formatting my pc

[dave thomas]

I am trying to format my pc and i have win xp as my os,
i inserted the cd and chose a new install but it has gone
and put it on a second time without wiping my hard drive!!!
How can I wipe my whole system and start from scratch?
I even tried the old way i knewand that was to put in a
windows 98 start up disk and reboot which used to take me
to command promt in Dos there I could just go c:>format
c: /u and do it that way, but that doesn't even work any
more??
Urgent help needed for this please
Thanks In Advance Dave

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

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:

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 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. After installing Windows XP, 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.

7. It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except for you mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.
After XP is installed, visit the support website of the manufacturer
of each hardware device to obtain the latest drivers or software
designed to work with Windows XP.


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

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


| I am trying to format my pc and i have win xp as my os,
| i inserted the cd and chose a new install but it has gone
| and put it on a second time without wiping my hard drive!!!
| How can I wipe my whole system and start from scratch?
| I even tried the old way i knewand that was to put in a
| windows 98 start up disk and reboot which used to take me
| to command promt in Dos there I could just go c:>format
| c: /u and do it that way, but that doesn't even work any
| more??
| Urgent help needed for this please
| Thanks In Advance Dave

 

[Dave Thomas]

Thanks for teh reply however I went to your link and the
help for my system a dell latitude cpx is not available??

I have also gone into BIOS and seen that the 1st boot
device is diskette drive 2nd is Internal HDD and 3rd is CD
Rom. But I cannot change these permission.

I have also put in the XP cd again and it won't even go
into setup anymore, but when it did last time it wouldn't
even give me the option to create or delete partitions or
even wipe the sysstem it just went straight to an install..
It used to be easy not any more

Thanks In Advance Dave

-----Original Message-----
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:

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 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. After installing Windows XP, 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.

7. It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except for you mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.
After XP is installed, visit the support website of the manufacturer
of each hardware device to obtain the latest drivers or software
designed to work with Windows XP.


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

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

"dave thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in

message: news:[email protected]...

 

[Michael Stevens]

Thanks for teh reply however I went to your link and the
help for my system a dell latitude cpx is not available??

I have also gone into BIOS and seen that the 1st boot
device is diskette drive 2nd is Internal HDD and 3rd is CD
Rom. But I cannot change these permission.

I have also put in the XP cd again and it won't even go
into setup anymore, but when it did last time it wouldn't
even give me the option to create or delete partitions or
even wipe the sysstem it just went straight to an install..
It used to be easy not any more

Thanks In Advance Dave

Did you check your manual. If you lost it or threw it away, check the online
version. Link below.
http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/Systems/pcpxhj/en/ug_a02/setupopt.htm#boot_second_device

--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Michael Stevens]

Did you check your manual. If you lost it or threw it away, check the
online version. Link below.

http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/Systems/pcpxhj/en/ug_a02/setupopt.htm#boot_second_device

Actually I meant to supply this link:
http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/Systems/pcpxhj/en/ug_a02/setupopt.htm
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Alex Nichol]

I am trying to format my pc and i have win xp as my os,
i inserted the cd and chose a new install but it has gone
and put it on a second time without wiping my hard drive!!!
How can I wipe my whole system and start from scratch?

Boot the XP CD direct. Enter Setup, and after the license agreement
take New Install. When it asks you to confirm where, hit ESC; select
and *delete* the current partition and make a new RAW one to be
formatted at the next stage

If you do not delete the old partition it probably will not get
formatted at the next stage, and you will get a new install into the old
partition, which is rarely desirable