Format command

2 methods

(1)

1. Start Windows 95
2. Put floppy disk in drive
3. Copy format.com from your Windows 95 installation to your floppy disk.

I think you will find format.com in the folder C:\Windows\COMMAND.

(2) Maybe easier

1. Boot from floppy
2. At the A: prompt type COPY C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\FORMAT.COM
3. You should see "1 file copied" and then get the A: prompt back
4. If you are sure you want to nuke the disk type FORMAT C: and answer the "are you sure" message appropriately.

If you have confidential or sensitive data, then you want something better than the FORMAT command.  The format command will make the data inaccessible to a novice computer user, but computer professionals and experienced computer users can easily recover your files that were on a partition that was simply formatted with a boot disk.

What are you going to do with the computer(s) after you have wiped the drive?

Thanks so much to all of you for trying to solve my problem! 

I definitely want to wipe out the hard drive for disposal.  I did a search on the internet before starting this project and there are tons of sites that say all I have to do is reformat the hard disks (2 each).

This is a function of the level of security that you feel you need.

For me,  simply formatting the drive(s) would be ok...  because there is nothing really critical on this machine.    No credit card numbers... nothing like that.

I don't mind downloading a freeware program to get the same thing accomplished, assuming the two methods give the same results ().

Not quite the same.

See GuryGary's post above.    That's a more secure method.     On general principle,  that is what I would do anyway.

The absolute secure method is to remove the hard drive(s) and destroy them.      But for most folks, that is overkill.   

   After this I need to wipe out my old Win 98 computer too. 


There were two methods I found for creating a Win 95 boot disk but only one was feasible in my situation.

Even though you don't need this if you follow GuruGary's suggestion,  for future use... if you ever need/want a Win98 or Win95 boot floppy disk:
visit   www.bootdisk.com
You can download executable files there.
Grab the one you want,  and run it.
It asks you to insert a floppy.   Then it makes it a boot floppy.   Easy.
It is free.

(I don't remember if the created boot floppy includes format.com or not.
Maybe somebody else here can jump in and let us know.  )

  The first one called for going to Start--Settings--Control Panel--Add/Remove programs and selecting Startup Disk to create one from the original Win 95 CD which I no longer have.  So I went to method #2 which had me open My Computer (can't find my notes on where I went after that) and then format a new disk clicking "create a systems disk".  Is a systems disk the same as a boot disk???  Anyways, I checked the dir for that disk (as Contrex suggested), and there was only one file named command.com.   So that probably explains my format command problems.  So what direction do you suggest now?  Thanks again, Sue

[Moderator]

  IO.SYS           ; System boot file.
    MSDOS.SYS        ; Boot option information (paths, multiboot, and so on).
    DRVSPACE.BIN     ; Microsoft DriveSpace compression driver.
    CONFIG.SYS       ; Loads the device drivers.
    HIMEM.SYS        ; Extended (XMS) Memory Manager.
    COMMAND.COM      ; Command interpreter.
    AUTOEXEC.BAT     ; A batch file which runs when you boot it.
    ASPI2DOS.SYS     ; Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
    ASPI4DOS.SYS     ; Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
    ASPI8DOS.SYS     ; Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
    ASPI8U2DOS.SYS   ; Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
    ASPICD.SYS       ; Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
    BTCDROM.SYS      ; Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
    BTDOSM.SYS       ; Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
    FLASHPT.SYS      ; Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
    OAKCDROM.SYS     ; Generic device driver for ATAPI CD-ROM drives.
    SETRAMD.BAT      ; Searches for first available drive to be a Ramdrive.
    RAMDRIVE.SYS     ; Creates a Ramdrive during startup.
    FINDRAMD.EXE     ; Utility to find the RAM drive during startup.
    EXTRACT.EXE      ; File to expand the Ebd.cab file.
    FDISK.EXE        ; Disk partition tool.
    SYS.COM          ; System transfer tool.
    EBD.SYS          ; Disket identifier file (Windows 98 startup disk)
    MODE.COM         ; Lets you change console parameters
    README.TXT       ; Document file
    EDB.CAB          ; Cabinet (compressed) file containing the following
      ATTRIB.EXE     ; Add or remove file attributes.
      CHKDSK.EXE     ; Simpler and smaller disk status tool.
      DEBUG.EXE      ; Debug utility.
      EDIT.COM       ; Real-mode emergency text editor.
      EXT.EXE        ; File extract utility.
      FORMAT.COM     ; Disk format tool.
      HELP.BAT       ; Launches the readme.txt for the startup disk.
      HELP.TXT       ; Help text file.
      MSCDEX.EXE     ; Microsoft CD-ROM file extension for MS-DOS.
      RESTART.COM    ; Restart your computer.
      SCANDISK.EXE   ; Disk status tool.
      SCANDISK.INI   ; Disk status tool configuration file.
      SYS.COM        ; system transfer tool.
      UNINSTAL.EXE   ; Removes Win 98 and restores the previous state.

(I don't remember if the created boot floppy includes format.com or not.
Maybe somebody else here can jump in and let us know.  )

    FDISK.EXE        ; Disk partition tool.

      FORMAT.COM     ; Disk format tool.

Viola` !

Thank you.     

Ta-da, mission accomplished  !!!  GuruGary's explanation on formating vs a delete freeware pgm was most helpful, so I downloaded DiskDeleter ZW and it did the job on both my Win 95 and 98 systems.  Ha, almost cried as I put the later to bed one final time.  Now to haul them to the hazardous materials recycling center.    Seems a sad demise for my old friends but I had to move on....  Thanks to all for your input!  Sue

Anyways, I checked the dir for that disk (as Contrex suggested), and there was only one file named command.com. 

So I OWN 2k_dummy.

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W00T

[Moderator]

The problem was solved 5 days ago. 

The problem was solved 5 days ago. 

Someone read the first post and just hit "reply" without reading the whole thread...

how can i reformatt my computer microsoft xp?

[Moderator]

Following this thread may make it longer to accomplish...
Start a new Topic with more details on what exactly you want to accomplish and someone will be along shortly.

good day to all, my is when start my computer there is ****STOP:0X0000007B.....INACCESSIBLE BOOT DEVICE
I CANT LOG ON TO MY COMPUTER
PLEASE HELP ABOUT THIS PROBLEM!