How to reformat hard drive with Windows XP on it?

Bob_98SR5 · 08-04-2005, 01:15 PM

Hi guys,

I knew this was a bad move.

I had Windows 2000 Pro on my older Dell XPS650 (yeah, I know, its ancient) which has performed just fine. For whatever reason, I decided about 3 weeks ago to upgrade it to XP Pro. And let's just say that the upgrade was NOT flawless. I won't go into great detail, but just about everything is jacked up with my computer. It is slow as molasses, damn MSN Messenger pop ups keep coming up to remind me that there's a newer version, etc.

So I backed up all my important data files and now I want to just wipe the drive and revert to and reinstall windows 2000 Pro. None of this XP Pro b.s.

So I tried figuring out how to do this, but I couldn't figure it out. I tried getting to the dos prompt (run>>>cmd) and formatting the drive, but that didn't work. That's the way I've done it in the past, so I don't know of any other way.

Can one of you guys enlighten me on the best way to do this?

Thanks,
Bob

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Churnd · 08-04-2005, 01:23 PM

Basically, just make sure all your files are backed up and you can re-install all your programs... then stick the 2000 Pro CD in, reboot, delete the partition(s), reformat, and reinstall.

I'll go ahead and say upgrading to XP Pro is never a good idea (which you probably already know). However, if you're willing to give XP another shot (which you should), then the steps above will give you a fully clean and fully functional installation, minus all the problems you're having now. Well, except for the MSN Messenger thing but I can tell you how to get rid of that.

Let me know what you want to do and try not to get too frustrated. I'll help out as much as I can.

Edit: I'm assuming you have a full copy of XP Pro, and not the upgrade version.

garrett1478 · 08-04-2005, 02:19 PM

i dont know if you have this option, but if you do, you can put your hd into another computer as a slave drive and you can then do anything you want bc its not the drive used for the OS. buut if you dont have another computer (or a friend's to use) then stick with chris's idea

Bob_98SR5 · 08-04-2005, 05:57 PM

hey guys,

thanks, ill try what you said, chris. ill let you know how it goes

bob

ldivinag · 08-15-2005, 06:20 AM

worse case scenario, reinstall win2k, then IMMEDIATELY upgrade to XP.

some serial # wont allow a clean install of XP if no previous MS o/s exist on it...

kevin444 · 08-15-2005, 09:44 PM

WIN2k and SP4 is awesome. I would'nt use XP only if i had no choice.

Bob_98SR5 · 09-09-2005, 02:31 AM

ok, i finally had some time to spend on this little annoying project. i did alot of searching on google and found this on microsoft's support page here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=3...25120121120120

How to partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program

Important If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. We recommend that you back up your hard disk before you follow these steps.

To partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program: 1.Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer.

Note To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or from the startup disk), your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer.2.If you are starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do this.

Note If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver.

For additional information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 314859 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/) Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup
If you are starting from the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each of the additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk.3.At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.4.Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.5.If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.6.All the existing partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition by using unpartitioned space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining unpartitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition.

Note If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition.7.Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.8.Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want them.9.If you want to install Windows XP, use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER. If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press F3 two times to quit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps. In this case, you must use a different utility to format the partition.10.Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then press ENTER. You have the following options: •Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)•Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)•Format the partition by using the NTFS file system•Format the partition by using the FAT file system•Leave the current file system intact (no changes)The option to leave the current file system intact is not available if the selected partition is a new partition. The FAT file system option is not available if the selected partition is more than 32 gigabytes (GB). If the partition is larger than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT32 file system (you must press ENTER to confirm). If the partition is smaller than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT16 file system.

Note If you deleted and created a new System partition, but you are installing Windows XP on a different partition, you will be prompted to select a file system for both the System and startup partitions.11.After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue. After the Windows Setup program is completed, you can use the Disk Management tools in Windows XP to create or format more partitions.

basically what i'm doing is eliminating the old partitions, reformatting the drive and just creating one single partition. i'll stick with win xp since the install of it will be automatic (its running right now). hopefully all the wacky issues of the upgrade will be eliminated

bob

jimbo74 · 09-09-2005, 03:10 AM

why are you trying to us a dos command promt in windows to run utilities such as format? shouldn't that be doen directly in dos before startup? or prevent startup with forcing CTRL to dos?

Churnd · 09-09-2005, 06:59 AM

Bob -

That's explaining every little do-dad in XP's setup... more than you need to know. Basically, you'll just boot to the cd, hit enter to install windows, delete the existing partition(s) if you wish to do so (I would), then create a new one (use NTFS), and install windows. That's all there is to it. Make sure you download all the updates afterwards though.

08-04-2005, 01:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Basically, just make sure all your files are backed up and you can re-install all your programs... then stick the 2000 Pro CD in, reboot, delete the partition(s), reformat, and reinstall. I'll go ahead and say upgrading to XP Pro is never a good idea (which you probably already know). However, if you're willing to give XP another shot (which you should), then the steps above will give you a fully clean and fully functional installation, minus all the problems you're having now. Well, except for the MSN Messenger thing but I can tell you how to get rid of that. Let me know what you want to do and try not to get too frustrated. I'll help out as much as I can. Edit: I'm assuming you have a full copy of XP Pro, and not the upgrade version. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website Last edited by Churnd; 08-04-2005 at 01:27 PM.

08-15-2005, 06:20 AM	#5 (permalink)
ldivinag Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: N37 39* W122 3* Posts: 1,428	worse case scenario, reinstall win2k, then IMMEDIATELY upgrade to XP. some serial # wont allow a clean install of XP if no previous MS o/s exist on it... __________________ leo d. stock 90 4runner

08-15-2005, 09:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
kevin444 Contributing Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,865	WIN2k and SP4 is awesome. I would'nt use XP only if i had no choice. __________________ 02 4runner conversion complete!

09-09-2005, 06:59 AM	#9 (permalink)
Churnd Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 4,093	Bob - That's explaining every little do-dad in XP's setup... more than you need to know. Basically, you'll just boot to the cd, hit enter to install windows, delete the existing partition(s) if you wish to do so (I would), then create a new one (use NTFS), and install windows. That's all there is to it. Make sure you download all the updates afterwards though. __________________ -Chris If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Click here to search! My Website

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08-04-2005, 02:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
garrett1478 Banned Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 0	i dont know if you have this option, but if you do, you can put your hd into another computer as a slave drive and you can then do anything you want bc its not the drive used for the OS. buut if you dont have another computer (or a friend's to use) then stick with chris's idea

08-04-2005, 05:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bob_98SR5 Contributing Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 10,092	hey guys, thanks, ill try what you said, chris. ill let you know how it goes bob

09-09-2005, 02:31 AM	#7 (permalink)
Bob_98SR5 Contributing Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 10,092	ok, i finally had some time to spend on this little annoying project. i did alot of searching on google and found this on microsoft's support page here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=3...25120121120120 How to partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program Important If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. We recommend that you back up your hard disk before you follow these steps. To partition and format your hard disk by using the Windows XP Setup program: 1.Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer. Note To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or from the startup disk), your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive, the DVD-ROM drive, or the floppy disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer.2.If you are starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do this. Note If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver. For additional information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 314859 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314859/) Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup If you are starting from the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each of the additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk.3.At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.4.Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.5.If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.6.All the existing partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition by using unpartitioned space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining unpartitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition. Note If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition.7.Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.8.Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want them.9.If you want to install Windows XP, use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER. If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press F3 two times to quit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps. In this case, you must use a different utility to format the partition.10.Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then press ENTER. You have the following options: •Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)•Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)•Format the partition by using the NTFS file system•Format the partition by using the FAT file system•Leave the current file system intact (no changes)The option to leave the current file system intact is not available if the selected partition is a new partition. The FAT file system option is not available if the selected partition is more than 32 gigabytes (GB). If the partition is larger than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT32 file system (you must press ENTER to confirm). If the partition is smaller than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT16 file system. Note If you deleted and created a new System partition, but you are installing Windows XP on a different partition, you will be prompted to select a file system for both the System and startup partitions.11.After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue. After the Windows Setup program is completed, you can use the Disk Management tools in Windows XP to create or format more partitions. basically what i'm doing is eliminating the old partitions, reformatting the drive and just creating one single partition. i'll stick with win xp since the install of it will be automatic (its running right now). hopefully all the wacky issues of the upgrade will be eliminated bob

09-09-2005, 03:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
jimbo74 Banned Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Nor*Cal Posts: 6,582	why are you trying to us a dos command promt in windows to run utilities such as format? shouldn't that be doen directly in dos before startup? or prevent startup with forcing CTRL to dos?

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