Want to Format Entire Drive -- Cannot get into DOS with windows XP to do so!

Question

I am trying to completely delete my hard drive and reinstall everything.  I used to do this very easily with windows 98.  I would simply exit to the DOS prompt and format c: Now I cannot get exit windows to get to the DOS prompt.  I can only get to DOS while in windows XP... which isn't helpful, because having windows running prevents formatting from being possible.   The dell resource CD for system recovery isn't helpful either. It has only caused me to install XP twice on the system.   How can I delete EVERYTHING?   Thanks in advance.

shesagordie · Answer

LaVerdad1.

With XP you partition and format as part of reinstalling the operating system and instructions for this are here,

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp

The following article may help,

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document_print.asp?DN=RG1060556

Prior to installing, remember to make the CD/ROM the first boot device and disconnect all external peripherals from the computer, except the keyboard and mouse.

While installing, delete exsisting partitions (Paragraph 5) when you are prompted,then remake and format
them (Paragraphs 6&7), followed by installing XP.

You have to reload the drivers and applications, etc, which should be on the CDs sent with the computer. After the installation, you will need to download and install the MicroSoft Critical Updates, plus any other updates you deem necessary.

Printing a copy of these instructions, both as a reference and to read, could be a help.

Bev.

LaVerdad1 · Answer

That's more than mildly annoying. Why would microsoft have done that?

At any rate, yesterday I actually made a bootdisk with the format command. However, when I tried the disc, if would only read the a drive. I couldn't access the c:\ drive. Any thoughts on what was missing?

network01 · Answer

You will have to make a Windows 95 or 98 bootdisk with the format.com file on the disk. Boot the computer with the floppy and then type format c: to erase the whole hard drive from DOS. Windows XP will not let you boot to a C: prompt, nor can you format the boot drive from the command prompt within Windows. You can go to bootdisk.com and download bootable floppy images for Win 95 or 98. Then you have to copy the format.com file to the disk from either an actual Windows 95 or 98 CD.

Hope this helps.

LaVerdad1 · Answer

Thanks for the articles.  But is there no way to get into DOS and run c:\format c:  ??

koolhonda · Answer

If your drive's formatted in NTFS, I doubt a 98 boot disk could handle it. Why are you making things difficult on yourself? Booting to the XP CD and formatting that way is how most people do it nowdays.

simpswr · Answer

Why would you want to do it the hard way? ?   Do as Bev said and you will be finished before you could make a boot disc. wrs

makidok23 · Answer

Try to boot from the windows xp cd and just follow the prompt there...if you see a message that it can repair your existing windows xp press ESC button....then follow the prompt to delete all of the partition, once you see that it has only one option and it says unpartitioned space then just keep pressing enter. Gudluck

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