Dimension 2400 Desktop. Reformat hard drive

I don't know why on earth tech support would advise anyone to create a boot floppy disk :emotion-3:

Boot floppy disks haven't been required for donkeys years!?

Did you not get an OS disc (i.e. CD/DVD) with your system, because that's what you need? 

If you don't have one, you can request 'Backup Discs' here.

I don't know where you got the idea that "reformatting could be a potentially disastrous procedure" - because it's not at all?

Does your system not have a 'Restore' partition?  If it does, that's what you should use it if/when you need to start from scratch again... following this Dell 'Restoring your [Dell] computer to the factory settings' guide.

If it doesn't... it's a simple matter of booting from the OS disc... (quick-) reformatting the hard drive, and reinstalling the OS.

If you've never done it before, you'll find any number of good guides to reinstalling XP/Vista - many with screenshots, on Google.

You just need to make sure you have all the drivers required by your system - which you can download off the Dell website (Support --> Drivers & Downloads), and XP SP3 or Vista SP1.

XP SP3/Vista SP1 can both be downloaded through Windows Update, but that takes time.  It's best (IMO) to have them to hand on (i.e.) a pendrive, CD/DVD, or external hard drive.

Thereafter... it's a simply matter of getting the latest updates using Windows Update :emotion-5:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&docid=58E26A65A4388E4FE040AE0AB7E107E3&l=en&s=gen

Above are the Dell steps for reinstalling XP on a 2400... No mention of a boot disk being needed.

Also, I happen to have a Dimension 2400 and can absolutley assure you that no floppy boot disk is required. I have no idea where that info. came from, but it is incorrect.

You do need (as the RealFireBlade pointed out) the Dell reinstall cd.

Dell support for this tells you to make a floppy start up disk before reformatting the hard drive. However my computer does not have a floppy disk drive. Can I make a start up disk on a CD? As reformatting could be a potentially disasterous procedure are there any tips to cut down the risks? Regards Bedworthian

Bedworthian

If you have XP, there's no need to format the hard drive with a floppy, formatting the hard drive is part of reinstalling XP.

How to carry out a clean reinstall of XP.

Disconnect all the peripherals from the system except the keyboard, mouse and monitor.

How to configure a Dell Dimension series system to boot to the CD or DVD drive.

This XP reinstallation guide is excellent, or you can use Dell's XP Restallation Guide here.

While installing, remember to delete all existing partitions when you are prompted, then recreate the partitions and format the hard drive, following by installing XP.

After installing XP, you should install the drivers and applications in the correct order, see here

Followed by installing the Anti Virus utility, updating the definitions, then all the critical Microsoft updates.

Bev.

Thanks to everybody for your help on this matter. I did suspect that what you all told me was the case, but the following article from Dell definitely mentions'floppy' Reformat hard disk

However I now know that the hard disk is reformatted when Windows XP os is reinstalled so that's fine,

Thanks again,

Bedworthian

Bedworthian

You are welcome.

Bev.