format drive

windows98 second edition

If I format my hard drive can I do it from my computer or if I have to do it from C:\ will the cd drive run.

thank you

 

If you are referring to any other partition on the drive other than C:, yes you can from My Computer. Otherwise, you can't format the drive that the current operating system is installed onto (meaning C while you are using the operating system.

You need to format the hard drive when at the A:\> prompt, meaning you need to boot off of a Win98 Bootdisk (also known as a Startup Floppy), selecting 'with CDRom support' when prompted by the floppy.
Please note the CD drive will not have the normal letter such as when windows is running, meaning it could be E: or something else entirely. There is a message that appears just before the A:\> prompt appears giving you the drive letter assignment.
Type in this command at the prompt to format.
format c:
Use the letter for the CD in place of the X below to start windows setup.
X:\win98\setup
After windows is running, install the motherboard drivers as the first thing.