Format C:! 1

[ChrisHunt]

I have an old PC that I want to pass on to a friend. I want to clear down the HDD and start from scratch, but frankly the prospect scares me. Can anyone point me towards a step-by-step guide to clearing & reinstalling a PC?

It's running Windows 98SE, by the way.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[weevilofdoom]

first off, just boot into a command prompt:

on bootup, press f8, and choose command prompt only.
This way, you don't have specific windows sytem files in
your way that prevent you from formatting the drive.

While at the command prompt, to erase all data on the drive,
just type "format <partition> <options>"

if you just have 1 partition, it is most likely c:

and options to format, there are many, for a full format,
not quick and recoverable, just format c:
for a quick format, format c: /q other options available,
but that will clear the drive of any data. Installation of an OS after that is a breeeeeze.

The weevil of doooooooooom
-The eagle may soar, but the weasel never gets sucked up by a jet engine (Anonymous)

 

[edfair]

from the same location run fdisk and delete partitions.
Or better would be to create a floppy and boot from it and use fdisk since you can verify it by rebooting and looking at the partition table.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[CreamCake]

As I've seen Edfair suggest in the past, install a program called balarc advisor and write down all your hardware parts - video card/lan/modem/soundcard, etc.
This will assist you in finding the latest drivers for them after you install 98 again. In fact - download them on your new PC and burn them off to a cd before you start.

If you want a step-by-step guide, this one looks pretty accurate:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/win98/install98cd/indexfullpage.htm

Though I can't say it's 100% accurate (it's been years since my last win98 install) it looks pretty close.

Make sure you have your Windows CD, a valid CD Key (download another program called The Magic Jellybean Keyfinder if you don't know what it is), and a list of your hardware to reinstall your drivers.
Then it's just a matter of booting up, install the OS, getting your drivers reinstalled, installing directX and all your microsoft updates, etc.

I usually reformat the drive to make sure it's clean.
Read how to do that here:

http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/how-tos/reformat-reinstall-win98.shtml

Lastly, if you can't boot of your CD, further instructions on booting from your floppy are here:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/win98/install98floppy/index.htm

Good Luck!

 

[ChrisHunt]

Thanks CreamCake, that was exactly what I was looking for. Have a *

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[Overdoos]

If you should be looking for a DOS or Win98 bootdisk image with generic CD-rom driver, I use the one from

http://www.putergeek.com

(

http://www.putergeek.com/downloads/)

and it works like a charm.

 

[ceh4702]

Important: Dont format windows if you do not have the needed drivers for your hardware first. Download it and put it on a CDRW or something.

You should not try to format the C:\ drive from the C:\ drive. That is just silly. It might format but then all of your programs are gone. You would not then be able to run FDISK or reformat. It would be a recipe for failure.

You need to use the Win98 Boot Disk. I think you can make one form inside of win98 from the add/remove programs screen in the control panel.



If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[edfair]

May not apply for this reinstall, but for future ones I normally suggest two different approaches:
1. A DOS partition at the front with bootable operating system, and if using 98DOS everything needed to get access to the extended partition. Windows install stuff goes on the C: along with the M/B drivers. You install from C: and always have the install stuff without having to look for the CD. The windows and applications go on the extended partition in D:.
2. C: in a primary partition, D: in an extended partition, both accessible from DOS. The install stuff on D:, the windows on C:, and applications and data somewhere past D:.
You can reformat C: and reinstall using the boot floppy.

The method I use depends on the eventual use. And whether there will be multiboot capabilities.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[ChrisHunt]

Thanks fellas, PC now happily cleared down and reloaded. It all went suspiciously easily! Now all I've got to do is find the old software CDs to reload onto it...

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[CreamCake]

Congrats!
It's easier than people make it out to be, if you prepare for it.

Ed reminded me, if you copy just the win98 folder from the root of your CD onto your hard disk somewhere (I used to make a folder called c:/win98_src) you will not need the cd for much else besides reinstalls, and can keep it safer.

When upgrades, etc ask for your win98 cd - just direct it to that source folder on your hard drive... providing you have 173 megs to store it.

I used to copy d:/win98/*.* from the DOS prompt to that directory after formatting, and ran the install from my hard drive instead of off the CD, but that's a moot point, now that you are up and running.

Your biggest worry now, is that every time this PC acts up from now on, you will be called upon for free tech support.
An anti-virus may be in your best interest to install as well.

Be clear that advice & tech support will cost your friend a pint to even discuss!

Cheers!