Format

so hey, I have all of my stuff backed up, now how do I format my computer?

I have all the system disks, a backup windows 98 cd, my video card as well as my sound card disks,

where do I go from here??

 

Hi Padmapani. The easiest way to format is to open My Computer, right click on C:/ and select the format option.

-John

 

You will need to restart in MS-DOS mode to format the system drive.

Be sure you have your Windows PID before formating! - If you can't find the CD case with it, you can still get it from the system registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion "ProductId "

 

While dopey's suggestion would work, I would boot with a floppy and type this in at the prompt;
format c:
then type a Y
I second Profgab101's idea about having the windows product key on paper first.

 

If you have the CD, you won't need a floppy. When the CD boots, it gives 2 menus (assuming the correct options are selected). The first menu asks if you want to boot from CD or Hard drive, select CD. The next menu has 3 options - start windows setup from CD, start PC with CD suport, and Start PC w/out CD support. Select option number 2. At the prompt switch to the win98 folder on the CD drive (probably D:, but it will tell you what it is), and then type "format c: ".

I would be surpirsed if dopey's option works - as stupid as windows is sometimes, I can't see it allowing you to format it's home drive, thereby erasing itself while still running. Would be a pretty impressive feat if it did work, but I don't think it will. It would work for non-system drives, tho

 

It works. It seems to me that it is a batch file and executed within dos. But its easier if you have you floppy and cd inserted when you run this option. Easier than rebooting to dos mode and typing the command yourself.

-John

 

hi, what i do for formatting is, once you are completly sure youve got everything (trust me, you always forget something) restart in DOS mode (eg. start menu > shutdown >restart in MS-DOS mode) and type the following at the prompt.

c:\format c: /u/s

where the 1st c is the location of the format program, the 2nd c is the drive you wish to format.
The format program location could also be on another drive, floppy, cd etc.

/u is a DOS function for unconditonal format. this means that dos will format all of the drive and not miss bits it feels could be usefull.

/s is a DOS function to copy system files after format is complete.
This means that when you boot up the computer the screen will end at a DOS prompt where you can instal WIndows etc. from CD as the system files coped also include dos support for CD-ROM drives.

I would still advise making a boot disk before you format (start > settings > control panel > add/remove prgrams > windows setup tab > boot disk. Or there abouts. Also if you (in windows) format a floppy you can chose to copy system files, this may also work)

Hope it works ok for you,

Stuart.

 

If you intended to boot to the W98 CD and intall from the CD then I would not use the /s switch - things just tend to go smoother.

I allways use the /u switch if I have not wrote zeros and done a fresh Fdisk or fdisk /mbr

 

I need to retract my earlier posts. Shortly before I saw this thread I clicked on C: for properties and saw the format option. (Don't think I ever paid attention to it before) and thought to myself that this could be a quicker (and easier) way to format. After reading the replies I tried the option myself and found it would NOT work for formatting the host drive. So I spent some time searching MS and finally followed a link to another board where there was a discussion on this. Ryder summed up the results perfectly. This option will not work on the host drive but is to be used for non-system drives.

I want to apologize to everyone ( especially Padmapani ) for answering a post for which I wasn't 100% sure of my suggestion.

-John

 

after format

ok, so you are going to have to walk me through this,
once I do the dos format thing, how do I set up windows from dos? please note that my proficiency with dos is about the same as my ability to speak Chinese, nil.

 

What I do is to place the boot disk in the floppy drive and the Win98 setup disk in the cd rom. Restart your computer. When the setup screen appears you can format your drive here by pressing F3 twice and typing "Format C: ", without quotes, then press enter. Your drive will be formatted and then you will return to the setup screen. To start installing Windows press enter and follow the instructions. This will install Windows on your computer.

Its a good idea to have your Product Key Code handy because setup will ask you for it. If you don't have it you can find it on the Getting Started book that came with the computer, bottom front cover.

-John

 

After formatting, type "md win98" (note: do not type any quotes from this post, unless otherwise instructed by myself) and hit enter. Then type "cd win98" and hit enter. Then, with the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive, type "copy d:\win98" and once again, press enter. This will copy all the startup files to your hard drive, so that if something goes wrong with Windows in the future, you can simply run the start up program from the hard drive, without having to resort to these extreme procedures again.
Once the copying is finished (101 files), type "setup ", and then simply follow the on-screen instructions. Windows setup is image-based, so everything behaves the way it would in Windows itself.

Alternatively, after formatting you can simply type "d:\win98\setup" and run windwos setup directly from the CD. However, I genreally run it from the hard drive, as it eliminates the poosibility of a probelm with the CD drive ******** up your windows instalation . I admit it's is an extremely small possibility (>1/1000), but it doesn't hurt.

 

Ryder - I like your idea. I can see some posibilities if its possible to do so, such as:

1 - Once the setup files are on the harddrive, delete unwanted files, like MS Chat and such, so that when and if you do have to reinstall you won't have to go through and delete what you don't want - already deleted.

2 - Add the personal programs that have been installed on the computer to the setup files so they will install after Windows but with no user input required. (Not sure about this.)

3 - Can also add updates to the setup files so after reinstalling everything will be updated, or as closely updated as when the updates were saved. (if 2 above is possible)

4 - Save it all to a cd-rw or dvd as a backup. Maybe have the disk start on it's own when inserted in the cd drive so once you've formatted setup will be automatic.

5 - Any way to tweak the Windows setup so you can automate the input required, such as inputing the Product Key Code, the time zone and such that Windows setup asks when you install or reinstall? So setup will have these inputs already without having the user to supply the input is what I'm asking.

I don't know it any of this is possible but it would sure make a clean reinstall a lot easier if it could be done. Of course it would be a personal setup for each user because each user has different key codes and programs, but the concept or structure for creating such a setup would be able to be used by all who wanted to.

Food for thought. Any possibilities?

-John

 

You would use Msbatch.Inf to customize an installation.

 

Thanks Markp62, very informative.

-John

 

Step by step instructions for fdisk & format

 

Ryder

I just looked back and see that I may be duplicating some of you instructions. But it may be required in order for me to keep things straight.


type "copy d:\win98" and once again, press enter. This will copy all the startup files to your hard drive, so that if something goes wrong with Windows in the future, you can simply run the start up program from the hard drive, without having to resort to these extreme procedures again.
Once the copying is finished (101 files), type "setup ", and then simply follow the on-screen instructions. Windows setup is image-based, so everything behaves the way it would in Windows itself.

I believe I see what maybe a few errors and/or incomplete info here.

!st-you need to create a folder on the harddrive after formating. I use "Options." And if available I would put the setup files on a partition other than C:

With the boot disk loaded change to C: D: or what ever partition you want then type MD OPTIONS.

2nd the Copy command would need to be.

Copy [ CDROM LETTER ]:\Win98\*.*(space) [ harddrive letter ]:\options.

The CDROM letter will be the second letter above the last HD partition. If only C: then it would be E: The boot disk uses D: as a ram drive to store the DOS commands in.

So if you had a HD with C & D then the CDROM would be F: In that case I would Create the folder " OPTIONS " on D: and copy the setup files to it. They are safer there in case of a disaster on C:

Also to run setup you need to change the path to [drive letter]:\options\setup. ie d:\options\setup.

Or if you do not want to copy the files then the command would be [crdom letter]:\win98\setup.

Now. I hope I have written the DOS command correctly as it has been a while ( like 3-4 years or maybe more ) since I have actually used them.

BillyBob

 

BB,
I did say to create a folder on the hard drive. That what "md win98" does, it creates a directory called "Win98" on the C: drive (or whatever drive is at the prompt). As for putting it on a different partition, I suppose this is a reasonable idea, but no mention was ever made of creating 2 or more partitions. Also, to do so in something other than Win95/98 would defy the purpose, which is to have the setup fles accessible when booting from an alternative source. If you try to bot from a W2K/XP/NT CD, it will go straight to the setup, and deny you the oportunity to use the existing files on the hard drive. But I digress

As for the copy command, if you are going to be copying the entire contents of a directory, you don't actually need *.*. I discovered this by accident. When the prompt says "C:\WIN98> ", all you need to type is "copy d:\win98 ", and it copies all files (but not subdirectories or files therein) from the win98 folder on the CD to the hard drive - assuming D is your CD-ROM drive.

I think you've spent too much time with XP/W2K when you say the RAM drive is the first unnasigned letter after the hard drive. With Win98 the A: drive is the Ram drive, with the floppy being moved to the B: drive. I don't know what happens if you have more than one floppy drive installed, though. Nor will I venture a guess on the matter, as we're probably giving poor Proffesor Talk a headache with all this technical detail, when all that was asked was a simple procedure to reformat the HDD, then re-install Windows.

If i'm wrong, then by all means let me know, and we can continue this fascinating discussion. Just remember that while almost everything there may now be XP, almost everything here is Windows 98, so I think my experience is a bit more recent

 

ryder

First off this IS in the Win98 Forum. So leave 2k etc OUT of the picture unless the original party says different.

I know no mention was made of more than one partitition existing.

That was a SUGGESTION on my part for PROTECTION of the SETUP files if the C: drive goes bad. And is a very reasonable and well accepted idea.

As to the Copy Command. In order to be assured that all folder, files in the Win98 folder on the CD DO GET COPIED then the *.* is needed. In order to do it PROPERLY the copy command needs and is safer to use a FULL PATH as to where they are coming from and where they are going to.

I think you are the one that has spent too much time somewhere.

In Windows 95, 98, 98SE, the the ramdirve ( virtual drive if you will ) is in RAM ( Random Access Memory ) When you boot to the Win98 Startup disk a Ramdrive is created and the DOS files that are in the EBD file get copied to it.

So if you only have a C: drive you will have A: ( the floppy ) C: (the hard drive ) D: ( the RAMdrive ) and E: ( the CDROM ).

Now just to make sure I was not off my rocker I just booted a Win98 machine with the SUD ( hopeing that it did work as I have not used it in AGES ). The machine has Hard drive partititions C: thru K:

As the machine booted it showed right on the screen the RAM DRIVE ( vitrual drive ) L: was being created. Then it showed the DOS files ( 14 of them ) from the EBD Folder on the floppy being copied to it.

Under unmodified circumstances the CDROM would then be M: But I made changes on the SUD and it is set to S: and will never change unless I change it. It is also set to S: on ALL Operating systems. 98SE and XP Pro. That way it always in the same place no matter how many partitions I have on the HD. ( up to R: that is )

This is the way my machine(s) work ( and always have ) and is what I have to use for guidance when I reply here.

BillyBob

 

Just for double checking I just booted this XP Pro machine with the 98 SUD. ( HD partitions C: thru H: )

Ramdrive is I: and is 2,084 bytes in size. There is NO ROOM on a floppy for that.

CDROMs are S: T:

All else is the same.

BB