Tell me how to reformat my HD

[Skiz]

I need to know EVERYTHING necessary to reformat my HD because of this problem (http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=96173). At this point, it seems to be the only solution.

Basically, I need a step by step guide. Something that will walk me through it.

Is there anything that NEEDS to be uninstalled first?

[muchspl3]

I don't feel like typing so find a guide or wait for someone else to help
however, make sure you back up your bookmarks, its what I always forgot and is a PITA if you have acquired a lot over time.

good luck

[davec8]

There's a ton of how-to guides out there. Do a google search. I don't feel like typing out an essay either.

[RPerry]

Does it need to be an Essay if he has a bootable Xp disk ? I'm a bit confused here, the hard part is remembering what to save before the format, and remembering what to install after.... the actually format is step by step from the XP Disk, unless I'm so tired I lost my mind :huh:

[Rip The Jacker]

No your not crazy RPerry, the hard part is backing up everything. With a bootable XP disc the fomatting part is really easy, just step by step. :)

[S!X]

No your not crazy RPerry, the hard part is backing up everything. With a bootable XP disc the fomatting part is really easy, just step by step. :)

IS there such thing as a non-bootable xp disk? :unsure: :ermm:

[Rip The Jacker]

No your not crazy RPerry, the hard part is backing up everything. With a bootable XP disc the fomatting part is really easy, just step by step. :)

IS there such thing as a non-bootable xp disk? :unsure: :ermm:
I don't think so. :P

[tesco]

No your not crazy RPerry, the hard part is backing up everything. With a bootable XP disc the fomatting part is really easy, just step by step. :)

IS there such thing as a non-bootable xp disk? :unsure: :ermm:
there could be lots of reasons why it doens't boot.
in that case it's really annoying to install.

[peat moss]

I don't feel like typing so find a guide or wait for someone else to help
however, make sure you back up your bookmarks, its what I always forgot and is a PITA if you have acquired a lot over time.

good luck




Good advice about the bookmarks , write down or back up all your e-mail addies too. :)

[Snee]

IS there such thing as a non-bootable xp disk? :unsure: :ermm:
there could be lots of reasons why it doens't boot.
in that case it's really annoying to install.
_ :unsure: _ (http://www.bootdisk.com/)

[Izagaia]

How I learned:




http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/reinstall-reformat-winxp

[Skiz]

Does it need to be an Essay if he has a bootable Xp disk ? I'm a bit confused here, the hard part is remembering what to save before the format, and remembering what to install after.... the actually format is step by step from the XP Disk, unless I'm so tired I lost my mind :huh:

I have the XP upgrade disk and it doesn't have the XP Recovery Console. I'm stumped now. How am I supposed to do it with that type of disk?? :huh:

[peat moss]

I like this site too.

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm



Quote : **Note - If you are clean installing using an XP Upgrade CD you will be asked for a qualifying product at this point. Just pop the CD for your older version of Windows into the drive while the XP setup completes an authenticity check. Following this you will be prompted for the XP CD and setup will continue.

[Izagaia]

I have the XP upgrade disk and it doesn't have the XP Recovery Console. I'm stumped now. How am I supposed to do it with that type of disk?? :huh:

You are on a discussion forum that hosts a gazillion peer-to-peer file-sharing users. eMule, K-Lite and Bitorrent are your friends. :D

http://www.nsane.tk/


At this point, IMO, I think your best bet is to obtain a copy of XP Pro Corp w/SP2 already integrated into it via an ed2k or a bitorrent client. Anything less would mean spending mucho time with Windows Update. :)

[peat moss]

I have the XP upgrade disk and it doesn't have the XP Recovery Console. I'm stumped now. How am I supposed to do it with that type of disk?? :huh:

You are on a discussion forum that hosts a gazillion peer-to-peer file-sharing users. eMule, K-Lite and Bitorrent are your friends. :D

http://www.nsane.tk/



I was thinking the same thing ! :lol: But I was doing my boy scout duty. Sizo you should have a slipstreamed win xp pro corp w/sp2 handy at all times .

[Skiz]

I don't know squat about bitorrents and the like.

[Skiz]

[QUOTE=peat moss]I like this site too.

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm


This assumesthat I have a clean, fresh, new HD. I do not. The problem I'm having is uninstalling.

[Skiz]

I like this site too.

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm


This assumes that I have a clean, fresh, new HD. I do not. The problem I'm having is uninstalling.

[peat moss]

Hey Izagaia, You and I edited our posts at the same time about the XP Pro Corp w/SP2 . Thats too funny. How can we help you Skizo ? Sorry I spelt your name wrong , I just noticed. :) I always use a win98 boot disk to fdisk then format , install my O/S but then again I'm old and anal ! :)

[Skiz]

I'm losing my fucking mind over this! I've been working at this for eight straight hours now! Can someone just tell me how to uninstall windows xp home please? Or tell me how to wipe everything out so I can start over?? I can't remember the last time I was this frustrated over anything.

I have a win 98 disk and a win xp home upgrade disk.

[peat moss]

Change boot order to a: . Put floppy boot disk in then fdisk your on your way. It was posted already . :)


http://www.computerhope.com/fdiskhlp.htm

[muchspl3]

lol you don't uninstall windows

[RPerry]

lol you don't uninstall windows

He could uninstall XP if he left the uninstall files there, if you notice, he upgraded from 98SE :unsure:

[Skiz]

Change boot order to a: . Put floppy boot disk in then fdisk your on your way. It was posted already . :)


http://www.computerhope.com/fdiskhlp.htm

Thx, but this is waaay outside my knowledge base. (Creating partitions and the like.)




lol you don't uninstall windows

Why not?? What if I wanted to go back to win 98? I would need to uninstall. How do I do this??

[peat moss]

Thx, but this is waaay outside my knowledge base. (Creating partitions and the like.)




lol you don't uninstall windows

Why not?? What if I wanted to go back to win 98? I would need to uninstall. How do I do this??


We know what you mean , muchspl3 was just teasing . Ok I'm stupid, I just got it. Did you save your win 98 files ?

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=303661


Or this : http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314052

[Skiz]

We know what you mean , muchspl3 was just teasing . Ok I'm stupid, I just got it. Did you save your win 98 files ?

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=303661

I dunno, what do you mean by "did you save the win98 files?" I have the win 98 disk. :unsure: Is that what you mean? Or do are you asking if I backed up all those files before I upgraded or what?

Sorry about being so ignorant about this but I've never needed to reinstall.

[Skiz]

I've done this, but step four doesn't exist.


4. In the list of installed programs, double-click Uninstall Windows XP.

Should I try this?

Removing NTFS
To remove the NTFS file system, reformat the hard disk to use the FAT or FAT32 file system. To do so, use the Windows XP startup disks. If your computer supports a bootable CD-ROM, you can also use the Recovery Console tool on the Windows XP CD-ROM. If you reformat or repartition a disk, you delete all the data that is on the disk. Therefore, make sure that you back up your data before you reformat the disk.

To use Recovery Console to reformat a drive, follow these steps: 1. Use the Windows XP CD-ROM or the startup disks to start the computer.
2. When the Welcome to Setup screen appears, press F10.
3. In Recovery Console, specify the appropriate installation, and then use your Administrator credentials to log on.
4. Type map, and then press ENTER.
5. Note the drive that you want to reformat. The drive letters may be different in Recovery Console from what they are in Windows XP.
6. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:
format x: /fs:fat32
Where x is the letter of the drive that you want to format, and FAT32 is the file system that you want to use.
7. Type y, and then press ENTER. When the formatting is completed, type exit. and then press ENTER to restart the computer.

Freeing up disk space
If you have low disk space, you can safely delete the following files and empty the following folders: • Empty all Windows XP recycle bins.
• In Microsoft Internet Explorer, delete all temporary Internet files, and clear the history files.
• Delete the Pagefile.sys and Hiberfil.sys files.

Note You must delete the Pagefile.sys file in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Removing Windows XP files
The following files are hidden files. These hidden files are located in the root folder of the drive that is used to start the computer. Typically, this is drive C (the first drive letter that is available for hard disks).

To remove the Windows XP system files, follow these steps: 1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Click View menu, and then click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab, click Show all files, and then click OK.
4. In the root folder of drive C (or the boot drive), delete the following files:• Boot.ini
• Ntbootdd.sys
• Ntdetect.com
• NTLDR

5. On the drive where Windows XP is installed, delete the following files if they exist:• Hiberfil.sys
• Pagefile.sys

Note You must delete the Pagefile.sys file in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

6. Delete the following folders if they exist:• Windows
• Program Files
• Documents and Settings


Running the Setup program in Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition
To run the Windows Setup program, start your computer by using the Startup disk for the Windows operating system that you are installing. After you access the CD-ROM drive, type the following commands, and press ENTER after each line:
sys c:
x:\setup.exe
Where x is the letter of your CD-ROM drive.

Note In Windows Millennium Edition, the first command may not work and may generate an error message. Typically, this problem does not prevent a successful installation. The Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition CD-ROM have a Setup.txt file that explains how to run the Setup program. There are more instructions for the Setup program in the Getting Started guide that is included with each of the operating systems.

[muchspl3]

lol you don't uninstall windows

He could uninstall XP if he left the uninstall files there, if you notice, he upgraded from 98SE :unsure:I don't think he can do that...
thats his problem, I would never upgrade from a older version, but thats just me I guess

edit:
I would recommend just dl'ing windows xp corp with sp2 slipstreamed, then all you have to do is change the boot order to cd.

[peat moss]

Well thats three of us suggesting win xp corp . :) But if you did n't save your win98 files or set up in NTSF your probably hooped. WIN 98 uses FAT 16 or FAT 32 . But you'll notice it talks about using a startup disk to fdisk and format . Take your time an read all the info given . Its all right there. :)

[Skiz]

Well thats three of us suggesting win xp corp . :) But if you did n't save your win98 files or set up in NTSF your probably hooped. WIN 98 uses FAT 16 or FAT 32 . But you'll notice it talks about using a startup disk to fdisk and format . Take your time an read all the info given . Its all right there. :)


It is in NTFS. :lookaroun

http://img15.echo.cx/img15/1867/z2yw.th.jpg (http://img15.echo.cx/my.php?image=z2yw.jpg)


I'll read the rest later when I have time in a week or two. I wasted a whole freakin' day today. :angry:

[RPerry]

Well thats three of us suggesting win xp corp .

Actually, 4 of us. I was going to edit my last post but got busy with something else.

Skizo, dude you been here too long to be a n00b. This forum has all the info you need to fix your problem. Get yourself WIndows XP Corp with sp2 and quit wasting your time :frusty:

[muchspl3]

Well thats three of us suggesting win xp corp .

Actually, 4 of us. I was going to edit my last post but got busy with something else.

Skizo, dude you been here too long to be a n00b. This forum has all the info you need to fix your problem. Get yourself WIndows XP Corp with sp2 and quit wasting your time :frusty:
www.truth.org (http://www.truth.org)

edit: had to fix my typo

[maebach]

put in home xp disc... when the black screen comes, press enter to boot from disc then follow the instructions when the blue screen comes (it might take a while). i winged it the first time, and it worked. pirated discs work too.

[Izagaia]

The easiest option is still to obtain a bootable copy of XP Pro Corp via eMule (the ed2k links posted upon this board are best, IMO). Using that disk alone will allow you to completely wipe your current C:\ partition and then create a new partition in which XP will be installed upon. You will not need anything else. No boot disks- nothing.

It will however, completely erase all your files. Yet the installation will be 100% clean of error. The only drawback is that it would be wise to visit the manufacturer's sites of the system to obtain the specific drivers it utilizes. But not a difficult feat by any means. Even if you did not, XP would install generic versions of those drivers anyway. But the manufacturer's versions are recommended.

Though in obtaining a bootable copy of XP, I would hope you are utilizing a broadband connection. So far as working with a P2P client such as eMule or Bitorrent for the first time, I myself, would be happy to help you out there. As I am certain many others from these forums would also be.

In what you are describing the problems to be and what you are seeking Skizo, there really is no "quick" or "easy" fix if you wish to do it right. A little learning, time and patience invested is going to be necessary. :)

[Skiz]

I was wanting to get another PC by summer's end anyway, maybe this will help to put a push onit.

Right now though it's off to eMule in search of Windows Corp. I'm just going to take a collective review of everything that's been said here, do some searching, and get started next week when I have some time.

THANKS EVERYONE! :thumbsup:

[maebach]

no prob, after a few times it'll be a breeze. its just a pain reinstalling all the programs.