How to format your hard drive

[ian@huth]

It is easier when using win95 or 98 to copy the win95 or win98 directory onto your C drive after formatting it then run setup from there. Makes it a lot quicker to setup and you don't have to go searching for the CD in future when you need it.

[zoombini]

Yeah, but a real DOS user would want to use DOS to format the hard drive, not the setup program.

I never do it that way, I always use "fdisk" & "format" alone instead & I do not have to install anything then.

[ZrByte]

Someone correct me if Im wrong but isnt the highest capacity MSDOS supports 2.03GB? Last time I used My MSDOS 6 floppies to install my windows settup it reduced my 8GB to a 2.03, and before that it reduced my 3.02 to a 2.03. wich would make formatting really unwise on most hard disks (Unless offcourse im wrong )

Best way I can think of is to make a system floppy in windows before you start, reboot with it, install some CD-ROM drivers to it, and bingo, a bootable floppy with CDROM support.
Though obviously you only need to do that if your computer doesnt support booting from CD-ROM.

Originally Posted by WNA

...After installation of DOS take the disk out the floppy drive and open your CD Rom drive and place your Windows CD in. then i usually type D:\ and then return but obiously substitute the letter for your drive. You will then get D:\ ...
...EDIT: For Windows 95/98 before installing you MAY need to install your cd rom drivers...

Rather than using a standard msdos floppy, it would be better to use a w98 startup disk. I have to use this with my w98 pc as it would not recognise the d: drive otherwise. A w98 startup disk contains generic drivers for CDROM drives. It also has FDISK & FORMAT commands, so you can do it all with the floppy.

Not sure if you can create a startup disk in safe mode though.

[Halcyon]

Is it possible to delete windows 98SE and then re-install windows 98SE without deleting all your programs ?

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Is it possible to delete windows 98SE and then re-install windows 98SE without deleting all your programs ?

No once you do that you have to reinstall all your programs and apps

[greencreeper]

You'll need to be able access a CD from DOS. This is tricky. A generic CD driver loaded in config.sys and mscdex loaded in autoexec.bat are needed. Copy the driver and program to c drive after doing the fdisk. Both are available on the Net or lift them from someone. I have them If the system already has 98SE installed, mscdex will be in windows/command and oakcdrom.sys in windows/command/ebd. They might even be on the 98SE CD - never checked. If you've no idea what I mean when I say "loaded" then don't attempt an install - talk to someone who does

[assuming a dirty drive]
* format drive using the /s switch
* use fdisk to create three partitions c, d and e. Make c the largest and bootable
* reformat
* reboot

* insert the windows 98SE CD and copy the the win98 directory to e drive - rename it if you wish
* change to e drive and cd to the win98 directory. Run setup and away you go

* put all essential drivers and programs on e drive - e.g. NIC drivers (stuffed without them) and your firewall setup program
* put all your personal files on d drive - it's possible to make d the default. There are options in Office, for example.
* you'll never need the Windows 98SE CD again - all the cabs are on e drive. No desperate hunting in drawers

You can delete just the windows directory and do a reinstall of the OS. Most programs you reinstall will pick up your existing settings and files as you left them in program files, but obviously any configuration settings in the registry will have been lost. I don't recommend this method of reinstallation. Best to do a backup of anything important and then do a clean install.

Have I missed something? Been years since I did any of this.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

You'll need to be able access a CD from DOS. This is tricky. A generic CD driver loaded in config.sys and mscdex loaded in autoexec.bat are needed. Copy the driver and program to c drive after doing the fdisk. Both are available on the Net or lift them from someone. I have them If the system already has 98SE installed, mscdex will be in windows/command and oakcdrom.sys in windows/command/ebd. They might even be on the 98SE CD - never checked. If you've no idea what I mean when I say "loaded" then don't attempt an install - talk to someone who does

[assuming a dirty drive]
* format drive using the /s switch
* use fdisk to create three partitions c, d and e. Make c the largest and bootable
* reformat
* reboot

* insert the windows 98SE CD and copy the the win98 directory to e drive - rename it if you wish
* change to e drive and cd to the win98 directory. Run setup and away you go

* put all essential drivers and programs on e drive - e.g. NIC drivers (stuffed without them) and your firewall setup program
* put all your personal files on d drive - it's possible to make d the default. There are options in Office, for example.
* you'll never need the Windows 98SE CD again - all the cabs are on e drive. No desperate hunting in drawers

You can delete just the windows directory and do a reinstall of the OS. Most programs you reinstall will pick up your existing settings and files as you left them in program files, but obviously any configuration settings in the registry will have been lost. I don't recommend this method of reinstallation. Best to do a backup of anything important and then do a clean install.

Have I missed something? Been years since I did any of this.

I used to do the same, except I had 3 hard drives so I just used one of the ones I wasnt booting off instead of partitions

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by ZrByte

I used to do the same, except I had 3 hard drives so I just used one of the ones I wasnt booting off instead of partitions

Even better

For XP i booted from the XP install CD. Then when presented with the list of partitions i dropped the partitions and then recreated them and thus formated them that way.

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by gary_580

For XP i booted from the XP install CD. Then when presented with the list of partitions i dropped the partitions and then recreated them and thus formated them that way.

Yeah - I was reading about that the other day. I'm busy wading through "XP in a Nutshell" XP's install replaces many of the old tools needed to do an install.

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Is it possible to delete windows 98SE and then re-install windows 98SE without deleting all your programs ?

You might be able to keep some of them if you export your registry, but chances are a majority of them will install their own files, dll's, vxd's etc in your windows/system/system32 (wherever) folders.

[altis]

No one appears to have mentioned the Emergency Boot Disk - it's very useful!

Control Panel / Add~Remove Programs / Startup Disk / Create Disk

It's probably worth mentioning again how useful it is to have several partitions on your hard drive (or several disks!). Keep all your documents including favourites and address book (requires registry tweek) on a separate partition, well away from windows. Also, keep a copy of the windows CD (and any other common ones) on another partition. Then, when it comes to reformatting your windows drive, you don't lose all your work and you don't need to worry about CD drivers - it's already there.

[SOSAGES]

right click the drive select format job done

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by altis

No one appears to have mentioned the Emergency Boot Disk - it's very useful!

Control Panel / Add~Remove Programs / Startup Disk / Create Disk

It's probably worth mentioning again how useful it is to have several partitions on your hard drive (or several disks!). Keep all your documents including favourites and address book (requires registry tweek) on a separate partition, well away from windows. Also, keep a copy of the windows CD (and any other common ones) on another partition. Then, when it comes to reformatting your windows drive, you don't lose all your work and you don't need to worry about CD drivers - it's already there.

Opps i fogot to mention the startup disk. Also can it be done in XP?