Reformatting Windows 98 and installing Windows XP

[Jesse Welsh]

Hey there,

I want to reformat my Hard Drive for there are too many errors, a few viruses, and lots of missing files, corrupted files and files that I do not know if I can delete or not.

What I want to do is Reformat the whole hardrive and then install Windows XP. I have the Windows XP Disc, and I already attempted to install windows xp, so it done so sucessfully but it did not takeover windows 98, so now I am stuck with Windows 98 in C Drive and Windows XP in D Drive, Please tell me how to delete everything from my computer (including XP) and how to start again fresh.

Thank you for your time and help


Jesse

[merlin_2]

load a win98 boot floppy and use the format c: command..then fdisk and set up partions for win98 and winxp.. and then reload win98/xp...info>http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_repair_9x.htm......cash could have been saved by using programs to give you the winxp feel...my opinon..

[Mac]

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/clean1.html RE-INSTALLING WINDOWS

http://www.pcpitstop.com/xpready/default.asp XP-READY?

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html CLEAN INSTALL XP

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=313348 Partitioning & Formatting XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=30900 Using Disk Manager


Do you have the full XP CD or is it an upgrade? Have you slipstreamed Service Pack Two (SP2) together with your XP CD and made a new XP CD using AutoStreamer 1·0 so as to get a clean install? Do you have a full '98 CD?

Best to just boot to the new XPSP2 CD (easier to use oldbios.exe on a floppy instead of changing over your BIOS, but you can do either)

When you get to the install use the XP CD to delete all of your partitions and start over. Make an 8·0Gb drive C: (Type 8192) for the XP Operating System and a drive D: using the rest of the drive. (You can have one Primary and up to three Logical drives on one physical drive.)

Formatting is up to you, but I advise formatting directly to NTFS and NOT pre-formatting the drive with FAT32.

That way you get 4096 byte allocation clusters which are optimised for using XP on NTFS and an unfragmented Master File Table (MFT) and your system WILL run better.)

When all is formatted just proceed with the installation.
When complete run chkdsk and defrag, then add your Anti-Virus and Firewall (I use AVG & Zone Alarm), re-connect your modem, go-online, immediately update your AV and run an AV scan.

Now go to Windows Update site and add all relevant updates for your system.

Add ALL of your other programs, then add SpyBot SD, AdAware SE & SpywareBlaster, update them all and scan thoroughly.

You should install the Recovery Console to the HDD as well to save you time in the future.

With the XP CD in the CD-ROM and whilst connected to the internet type:

(CD-ROM Drive Letter):\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons , and press Enter.

Windows will contact MS and download the latest files for the Recovery Console and install them to your HDD. Next time you boot you'll see a 30 second count-down before XP starts.

Reduce this to 4 seconds in System, Advanced, Start-Up and Recovery, Settings. Leave the other setting at 30 seconds.

Make all of your personal settings and when all is to your liking image the drive to CDRs so that you can re-install easily.

Good luck!

[Jesse Welsh]

Okay, I have no idea what you guys are talking about, I don't know what A Boot Disk is or Fat32 or anything like that.

Here is what I can tell you:

I bought this computer and it came with Windows 98, and all of the CDs to install everything like the screen and printer and everything.

It also came with a Windows 98 Disc.

Just recently I decided Windows 98 is not good enough so I bought The Windows XP Professional Edition.

So now I have this CD and So I stuck it into my CD Drive, It scanned it and asked what i wanted to do, I clicked 'Install Windows XP' and so it began installing, It did ask questions and I had no idea what they were talking about so I just guessed the questions.

So I now have Windows XP and Windows 98.

It was suppose to go over my Windows 98 but it didn't, then I found out from a friend that I had to Reformat my computer so I can install everything and have a fresh start.

What I want to do is Delete everything, Everything from C Drive, and D Drive, Because I have alot of random files and errors.

Is there any simple ways to delete everything and reinstall windows xp? like a program I can download that will just delete everything and let me install windows? or do I have to do all that stuff like get a boot disk and stuff?

Sorry for been so stupid but I am no good when it comes to computers and thats why I came here to ask computer people who can help computer problems...

So if anyone can help me do this I will be so happy:

1) Delete Everything
2) Install Windows XP

Thats all i want to do, Is there any simple way of doing this? If so, Can you Please explain to me in a simple way so I can understand cause its hard

[merlin_2]

rather than give you goobledgook have a l@@k here>http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdoldhdd/index.htm

[shield]

if you want to do a total clean install just do it an easy way... get a win98 Startup disk boot without cdrom support, type 'fdisk' and delete your primary partition. then reboot, same thing in fdisk and create a primary partition, reboot, boot with floppy and 'format c: /s'... popin your xp cd and install away

[dl65]

Jesse Welsh.....What you should do is .....first go to bootdisk.com and D/l a win 98boot disk and put it on a floppy disc.( make sure the boot disk has  Format , Fdisk ,MSCDEX and several other Dos files on it .)

Read this ... http://www.techrescue.net/guides/prepdrv6.asp

Once you have done this then you must format C drive.....to do this at the A: type Format C: and enter
You will see the message that you will lose all data ...do you want to continue ....answer yes ......and let it do its thing ...this will take a while depending on the size of your HD......when its finished ...reboot your computer with the boot disk in drive A .......It will load several files and when it finished and you see the A: prompt ......type D: ( that should be your cd drive ) and put the win XP disk in and then press enter.......it will load then open ......choose install .....
When its finished ( and that will take about 30 - 40 minutes) go to windows update page.....and get the latest updates and then you can D/l SP2
****be sure to install some sort of Anti virus before going online or you could end up with a virus or a trojan.

let us know how you make out

dl65  

[shield]

didnt i just say that dl65 ?  

[dl65]

didnt i just say that dl65 ?  

Sorry I lost my temper......LOL.....I missed your last post

dl65  

[shield]

no problem, i guess its a canadian thing !!!! just kidding.... i guess the saying great minds think alike? lol

[dl65]

no problem, i guess its a canadian thing !!!! just kidding.... i guess the saying great minds think alike? lol

Only in Canada you say...lol

dl65  

[shield]

my wife's from canada so i always tease her the way she talks like aboot or romoute <- just how she pronounces it too lol

[Raptor]

Instead of waiting for the fella to respond to the first message (He may never even come back) you guys write an entire dialoque?  

[Mac]

Jesse, You should do the compatability test first otherwise you won't know if your hardware can handle XP.

We don't know what your hardware is like, and you didn't answer any of the questions, so we can only assume what it is that you want to do with your computer. You may have programs that need a lot of computing power and there is no crystal ball.

Some think that there is an easy way to do these things, but when you see just how many people want to take XP off and put '98 back on you will realise that it is NOT just that simple.

It is similar to tuning a car. If you want it to perform well it needs to be done right. All of the other equipment has to be up to the job. You have a lot of reading there and there is no point in having information technology if you don't inform yourself.

One thing it is not and that is that it is not a Television set. You don't just turn it on and hope it works.

XP is totally different to anything that went before with the exception of 2000 & NT

The NT, 2000, XP operating systems are quite different to the 95, 98, ME operating systems.

Windows 64-bit systems are totally different again.

95, 98, ME will usefully use up to 512Mb of RAM (0·5Gb)

NT, 2000, XP will usefully use up to 4096Mb or RAM (4·0Gb)

Whereas 64-bit systems can use up to 16384Mb of RAM (16·0Gb)

OK so simple instructions for suck it and see.

Change over BIOS so that the computer boots to the CD-ROM drive. As it is starting put the XP CD into the CD-ROM drive and allow it to load.

Choose to delete all partitions which you see.

Make a new C: drive partition using 8192(Mb) for the size. XP Professional needs plenty of room. Make a second drive D: partition using the remainder of the drive space.)

When the drive-space is fully used, format the two drives, choosing to format to NTFS, as you want to install XP Professional as there are features in XP Professional which will not work on FAT32 File Allocation Tables. (FAT).

These features are not available with XP Home edition.

You can format the D: drive from the C: drive later if you want. But you cannot format the C: drive when Windows is running. You can also delete the D: drive from within Windows and make two or three (maximum) drive partitions, D: , E: , F: if you need to at some later stage.

It helps to know just how big this drive is, btw.

When all of the formatting has been done choose to install XP Professional to the C: drive partition.

If all goes well you should be at the desktop in about 40 minutes.

Good luck. There is quite a long learning curve with XP Professional so just take your time.

The main benefits apart from encryption and file compression are the NTFS addressing system and allocation cluster size optimisation.

This last is a bit of a trade-off between performance and efficient use of the available disk-space, and that is why the hardware needs to be up to the job when it comes to getting full performance.

As many people don't understand the underlying principles fully they often find the experience to be disappointing.

A little more knowledge would surely enlighten them.

NOTE: Here is an interesting Forum glitch: '95/'98/ME operating systems.

Compare that to the line above.