how to run format

[Mac]

Hi Mac, is this the url for the Terrabyte Image for Dos you mentioned?

http://www.btsoftware.com/products/imaged.htm

I was using their homepage, but the URL you have is a good one for people to see the pricing, which I find to be very reasonable.

So thank you for that one. I can now price things in GBP and Euros too!

Home Page http://www.terabyteunlimited.com

Pricing http://www.btsoftware.com/products/imaged.htm

[Mac]

Hi Mac,
 Thank you very much for your help with my pc project of having a fully customized XP Home system partition image saved and then being able to restore it back to the original c: system paritition and of course boot off of it successfully.

If you would be so kind, I have some other questions about your reply to me on the Computer Hope forum:

You wrote:
"I find that I can restore the C: drive after formatting,  from the E: drive using the TeraByte Image for DOS bootdiskette, just that it is safer to have a reliable image on CDRs and OFF the HDD in case of total drive failure."

My question:
Before you restore the saved image of the C: drive back to the original partition do you format it first with format /s? Isn't the original format /s still on the partition?

Can't a restored image just be written back to the original paritition and have it still be formatted with the /s switch and remain active? How does a restore change these settings?

Thank you very much for your reply. Please email me with your answer.
Have a great day.

Better to say:

"I find that I can restore the C: drive from the E: drive (or from the CDRs) using the TeraByte Image for DOS bootdiskette, after formatting the C: drive (from DOS using the Windows Start-Up bootdiskette, or by putting format onto the Terabyte bootdiskette) (or in your case from the XP CD), just that it is safer to have a reliable image on CDRs and OFF the HDD in case of total drive failure."

Format /s is used for Windows '98, ME won't accept the /s switch and I don't see it being used with XP as you either boot directly to the CD or use the 6 floppy disk set.

I would stick to booting to the XP CD and re-format the C: drive. When this is completed re-boot to the Terabyte bootdisk and restore the image from the E: drive (in my case) or from the CDRs.

You cannot format a C: drive from the same hard drive, so it HAS to be formatted either from the A: drive (using a floppy) or from a CD-ROM drive (using the XP CD)

On the same hard drive you CAN format drives D: , E: & F: plus any drives on a second hard drive (slave drive) G: H: , I: & J: from the C: drive.

[ricky1me]

Better to say:

after formatting the C: drive (from DOS using the Windows Start-Up bootdiskette, or by putting format onto the Terabyte bootdiskette) (or in your case from the XP CD),

Format /s is used for Windows '98, ME won't accept the /s switch and I don't see it being used with XP as you either boot directly to the CD or use the 6 floppy disk set.

I would stick to booting to the XP CD and re-format the C: drive.

You cannot format a C: drive from the same hard drive, so it HAS to be formatted either from the A: drive (using a floppy) or from a CD-ROM drive (using the XP CD)


Mac,

What exactly is the Windows start up bootdiskette?
I created one from instructions from microsoft for xp home and I cannot get format to run.

I do not have an xp install cd because the system came preloaded when I bought it.

What exactly is the format you put on the Terrabyte boot diskette? Is it format.com that you get from xp home i386 folder?

And you just format c: and that's it? It will just format the c: partition and leave the others alone correct? And you do not use the /s switch?

[merlin_2]

http://old.bink.nu/xpbootcd/

[Mac]

Better to say:

after formatting the C: drive (from DOS using the Windows Start-Up bootdiskette, or by putting format onto the Terabyte bootdiskette) (or in your case from the XP CD),

Format /s is used for Windows '98, ME won't accept the /s switch and I don't see it being used with XP as you either boot directly to the CD or use the 6 floppy disk set.

I would stick to booting to the XP CD and re-format the C: drive.

You cannot format a C: drive from the same hard drive, so it HAS to be formatted either from the A: drive (using a floppy) or from a CD-ROM drive (using the XP CD)

 
Mac,

What exactly is the Windows start up bootdiskette?
I created one from instructions from microsoft for xp home and I cannot get format to run.

>>>> You need these SIX boot/setup diskettes for XP Home. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455-bd5afee126d8&displaylang=en

I do not have an xp install cd because the system came preloaded when I bought it.

>>>> W-hat is the make and model of your computer? Does it have a recovery, restore or smart-restore from a hidden partition, like Packard-Bell for example?

What exactly is the format you put on the Terrabyte boot diskette? Is it format.com that you get from xp home i386 folder?

>>>> I just use format.com

And you just format c: and that's it? It will just format the c: partition and leave the others alone correct? And you do not use the /s switch?

If you command is format c: then it won't touch the other drive partitions on the same physical drive.

My system won't let me use the format /s switch.

Read these instructions carefully from, "If you are using ... "

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=313348#appliesto

And get your six bootdisk set from here

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8fe6868-6e4f-471c-b455-bd5afee126d8&displaylang=en

When the C: drive has been formatted you should then be able to revert to your imaging program and restore drive C:

[ricky1me]

Hi,

When I use the six xp diskettes, it ask's for the xp install cd which I do not have. I cannot use the 6 xp diskette's. The xp system I have came on the HP Pavillion pc I bought.

When I copy format.com to the diskette I made from:

start - my computer - a: drive - format - "create an ms dos startup disk"

and enter format it says "bad command or file name" or "incorrect ms dos version"

When I go into the command line on xp and enter format it brings it up successfully.

Help!