I have wiped out my harddrive from being NT and would like to load 95 to upgrade to 98. Put in 95 Windows startup CD and get to a: prompt. When I tell it to start setup it says I need to partition the harddrive. How do I do that. I can't understand the articles I have pulled up enough to get started. I tried typing FDISK from the a: prompt, FDISK c:/, FDISK c:, nothing works. Help? Thanks, Janet Lyn
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Partition Harddrive 2
- Thread starter janetlyn
- Start date
Howdy:
The command from a: prompt is just fdisk.. nothing else..
I would suggest going to and getting the files for a Win98 startup disk, installing those to a floppy and using it to partition and format the hard-drive.
Also, you don't need to install Win95 and then upgrade to 98.. Just start the install using Win98.. it will ask for the QWin95 cd to verify authenticity .. You will end up with a clean install rather than an upgrade !!
Murray
The command from a: prompt is just fdisk.. nothing else..
I would suggest going to and getting the files for a Win98 startup disk, installing those to a floppy and using it to partition and format the hard-drive.
Also, you don't need to install Win95 and then upgrade to 98.. Just start the install using Win98.. it will ask for the QWin95 cd to verify authenticity .. You will end up with a clean install rather than an upgrade !!
Murray
- Thread starter
- #3
- Thread starter
- #4
Make sure BIOS is set to read the floppy or a: drive first.. Put the startup floppy in the a: drive and boot your system..
When you get to a: prompt, type in fdisk .. NOTHING ELSE .. and press <enter> You will be give some choices.. As NT was on the system befoere, you first step would be to "Remove all non-dos partitions".. Once that is done, you now have to set a Primary Dos Partition.. Use the option number (i think it is 1 or 2) that gives that option.. Say YES to all questions !!!
Once the Primary Dos Partition is set, leave the floppy in and restart you system.. When you get back to a: prompt, type in format c: (space between format and c
and press <enter>.. Again, say YES to all questions..
Once that is done, you can install Windows !!
Murray
When you get to a: prompt, type in fdisk .. NOTHING ELSE .. and press <enter> You will be give some choices.. As NT was on the system befoere, you first step would be to "Remove all non-dos partitions".. Once that is done, you now have to set a Primary Dos Partition.. Use the option number (i think it is 1 or 2) that gives that option.. Say YES to all questions !!!
Once the Primary Dos Partition is set, leave the floppy in and restart you system.. When you get back to a: prompt, type in format c: (space between format and c
and press <enter>.. Again, say YES to all questions..Once that is done, you can install Windows !!
Murray
- Thread starter
- #7
When I type in a:\FDISK it goes to a blank screen and has this:
No fixed disks present.
a:
What does it want? Also, when I wiped out the harddrive, I wiped it OUT. It has no idea there was NT on there or anything else. Thank you so much for the help. JL
No fixed disks present.
a:
What does it want? Also, when I wiped out the harddrive, I wiped it OUT. It has no idea there was NT on there or anything else. Thank you so much for the help. JL
- Thread starter
- #8
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1
- #10
Your first step is fdisk /mbr. Writes a new bootstrap whether it can see a drive or not. Then fdisk again and create the partition.
If that doesn't work you get the manufacturer's diagnostic disk to zero fill the drive. Or look for the zero fill that runs under debug, or get IBM's ZAP.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
If that doesn't work you get the manufacturer's diagnostic disk to zero fill the drive. Or look for the zero fill that runs under debug, or get IBM's ZAP.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
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1
- #11
TekTippy4U
Technical User
I'm sorry if I misunderstand......but janetlyn wrote "Put in Windows95 CD and get to a:\ prompt"....
According to that statement........The system "sees" the CD....which means that she appropriately had the BIOS to boot to CD-ROM first......
She doesn't need a floppy at all......
Everything will run from the CD.......
This I am positive of...
I've done it many times......
The choices after booting with the CD in (atleast a 98 CD)....are(or something very similar)
A. Start(or run) Windows Setup
B. Start with CD ROM Support
C. Start without CD ROM Support
I could be mistaken...,but I don't think so......
I forget if holding the CTRL key at startup is needed here to even access the CD....(It's been awhile since I've had to partition my drive.........Thank goodness.......)
Now janetlyn.....
I'm going to refer you to another thread I wrote(fairly recently) on using Fdisk and Partitioning and Formatting..........
Click the link......
thread615-620320 for the long passage with my name......and the one directly before it.....as their both important....
Good Luck
TT4U
![[pipe]](/data/assets/smilies/pipe.gif "[pipe] [pipe]")
According to that statement........The system "sees" the CD....which means that she appropriately had the BIOS to boot to CD-ROM first......
She doesn't need a floppy at all......
Everything will run from the CD.......
This I am positive of...
I've done it many times......
The choices after booting with the CD in (atleast a 98 CD)....are(or something very similar)
A. Start(or run) Windows Setup
B. Start with CD ROM Support
C. Start without CD ROM Support
I could be mistaken...,but I don't think so......
I forget if holding the CTRL key at startup is needed here to even access the CD....(It's been awhile since I've had to partition my drive.........Thank goodness.......)
Now janetlyn.....
I'm going to refer you to another thread I wrote(fairly recently) on using Fdisk and Partitioning and Formatting..........
Click the link......
thread615-620320 for the long passage with my name......and the one directly before it.....as their both important....
Good Luck
TT4U
TekTippy4U
Technical User
As a matter of fact......read all of the posts at that link....as there's alot of useful info there......
TT4U
TT4U
- Thread starter
- #13
ME, Ed and TekTippy, thanks for the help. I read the recommended thread and it was extremely helpful and will be put to use this evening, but wanted to give more info. I was trying to fix this computer for someone at home. Before I was smart enough to try someone on Tek-tips, I went to an MSN Computer Chat room and asked for help there. I got into a conversation with someone who must have also been helping someone else. He told me to take out my battery. I did. Then he realized he was talking to the wrong person. That is when I could not "SEE" my harddrive. Also, I noticed last night that the harddrive only has the 8 wire feed to the battery, but there is not a wide grey cable from the harddrive to the motherboard. I have another of the exact same computer at home and will open it to verify if the grey cable should be plugged in. I have a bootable floppy gets me to the a: prompt. I have a different bootable that gets me to the "start with/without CD-ROM" (frankly I can't remember if all this is happening because of the floppy I'm using or because I keep changing the BIOS order SCSI,A,C or A,C,SCSI), however when I choose with CDROM so I can start my setup it wants me to put in Windows Disk #2???? I also tried to load with the NT floppies and they also did not recognize my c:\. Someone suggested the battery changed my bios and I need to set it to autodetect, but they never said how to do that. I looked at my bios and both Primary and Secondary modes are on auto. Am not sure if that is what they were talking about or not.
One thing I did not notice in your other thread and I need to know though: When I wiped out the harddrive on 8 computers for my company (of which one I am trying to fix); I reloaded NT and it had me partition the harddrive, and I had to put in an amount (can't remember what it was for) but I believe I was having to divide up the FAT from the other FAT (can't remember what it is called, too early and not enough coffee yet). The other computer I have at home I also had NT on. I wiped out the harddrive and reloaded WIN95. However, when I did this, it only gave me 2 MB of my harddrive as usable and the other 5 is useless. I am going to fix that but I don't want that to happen again on this other one. I have read many articles on partitions but feel like I am reading a medical journal. So, I guess my two questions are:
What number do I put in if it requests it?
How do I get to use all 7 mb.
Sorry for the long reply but I figure more information is better then less. I do appreciate all y'all's help. If it is not the cable, I will try the FDISK /nbr thing, and I'm sure I'll be back to ask more questions.
Again thanks, Janet Lyn
One thing I did not notice in your other thread and I need to know though: When I wiped out the harddrive on 8 computers for my company (of which one I am trying to fix); I reloaded NT and it had me partition the harddrive, and I had to put in an amount (can't remember what it was for) but I believe I was having to divide up the FAT from the other FAT (can't remember what it is called, too early and not enough coffee yet). The other computer I have at home I also had NT on. I wiped out the harddrive and reloaded WIN95. However, when I did this, it only gave me 2 MB of my harddrive as usable and the other 5 is useless. I am going to fix that but I don't want that to happen again on this other one. I have read many articles on partitions but feel like I am reading a medical journal. So, I guess my two questions are:
What number do I put in if it requests it?
How do I get to use all 7 mb.
Sorry for the long reply but I figure more information is better then less. I do appreciate all y'all's help. If it is not the cable, I will try the FDISK /nbr thing, and I'm sure I'll be back to ask more questions.
Again thanks, Janet Lyn
Your 95 probably won't use all of the drive in one chunk. You may have to make it in 3 chunks, C: with 2.1gb as the primary partition (default with the largest size and active) , and the rest on an extended partition which then automatically will divide as 2.1 as d: 2.1 as e:and the rest as f:
You get it to do that by running fdisk again and create an extended partition and the other drives are created as logical drives in the extended partition (accept defaults). NOTE: creates the mount points, you still have to format them.
You get involved with limitations of the BIOS and the operating system and the FAT sizes associated with the OS.
For some further education try a google search for "drive limitations".
With no ribbon cable you'll never see it in the BIOS. Once you do see it you can fdisk it except for those exception cases where something has corrupted and you need to zero fill. Then you can usually see it.
It isn't an 8 wire feed. It is a 4 wire feed and you are looking at a middle connector on the series string.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
You get it to do that by running fdisk again and create an extended partition and the other drives are created as logical drives in the extended partition (accept defaults). NOTE: creates the mount points, you still have to format them.
You get involved with limitations of the BIOS and the operating system and the FAT sizes associated with the OS.
For some further education try a google search for "drive limitations".
With no ribbon cable you'll never see it in the BIOS. Once you do see it you can fdisk it except for those exception cases where something has corrupted and you need to zero fill. Then you can usually see it.
It isn't an 8 wire feed. It is a 4 wire feed and you are looking at a middle connector on the series string.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
- Thread starter
- #15
Thanks for the information on the partition problem. To make sure I understand:
1) When it asks me how much I want to be in the primary partition I just type in 2.1 and then run FDISK two more times doing the same thing each time. Then go into the System Tools and format each of the drives.
2) "With no ribbon cable you'll never see it in the BIOS", does that mean that my assumption is correct and I do need to have the wide gray cable hooked into the harddrive also?
Thanks for the help. Janet Lyn
1) When it asks me how much I want to be in the primary partition I just type in 2.1 and then run FDISK two more times doing the same thing each time. Then go into the System Tools and format each of the drives.
2) "With no ribbon cable you'll never see it in the BIOS", does that mean that my assumption is correct and I do need to have the wide gray cable hooked into the harddrive also?
Thanks for the help. Janet Lyn
It should ask if you want to use the maximum amount and to make it active. resond "y"
Yes. No cable , no drive. It is possible that the drive was previously connected to an additional header on another cable in the box. Generally two cable, primary and secondary, but it is possible to put 2 devices on either. Then you get into the master/slave issues, or cable select issues and you may not need to be there yet. Depends on whether you can figure out where the primary and secondary cables plug into the m/b (assumtion that you have m/b controllers) and what else may be connected to the 40 pin connectors.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Yes. No cable , no drive. It is possible that the drive was previously connected to an additional header on another cable in the box. Generally two cable, primary and secondary, but it is possible to put 2 devices on either. Then you get into the master/slave issues, or cable select issues and you may not need to be there yet. Depends on whether you can figure out where the primary and secondary cables plug into the m/b (assumtion that you have m/b controllers) and what else may be connected to the 40 pin connectors.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
TekTippy4U
Technical User
First....I don't think you need to mess with the CMOS battery anymore....and if you have removed it for any period of time (say 10min. or more......just a guess, hard to be exact as they're diff)(3hrs and whatever memory WAS there is gone(poof))....
Do you have a "CDROM" choice in that SCSI,C,A....A,C,SCSI area.......I'm not that good with SCSI as far as setting it up....
If CD-ROM choice is there....make it first........and you should set your BIOS to "Auto"/ Auto Detect in most every function....Hard disk/CD ROM drive settings(Primary/Secondary and Slaves for Each) .....
It may help you to enter BIOS Setup during Boot[/b]...read the onscreen instructions as to how move around in there.....and/or press F1 for help......
What year approx. is PC..?????
Do you have 98 CDROM or 95 CDROM?......which one.....which version,... if you know(OEM, upgrade, retail)?
Since you've removed the CMOS battery....by doing so, may have caused the CD "Driver" to leave (poof) the Adapter memory....
you also may need to enter the SCSI ID #(i.e.ID 0,ID 7)...something like that (again.....not so good w/SCSI thing)....hang in there....someone will come along....
The 2Mb thing is due to the fact
A. You probably only have 95 or 95A version...you need 95B OSR2 or better to have FAT32(more than 2GB support)
Go to system information for version......(not positive in 95 but....right click My Computer....choose properties....the General tab will tell you
B.OR.... that you "DID'NT" choose "Y" at this prompt...
"Do you wish to enable large disc support (Y,N).........? [Y].......
when you're first Fdisk command was entered when you went to create new partition/s.......after deleting old ones.
So you ended up with FAT16(up to 2 Gigabytes Maximum),...... instead of FAT32(up to 2 Terabytes)
Go here.....
and here......
for Specific Version Number
If you have Partition Magic or similar....use that.....
If not...and you have "95 B"..........Reboot to "command prompt only" by pressing F8 at/when win95 logo screen first appears
The command is Fdisk /mbr.... not /nbr.....(probably just a typo)....and
Yes.....more info from you is much better in resolving exact problems......
TT4U
![[bigsmile]](/data/assets/smilies/bigsmile.gif "[bigsmile] [bigsmile]")
Whe that just about does it for me.........for now
Hope it helps
Do you have a "CDROM" choice in that SCSI,C,A....A,C,SCSI area.......I'm not that good with SCSI as far as setting it up....
If CD-ROM choice is there....make it first........and you should set your BIOS to "Auto"/ Auto Detect in most every function....Hard disk/CD ROM drive settings(Primary/Secondary and Slaves for Each) .....
It may help you to enter BIOS Setup during Boot[/b]...read the onscreen instructions as to how move around in there.....and/or press F1 for help......
What year approx. is PC..?????
Do you have 98 CDROM or 95 CDROM?......which one.....which version,... if you know(OEM, upgrade, retail)?
Since you've removed the CMOS battery....by doing so, may have caused the CD "Driver" to leave (poof) the Adapter memory....
you also may need to enter the SCSI ID #(i.e.ID 0,ID 7)...something like that (again.....not so good w/SCSI thing)....hang in there....someone will come along....
The 2Mb thing is due to the fact
A. You probably only have 95 or 95A version...you need 95B OSR2 or better to have FAT32(more than 2GB support)
Go to system information for version......(not positive in 95 but....right click My Computer....choose properties....the General tab will tell you
B.OR.... that you "DID'NT" choose "Y" at this prompt...
"Do you wish to enable large disc support (Y,N).........? [Y].......
when you're first Fdisk command was entered when you went to create new partition/s.......after deleting old ones.
So you ended up with FAT16(up to 2 Gigabytes Maximum),...... instead of FAT32(up to 2 Terabytes)
Go here.....
and here......
for Specific Version Number
If you have Partition Magic or similar....use that.....
If not...and you have "95 B"..........Reboot to "command prompt only" by pressing F8 at/when win95 logo screen first appears
The command is Fdisk /mbr.... not /nbr.....(probably just a typo)....and
Yes.....more info from you is much better in resolving exact problems......
TT4U
Whe that just about does it for me.........for now
Hope it helps
TekTippy4U
Technical User
whoops........:>)....guess I'm a little late.....
TT4U
TT4U
- Thread starter
- #19
Ed and Tek, I've got so much information floating around it's unreal. Ed, I am not going to reply on the other thread until I get home tonight and see if I can resolve my harddrive problem. I will let you know tomorrow on that thread. On this thread:
The battery was out less than 3 minutes.
I know how to make the BIOS SCSI,C,A. (Yeah, I know something)
Built in 98. Have 95 Startup Floppy, 95 and 98 Upgrade CD's and 95 Certificate for full program.
For the computer that has the messed up partitions, thanks for letting me know I can and how to fix it. If I go to "adjust" the partitions, will I lose everything on my harddrive again? Probably not if I use the Magic program, huh?
Thanks for taking the time to explain everything. That goes for you also Ed. Stars to you both and I will come back and let you know how it went partition wise.
Thanks so much for the help guys, Janet Lyn
The battery was out less than 3 minutes.
I know how to make the BIOS SCSI,C,A. (Yeah, I know something)
Built in 98. Have 95 Startup Floppy, 95 and 98 Upgrade CD's and 95 Certificate for full program.
For the computer that has the messed up partitions, thanks for letting me know I can and how to fix it. If I go to "adjust" the partitions, will I lose everything on my harddrive again? Probably not if I use the Magic program, huh?
Thanks for taking the time to explain everything. That goes for you also Ed. Stars to you both and I will come back and let you know how it went partition wise.
Thanks so much for the help guys, Janet Lyn
Without a full install set of something you're not going to be able to load either of the upgrades.
Generally the battery being out for more than 2 or 3 seconds will wipe the CMOS. Once you have the drive connected you get into the BIOS and do a HD autoconfig scan, usually a choice on the CMOS setup screen. If you don't have that choice you have to input the c/h/s info into CMOS manually.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Generally the battery being out for more than 2 or 3 seconds will wipe the CMOS. Once you have the drive connected you get into the BIOS and do a HD autoconfig scan, usually a choice on the CMOS setup screen. If you don't have that choice you have to input the c/h/s info into CMOS manually.
Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
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