View Full Version : Reformatting IT question - help please!
Being a little dim, I've never reformatted a hard drive.
Once I have done, how much is left? Will the A: still work so that i can start installing some drivers and get the CD and OS working?
What are the likely DOS command codes (never bothered with DOS)?
Cheers!
SM
Jezz_S13
19-11-2002, 12:14
Is this on a PC?
you will have A: left as long as you have a boot disc, but to install windows you jsut put the CD in and tell the bios to boot from the CD. :)
Yes, it will be on PC.
I'm gonna have to learn quickly LOL
what would the command be to boot straight from CD?
apologies for my ignorance... never had to know until now!
Jezz_S13
19-11-2002, 12:19
to boot from the CD, you need to set the bios to boot from CD.
to do this yo usually press del as it boots to get into the bios and then find the boot sequence section and jsut make sure that the CD is before the HDD.
Save and exit the bios, make sure the CD is in the drive then when it reboots it will automatically boot from the CD, it may ask you to press a key if you want to boot from the CD, it gives about a 5 second timeout else it boots from the HDD anyway.
Depending on what CD you're booting from you may not need to know any DOS commands. Ie, if it's Win2k or XP or Linux etc, then the installer will take you through formatting / partitioning the drives. If it's a win98 cd then when the boot menu appears, choose Boot from CD-ROM and it will boot up to a prompt where you can do what you like. We'll get there when you say what O/S the CD is :)
Dave
dave_s13
19-11-2002, 14:52
Like he said, what OS are u trying to install??
beavertron
19-11-2002, 16:32
Originally posted by Jezz_S13
Is this on a PC?
you will have A: left as long as you have a boot disc, but to install windows you jsut put the CD in and tell the bios to boot from the CD. :)
assuming the bios lets u boot from cd :(
Laugh not... I'll be reinstalling 95.
Never had a prob with it, and it is simple, so ideal for Grandma...
Jezz_S13
20-11-2002, 08:33
Doh, win 95 isn't a bootable CD.
Win98 SE and after are, and NT 4.0 but you don't want that.
You really want to be using 2000 or XP Pro.
:eek: 95 really is poo. If you must use it, please make sure that you are using 95b rather than 95. The cd has Windows95 with Internet Explorer and games written on it, rather than just Windows 95. As Jezz says, you'd be much better off with 98 / 2k / xp. What specs the pc???
Dave
PEntium 100
16mg Ram
It's old....
Put it this way, XP is the spawn of Satan in my view, never EVER had trouble free operation, even on a 1.75ghz/512MbRam machine.
And i made the 2000 operating system collapse before...
Jezz_S13
20-11-2002, 12:48
Originally posted by Starionman
PEntium 100
16mg Ram
It's old....
Oh sh!t. :eek:
You need to make a boot floppy with the CD drivers on.
A win98 boot disk would be ideal for this. :) Do you know anyone running win98 that could make you a boot disk?
If so you are laughing, put disk in, boot from it choose 'Boot with CD Support' (or hwatever it says) then shove your CD in, then go to whatever drive letter it said the CD was mounted on, prolly E: then type setup.
Or if you don't know anyone, try this .... http://www.bootdisk.com/
and this for win95 installation help ...
http://www.netpathway.com/~kramer/reinstall.html
Dave
Cheers guys.
Basically this is my old machine - I'm going to upgrade fairly cheaply i decided to something of around 500mhz 128mb ram to tide me over for the next year or so (about 185squid from loot with all software and bits) and my Gran is going to have my old one...
Basically, she wants easy to use, Office and internet complient, not much more...
Ohh bugger... so much to get my head around... so little time....
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