Problem Formatting the HDD and Reinstalling XP

[Guest]

I've been trying to reinstall Windows on my other computer and I've read
everything I could find on formatting the harddrive. I don't need to back
anything up, as the said computer is my gaming machine. I need all files on
my harddrive destroyed. My problem is this: I insert the Windows XP Home
Edition setup disk and boot from that. When the option is presented to repair
or create a new installation, I choose Create New Installation. I am not
presented with I license agreement for some reason (apparently, I should be,
if I'm reading instructions correctly). It skips directly to the partitions
screen. I have two options: Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948 MB
Free) and Unpartitioned Space (8MB). Needless to say neither of the free
spaces are enough. I cannot delete Partition1, and can't install on
unpartitioned space. So, this screen is as far as I can get. Can someone
please help me with this issue.
Oh, by the way. I have installed Windows XP three times before, I didn't
know it used up unpartitioned space, I thought it overwrote the previous
partition.
Another issue I've been having while trying to reinstall: It seems as though
my first installation of XP on the said computer was a different
installation. I was on the same disk, though. It never asked me for a product
key. It also automattically installed Norton Anti-Virus 2003 for me. My other
two, however, did not. Everytime I try to install NAV 2004 or 2005 myself, it
gives me an error message saying that isetup cannot complete. Someone please
help me with this, it's extremely exasperating.

 

[Richard Urban [MVP]]

How large is your hard drive? How many drives are installed? What you post
as specs makes no sense "Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948 MB Free)
and Unpartitioned Space (8MB)." That would make it about a 5 gig hard drive.
Is this a very old computer?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

You could go to http://www.bootdisk.com and down load a Win98 floppy
boot disk image. You could then boot from the floppy, use the fdisk
utility to delete the partion , shutdown and reboot from the XP CD. The
hard drive should be seen by XP as unpartitioned space.

By the way, NAV does NOT come as part of XP so it seems that you are
using a proprietry machine such as a Dell or the like, quite often the
version of XP provided with these machines will only work on that
particular machine.

 

[Guest]

Yes, this is an extremely old computer. Unfortunatly, I lack the money to
custom-build my own or to get a new one with decent performance. The
harddrive is 3.99 GB (ugh). Is my old computer the problem?
--
"I don't mind being old. It's being old and fat that I mind."
~Peter Gabriel

How large is your hard drive? How many drives are installed? What you post
as specs makes no sense "Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948 MB Free)
and Unpartitioned Space (8MB)." That would make it about a 5 gig hard drive.
Is this a very old computer?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

I've been trying to reinstall Windows on my other computer and I've read
everything I could find on formatting the harddrive. I don't need to back
anything up, as the said computer is my gaming machine. I need all files
on
my harddrive destroyed. My problem is this: I insert the Windows XP Home
Edition setup disk and boot from that. When the option is presented to
repair
or create a new installation, I choose Create New Installation. I am not
presented with I license agreement for some reason (apparently, I should
be,
if I'm reading instructions correctly). It skips directly to the
partitions
screen. I have two options: Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948 MB
Free) and Unpartitioned Space (8MB). Needless to say neither of the free
spaces are enough. I cannot delete Partition1, and can't install on
unpartitioned space. So, this screen is as far as I can get. Can someone
please help me with this issue.
Oh, by the way. I have installed Windows XP three times before, I didn't
know it used up unpartitioned space, I thought it overwrote the previous
partition.
Another issue I've been having while trying to reinstall: It seems as
though
my first installation of XP on the said computer was a different
installation. I was on the same disk, though. It never asked me for a
product
key. It also automattically installed Norton Anti-Virus 2003 for me. My
other
two, however, did not. Everytime I try to install NAV 2004 or 2005 myself,
it
gives me an error message saying that isetup cannot complete. Someone
please
help me with this, it's extremely exasperating.

 

[Richard Urban [MVP]]

It sounds like you are using the recovery disks that are provided by a
manufacturer. These return the computer to the same condition it was in "as
delivered" to you. You do not have options with this type of recovery. It is
all or nothing.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

Yes, this is an extremely old computer. Unfortunatly, I lack the money to
custom-build my own or to get a new one with decent performance. The
harddrive is 3.99 GB (ugh). Is my old computer the problem?
--
"I don't mind being old. It's being old and fat that I mind."
~Peter Gabriel

How large is your hard drive? How many drives are installed? What you
post
as specs makes no sense "Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948 MB
Free)
and Unpartitioned Space (8MB)." That would make it about a 5 gig hard
drive.
Is this a very old computer?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from: George Ankner
"If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"

I've been trying to reinstall Windows on my other computer and I've
read
everything I could find on formatting the harddrive. I don't need to
back
anything up, as the said computer is my gaming machine. I need all
files
on
my harddrive destroyed. My problem is this: I insert the Windows XP
Home
Edition setup disk and boot from that. When the option is presented to
repair
or create a new installation, I choose Create New Installation. I am
not
presented with I license agreement for some reason (apparently, I
should
be,
if I'm reading instructions correctly). It skips directly to the
partitions
screen. I have two options: Partition1 Space [NTFS] (4095 MB Used 948
MB
Free) and Unpartitioned Space (8MB). Needless to say neither of the
free
spaces are enough. I cannot delete Partition1, and can't install on
unpartitioned space. So, this screen is as far as I can get. Can
someone
please help me with this issue.
Oh, by the way. I have installed Windows XP three times before, I
didn't
know it used up unpartitioned space, I thought it overwrote the
previous
partition.
Another issue I've been having while trying to reinstall: It seems as
though
my first installation of XP on the said computer was a different
installation. I was on the same disk, though. It never asked me for a
product
key. It also automattically installed Norton Anti-Virus 2003 for me. My
other
two, however, did not. Everytime I try to install NAV 2004 or 2005
myself,
it
gives me an error message saying that isetup cannot complete. Someone
please
help me with this, it's extremely exasperating.

 

[Rock]

Yes, this is an extremely old computer. Unfortunatly, I lack the money to
custom-build my own or to get a new one with decent performance. The
harddrive is 3.99 GB (ugh). Is my old computer the problem?

Don't bother with XP on this system.

 

[NoStop]

After sticking his head out from his XP firewall, Ziemma had this to say:

Yes, this is an extremely old computer. Unfortunatly, I lack the money to
custom-build my own or to get a new one with decent performance. The
harddrive is 3.99 GB (ugh). Is my old computer the problem?

Then consider running Linux on that computer. You'll end up with much more
of a computer than trying to run XP in that small space. Using a friend's
computer, go to: http://distrowatch.com/

.... and pick a distribution of Linux that interests you. It's free and will
breathe new life into older hardware.


--
Still running XP (The Toy Operating System eXPerience)?
At the VERY LEAST, learn how to post to UseNet ...
http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html
"The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day
they start making vacuum cleaners." -Ernst Jan Plugge

 

[Guest]

GreenieLeBrun,
Thank you very much. I didn't need to go to bootdisk, I already had a
Windows 98 setup disk, I used the fdisk option from that. It worked
perfectly, my computer is now up and running with Norton Anti-Virus 2004
installed. To you, I own my undying gratitude.
Now all I have to do is get the money to build a computer with a HDD that
has a higher capacity than four gigs....