Impossible Partition Delete

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Guest

Ok I posted yesterday but I am still unable to conclude this problem. I have
one single partition using all available space. I am using the XP boot Disk
trying to delete this partition so that I can wipe out all of the junk that
have accumulated on my computer in the past year. Now after I go through the
set up where it asks me to choose the partition to reinstall windows Xp I
chose the delete option pressing D yet a message comes up saying that I
cannot delete it since it needs setup files on this partition for the
reinstallation. I tryed installing over the preexisting XP in the prexisting
partition and I still have all of my crap there waiting for me but now I
cannot access my old user info. So for example when I go to add and remove
programs it says I have none. I was trying to remove Xp through that be it
will not let me. I have tried DOS and I understand that this method is
impossible if I am trying to delete the system which is supposed to perform
the deletion. I am getting ready to go back to school and I am agrivated. I
cannot believe that I am stuck with all of this crap and unable to do a clean
installation. I have done 20 tutorials but none of them list my problem. I
have done this before without FDisk so I am confused. Please help I am going
nuts.
 
You can do it from DOS, even if you loaded DOS from the partiton in
question. But I mean DOS, and not a command prompt under Windows. XP
has no such facility. Make up a DOS bootable floppy (or CD) on a
Windows 98 system with FDISK on it. Be sure it's the updated FDISK from
2000 (I think that the date was May 18th, 2000). FDISK can delete a
partition, even the one from which FDISK itself was loaded (of course,
the system won't be bootable thereafter, but that's what you want).

You can also do it with Partition Magic, whose CD is bootable (and you
can make bootable floppy disks from an installed copy of Parttition Magic).

Note, if the computer in question does not have Windows 98 on it, there
is no way to get to DOS without booting from an alternative device
(floppy or CD). Windows NT, 2000 and XP do not have DOS, and a command
prompt window under any of them does not count.
 
Scott said:
Ok I posted yesterday but I am still unable to conclude this problem. I have
one single partition using all available space. I am using the XP boot Disk
trying to delete this partition so that I can wipe out all of the junk that
have accumulated on my computer in the past year. Now after I go through the
set up where it asks me to choose the partition to reinstall windows Xp I
chose the delete option pressing D yet a message comes up saying that I
cannot delete it since it needs setup files on this partition for the
reinstallation.
Click to expand...

It is the XP CD you should be booting, not some startup disk. You do it
as part of a reinstall of the system after booting 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

The important point is the delete. Without that it will just go ahead
and make a new install over the top of the old one
 
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