How to format during Vista Ulitmate Upgrade install?

[Greg Mc]

I purchased the "download & burn to disk" version of "vista ultimate
upgrade".

I've been using it for over a year with no real major issues until
receintly. So I backed everything up I needed to CD so I can format my hard
drive and do a fresh install. My hard drive hasn't been formated since I
purchased it (Dell Dimension 8400).

I stayed up until 5am re-installing Windows & Office Enterprise 07. Then
got all the security updates (that alone takes over an hour).

When I started browsing the hard drive with explorer, all my old files were
still there!

My question: How can I format my hard drive? I know there is a work around
I can do. I have all my old origional cd's back from windows 98. I just
need to clean up my system so it works great again. All my software is
legit, I run a business from this computer and need to get this going ASAP.
Please help!

 

[Greg Mc]

I found this on the microsoft website, will it work? Remember, the download
version of windows vista ultimate is not bootable....

To use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean the hard disk, follow these
steps:1. Insert the DVD into the DVD drive.
2. On the disk selection screen, press SHIFT+F10. A Command Prompt window
opens.
3. Type diskpart, and then press ENTER to open the diskpart tool.
4. Type list disk, and then press ENTER. A list of available hard disks is
displayed.
5. Type sel disk number, and then press ENTER. number is the number of the
hard disk that you want to clean. The hard disk is now selected.
6. Type det disk, and then press ENTER. A list of partitions on the hard
disk is displayed. Use this information to verify that the correct disk is
selected.
7. Make sure that the disk does not contain required data, type clean all,
and then press ENTER to clean the disk. All the partitions and all the data
on the disk is permanently removed.
8. Type exit, and then press ENTER to close the diskpart tool.
9. Close the Command Prompt window.
10. Click the Refresh button to update the disk selection screen. This step
lists the disk.
11. Run Windows Vista Setup to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.

I found it here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927520

 

[Mick Murphy]

If YOU wipe your Drive, you can not format it!
Unless you use 3rd party tools. or F-disk.

You have an upgrade version disk of vista, which does not do this!
Also, if you wipe your Drive, how are you going to reinstall an upgrade of
vista with no prior OS on the Drive!

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/68767-clean-install-upgrade-vista.html

Read the above link to see how you do, what you are trying to do, is
actually done

 

[andy]

I found this on the microsoft website, will it work? Remember, the download
version of windows vista ultimate is not bootable....

To use the Diskpart.exe utility to clean the hard disk, follow these
steps:1. Insert the DVD into the DVD drive.

Sounds like they're leaving out the part, then boot the computer from
the DVD.

 

[andy]

I found this on the microsoft website, will it work? Remember, the download
version of windows vista ultimate is not bootable....

How To Make Vista Bootable DVD with WIM Downloaded Files
http://www.zeropaid.com/bbs/archive/index.php/t-43026.html
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/10/how-to-make-vista-bootable-dvd-with-wim-downloaded-files/