the simplest solution, but I'd prefer to explore other avenues if possible. Thanks in advance

[F@TMAN]

*UPDATE*

I took the easy way out and backed up all required data and formatted BOTH partitions in question (boot and system) in order to reinstall my windows on c: drive. Having done that, once it booted into my fresh windows install, I'd found it'd now created the system files (NTLDR, boot.ini, ntdetect.com) on the 3rd partition (ie. neither of the two I'd formatted).

 

I can appreciate that this doesn't really have any repercussions until I decide to perhaps reinstall windows again in the future, but I'm wondering if someone can perhaps explain what's happened here, and how I can avoid it in the future. I'll state for the record what I would've hoped to have occurred is that my c: partition (where I installed windows) become both my BOOT and SYSTEM partition (so can someone explain why the system files weren't copied here, and to a completely different partition?). Any help appreciated, cheers