fdisk MBR in Win XP ???

[Tod]

I want to clear/reset the MBR on a NTFS boot partition using Win XP PRO.
In Win 98SE (FAT 32) I would just type "fdisk MBR",
is it the same for Win XP (NTFS) or something else ?

I'm trying to do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

If you have an old Microsoft Windows 95/98 installation CD,
you can perform a "clean install" as following:

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


|I want to clear/reset the MBR on a NTFS boot partition using Win XP PRO.
| In Win 98SE (FAT 32) I would just type "fdisk MBR",
| is it the same for Win XP (NTFS) or something else ?
|
| I'm trying to do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD.
|
|

 

[Ron Martell]

I want to clear/reset the MBR on a NTFS boot partition using Win XP PRO.
In Win 98SE (FAT 32) I would just type "fdisk MBR",
is it the same for Win XP (NTFS) or something else ?

I'm trying to do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD.

FDISK /MBR merely rewrites the master boot record on a FAT16 or FAT32
drive. It will have no effect on an NTFS partition.

To clear the drive using a Windows 98 or Windows Me boot disk just use
FDISK and delete the non-DOS partition.

Then boot with the XP Pro Upgrade CD and do the install. You will
have to insert the original CD from a previous version of Windows (95
or later) when asked so as to prove your eligibility to use the
upgrade version.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[billh]

FDISK /MBR merely rewrites the master boot record on a FAT16 or FAT32
drive. It will have no effect on an NTFS partition.

To clear the drive using a Windows 98 or Windows Me boot disk just use
FDISK and delete the non-DOS partition.

Then boot with the XP Pro Upgrade CD and do the install. You will
have to insert the original CD from a previous version of Windows (95
or later) when asked so as to prove your eligibility to use the
upgrade version.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

Ron,
Did you finally make a mistake ? I say that after being enlightened by
so many of your posts. I think XP requires W98 or later not W95.
Billh

 

[Interrogative]

I want to clear/reset the MBR on a NTFS boot partition using Win XP PRO.
In Win 98SE (FAT 32) I would just type "fdisk MBR",
is it the same for Win XP (NTFS) or something else ?

I'm trying to do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD.

Do a search on the web for a program called "clearhdd" which wipes the boot
sector. Runs from a DOS prompt or a RUN command.

If you don't want to do that, you can also go to www.bootdisk.com and
download a Win98 boot floppy image, write that to a floppy and then use
fdisk from there.

 

[Interrogative]

Ron,
Did you finally make a mistake ? I say that after being enlightened by
so many of your posts. I think XP requires W98 or later not W95.
Billh

Fdisk in either, if you delete the partition, will make it able to be set up
and formatted from booting from the XP CD.

 

[billh]

Fdisk in either, if you delete the partition, will make it able to be set up
and formatted from booting from the XP CD.

Comment referred to upgrade eligibility not the Fdisk use.
Billh

 

[Sharon F]

Ron,
Did you finally make a mistake ? I say that after being enlightened by
so many of your posts. I think XP requires W98 or later not W95.
Billh

Ron's still right on the money. XP's setup cannot upgrade a Win95
installation but it will accept a Win95 CD as proof of owning an earlier
version of Windows.

 

[billh]

Ron's still right on the money. XP's setup cannot upgrade a Win95
installation but it will accept a Win95 CD as proof of owning an earlier
version of Windows.

Well if it can there certainly is a high level of confusion about the word
"upgrade" as to whether it means legal eligibility or upgrade-in-place
capability. And I thought there was just confusion among the masses about
upgrade version means you can't do a clean install.

I can see reading MS's upgrade eligibility page that one could interpret the
"NO" it as meaning it can't upgrade a W95 installation in-place. However
when you look at the eligibility requirements stated for the product it
looks a whole lot more like you can't do it legally, ie, it isn't an
accepted version to permit the cheaper upgrade version to be used.

From MS's site:

Upgrade Eligibility You are eligible to upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition if you are a licensed user of one of these products: Windows 98,
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME

Upgrade Eligibility:
You are eligible to upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Professional if you are
a licensed user of one of these products:
Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows
2000 Professional, Windows XP Home Edition

Has anyone used a W95 or 3.1 disk as proof of eligibility and does it work
for a clean install?

Billh

 

[Sharon F]

Well if it can there certainly is a high level of confusion about the word
"upgrade" as to whether it means legal eligibility or upgrade-in-place
capability. And I thought there was just confusion among the masses about
upgrade version means you can't do a clean install.

I can see reading MS's upgrade eligibility page that one could interpret the
"NO" it as meaning it can't upgrade a W95 installation in-place. However
when you look at the eligibility requirements stated for the product it
looks a whole lot more like you can't do it legally, ie, it isn't an
accepted version to permit the cheaper upgrade version to be used.

From MS's site:

Upgrade Eligibility You are eligible to upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition if you are a licensed user of one of these products: Windows 98,
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME

Upgrade Eligibility:
You are eligible to upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Professional if you are
a licensed user of one of these products:
Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows
2000 Professional, Windows XP Home Edition

Has anyone used a W95 or 3.1 disk as proof of eligibility and does it work
for a clean install?

Billh

Bill, you can perform a clean installation with the upgrade CD. That's the
scenario where you could use a Win95 CD. I don't think Microsoft intended
that it should work but it does.

 

[Ron Martell]

Ron,
Did you finally make a mistake ? I say that after being enlightened by
so many of your posts. I think XP requires W98 or later not W95.
Billh

Nope. Not this time. Although I have made plenty of others.

Windows XP will not do an upgrade install from Windows 95.

However if you are doing a clean install (empty hard drive) using the
Retail Upgrade version of Windows XP then when it asks you for proof
of eligibility to use the upgrade version it will accept a Windows 95
CD as proof.

This was not intended to be allowed, but it was not detected until
very late in the beta testing process and it was apparently decided to
leave it that way.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."

 

[Interrogative]

enlightened set
Comment referred to upgrade eligibility not the Fdisk use.
Billh

Makes absolutely no difference. You can install XP on an unformatted HD
which FDISK has never touched after booting off the XP CD. Similarly, you
can use FDISK to delete all partitions and set it up after booting off the
XP CD.

 

[Interrogative]

enlightened

Well if it can there certainly is a high level of confusion about the word
"upgrade" as to whether it means legal eligibility or upgrade-in-place
capability. And I thought there was just confusion among the masses about
upgrade version means you can't do a clean install.

That confusion was only from you. The original poster did say "I'm trying to
do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD."

I can see reading MS's upgrade eligibility page that one could interpret the
"NO" it as meaning it can't upgrade a W95 installation in-place. However
when you look at the eligibility requirements stated for the product it
looks a whole lot more like you can't do it legally, ie, it isn't an
accepted version to permit the cheaper upgrade version to be used.

Well, as I quoted above from the original poster, what you said there had
nothing to do with it.

 

[billh]

That confusion was only from you. The original poster did say "I'm trying to
do a fresh install on a clean hard drive using an upgrade CD."



Well, as I quoted above from the original poster, what you said there had
nothing to do with it.

This sub-thread was in response to Ron's comment about being able to use W95
as an upgrade qualifying product not the orginal poster's technique. W95 is
not a qualifying product according to MS's advertizing, web-site, retail
outlet's advertizing, published articles, etc. Since it was stated that you
can use W95, my comment was that it was another factor further confusing the
issue of what upgrading means. A lot of people still think that you have to
buy a full copy if you want to do a clean install. This has been going on
since XP was introduced and was happening for even earlier versions of
Windows. The fact that people still ask about or state you need a full copy
for a clean install indicates it is still a source of confusion out there.

It was subsequently pointed out that the advertizing stated Microsoft's
intention but a bug allows W95 to work as a qualifying product.
billh

 

[Peter Hutchison]

Boot into the Recovery Console and then run the FIXMBR command to
fix the Master Boot Record. If you need to change disk attributes
use the DISKPART command.

Peter Hutchison
Windows FAQ
http://www.pcguru.plus.com/

 

[Interrogative]

Boot into the Recovery Console and then run the FIXMBR command to
fix the Master Boot Record. If you need to change disk attributes
use the DISKPART command.

Interesting thing about that - I have had "more than the odd 5 or 6" HDs
that have come BRAND NEW and totally unable to be used to commands like
that. It took rewriting the boot block with another utility I found in order
to clear it out on them and THEN you could do all that. Worth considering in
any case.

BTW, you mangled the attributing to who posted what when you replied to
this.