If you have the Windows ME CD, you should just be able to boot up into the CD, the reinstal wil automaticly format any existing data on the hard drive for the fresh install.
First look in C:\ and see if zztop.bat is still there. If it is, run it and if the image file is still intact it will restore your hdd to factory image like when you first turned it on. If it reports no image file, it was overwritten and you need to do as EstevanB said.
If it was me, I would install some other OS besides W-Me; it is an accident looking for a place to happen, or a nightmare waiting to occur. W98SE is better than it.
I don't believe it is, unless Dell released a Recovery CD. I installed W-Me from retail CDs twice, because I am a glutton for punishment, and both times I used a W98 Boot disk to prep the Drive, boot the CDROM and install the CDROM drivers, then switch to the W-ME CD by typing SETUP at the A:Prompt. If you insist on using a W-ME boot Disk to prep the Drive and boot the CDROM, get one here
www.bootdisk.com
Inspiron 3500 C600GT Windows XP Pro 600mhz Celeron CPU 512mb PC100 SDRAM 40gb Hitachi 7200rpm # HTS726040M9AT00 Built Up Lite-On LSC20482k CDRW/ DVDROM Margi Card DVD Decoder Floppy and Cable
Only if they are Dell Recovery CDs. I have had the Retail upgrade and also the Full set once each. They were not Bootable in DOS, the same as W98SE. I have a W98SE Dell Recovery CD which is bootable and according to Forum regular Denny Dunham, Dell made W-Me Recovery CDs which are bootable, but not the retail sets, or the nonspecific OEM full sets.
Okay, John. Actually I learned a bit that I did not know, that Dell had supplied Recovery CDs for W-ME. The only CD I had ever seen that Dell provided for ME was a standard Upgrade CD along with a W98 Recovery CD.
Thanks Esteban and ALL that was quite a response,
So, I have tried using the CD, however, I have not been able to get that to work. It starts, and it looks like it is going to be fine, however, in the middle of the installation of Windows ME it always stops or freezes. I have tried booting from CD Drive. I have tired with CD support AND without CD support.
It looks like I need to get a "boot disk?" from the website that someone as mentionned? I will also check the imaging as well. I will get back to you soon. Thank you
-The Rookie
How is this problem going for you? My buddy is having the same issue and when we tried the re-install disk for ME it only installs ME and does not re-format the drive. Did the boot disk work? I have downloaded it and I will burn it and give it too him. How about the zztop.bat file did it work? I am looking for anything at this point. I have never had so much trouble trying to re-format a drive.
If you wish to partition and format the drive for ME, try a DOS boot floppy with the FDISK utility on it. If you can temporarily install the drive as a second drive in a system running XP, you could use XP's Disk Management. It's a little easier to use. FDISK runs in DOS, but the guide below can help if you're not experienced.
Partitioning may offer some advantages, particularly as drive sizes have grown in the past few years. Create at least two partitions, one for the operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications and another separate partition for data. That's my recommendation. Dell still ships systems without a separate data partition, but they'll come around eventually.
http://partition.radified.com/
If you don't need to do any partitioning, just boot to the Dell Reinstall Windows ME CD and format the drive. Step-by-step instructions for this are in the Reinstall Guides under the Product Support tab at the top of these pages. You will need to enter your model number and the operating system or your service tag number, after which you will be presented with quite a few detailed guides for reinstalling the operating system, drivers and utilities, and more.
EstevanB
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johnallg
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leduke30
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Steve1077
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leduke30
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Message Edited by leduke30 on 10-04-2004 08:53 PM
johnallg
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October 5th, 2004 02:00
The history of the posts on this forum for 3.5 years is the ME cd is bootable.
johnallg
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October 5th, 2004 03:00
leduke30
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October 5th, 2004 03:00
Inspiron 3500 C600GT
Windows XP Pro
600mhz Celeron CPU
512mb PC100 SDRAM
40gb Hitachi 7200rpm # HTS726040M9AT00
Built Up Lite-On LSC20482k CDRW/ DVDROM
Margi Card DVD Decoder
Floppy and Cable
Only if they are Dell Recovery CDs. I have had the Retail upgrade and also the Full set once each. They were not Bootable in DOS, the same as W98SE. I have a W98SE Dell Recovery CD which is bootable and according to Forum regular Denny Dunham, Dell made W-Me Recovery CDs which are bootable, but not the retail sets, or the nonspecific OEM full sets.
Message Edited by leduke30 on 10-04-2004 11:38 PM
leduke30
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Violisto
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October 6th, 2004 23:00
So, I have tried using the CD, however, I have not been able to get that to work. It starts, and it looks like it is going to be fine, however, in the middle of the installation of Windows ME it always stops or freezes. I have tried booting from CD Drive. I have tired with CD support AND without CD support.
It looks like I need to get a "boot disk?" from the website that someone as mentionned? I will also check the imaging as well. I will get back to you soon. Thank you
-The Rookie
leduke30
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lax13
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January 7th, 2005 00:00
GreyMack
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January 7th, 2005 11:00
Partitioning may offer some advantages, particularly as drive sizes have grown in the past few years. Create at least two partitions, one for the operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications and another separate partition for data. That's my recommendation. Dell still ships systems without a separate data partition, but they'll come around eventually.
http://partition.radified.com/
http://fdisk.radified.com/