Formatting.

  • Thread starter Thread starter halfracedrift
  • 21 comments
  • 1,054 views
halfracedrift

halfracedrift

Messages
3,133
My friend is asking me to do her a favour.. ha.. anyway.

She desperately needs her computer to be reformatted (i've suggested getting a new computer already..but... her parents won't let her) so I'm going to be Mr. Nice guy and help her.

I've told her to back up all the information she needs to (burn onto a cd)

Next, the procedure would look something like this right?

First, create a boot disk if there is none.

Restart the computer with the book disk inside the floppy

Go into MS-DOS.

In the command prompt, type format c: ( ? )

Let the formating do its work. Rename the hard drive.

Put in Windows CD (whichever version)

Access the CD from MS-DOS. type "setup.exe" in the CD drive

Let the setup run

Install it.

Please let me know if there are any other steps to smooth out the process of formatting, OR correct me in any places I've gotten wrong.

Also.. She's going to install Windows 98 SE.
 
That is pretty much the jist of it, but you need to run Fdisk before the install to re-partition the hard drive

first you need to delete the partition

Then you need to create a new primary partition

and then you need to set the partition as primary if it is already not primary and then format the SOB :D

Edit -> Make sure you get her modem / Network / Video Card / Sound Card / USB drivers if First edition but I believe it is second edition / Any other device drivers for the computer before you format the computer because when it loads back up you want to make sure you can load the drivers :D
 
What about the drivers? Don't I wipe all the drivers when I format? Are you saying that I need to have the drivers ready to go right after the install? Or can I still download them from somewhere? (after the install.. provided I finish her networking and make the internet run)
 
Get the type of driver and download them from the net before you format that thing. . . It will save you a huge head ache
 
When you format the disk, do not transfer the system files to the hard disk. When the format is complete, reboot, with the 98SE cd in the drive. With no OS on the hard-disk, the computer should boot off the CD, starting the OS install process.
 
The system will boot off the CD with or without OS currently on it as long as you have the BIOS set to boot of CD as first boot device. As far as formatting goes, just make sure to back up all of the documents to a disc and, boot up with the CD in the CD drive and BIOS set to boot from CD and follow on screen insturctions.
 
Ok. so I have a laptop and it came with "recovery" cds and I did it not to long ago but I'm skeptical it actually cleanly formated my laptop because afterwards it didn't act like it was all that clean. So, what I've been trying to figure out how to do is use some kind of boot disk to get to dos and format multiple times. This will hopefully ensure a "clean" hd and then I can load everything in. What do you all think?
 
It should work because the disks could have erased the files from windows, but the history of them is still on the hard drive. Some PC's you have to be careful as well what recovery disk you use because some only reload programs and others will reload the whole system. You could have used the one that reloaded only programs. You can try to boot it from dos, unless you have XP which doesn't have dos. The only way to truely get rid of the history is to reformat the hdd in something other that windows.
 
Ok, yeah these disks bother me because they either say "recovery" or "repair" and I don't want to do either... I want to CLEAN. I do have XP so I'm pretty much stuck with the disks? Also people have mentioned I could just stick the disks in more than once to get the multiple formating process is this true?
 
But is it clean?? anyway, so what is a way that I can assure the hd is clean before using the cds to put the system on?
 
But do you have the WINXP disk itself? You can boot off from that. Change bios settings to boot from cd.. and then use old style command prompt/DOS to reformat it (command lines).

After the format, the disks should be completely erased and clean, and then you can install XP. As well, when you install XP, the disk will be RAW (no file system, it won't be in FAT32 nor NTFS, it will say "RAW")
 
VipFREAK
But is it clean?? anyway, so what is a way that I can assure the hd is clean before using the cds to put the system on?
Click to expand...
No, I guess not, it ends up installing alot of the crap Sony makes on there VAIO computers. In the end all of it get's un-installed, but the würd thing is my Windows Partition takes up 1GB more than a custom built computer with Windows XP Home installed.
 
No I don't have a full version XP cd nor do I wanna head down that path (activation and crap :rolleyes: ) I already got the cd it came with and don't have to activate. Just for my information though if it is "raw" and say put in my "recovery" cds it will format to the correct format (ntfs?) for xp right?
 
Yes. You only get one choice for XP I believe.. haha

Do you ahve a disk that can install win xp? If you do that's all you really need for a clean clean format.

Make sure you back up all the data.. and then restart the computer, change the boot sequence (In BIOS) to CD-->Floppy-->HDD. Then restart your computer again, and go into MSdos. Format from there.. And then Install WinXP.

I don't know much about Recovery disks.. sorry
 
sUn. You should get the choice of whether or not you want to install those extra programs. We have three Sony VAIO computers and ours give you the choice.
 

Latest Posts

Back