Need help with Windows XP Home

[Inquiringmind]

Was running WIndows 2000 NT and would like to replace it with Windows
XP Home OEM. I would like to do a clean install on my 60G IBM hard
drive. I ran through WIndows XP Home set up, choosing clean install
thinking that it must wipe the partition at some point. Nope. I
ended up with WIndows XP and 2000 installed to the same partition, and
when I booted it asked me which one I wanted to use. Fearing that
they would interfere with each other, I tried to delete 2000 manually
(deleting all relevant folders). I did succeed in destroying 2000 --
it doesn't work -- but I still get the same question on boot about
which one I want to use.

This used to be soooo easy under DOS. (Showing my age.) How can I
wipe the drive for a clean install of XP? I tried some CD images of
bootable hard drive tools from the manufacturer of my hard drive, but
it had errors. All of the online help on this subject assumes that XP
disks instead of CDs, and says that they will reformat the partition
(the CD doesn't) and are bootable (the CD doesn't seem to be).

Can I do it through a bootable copy of FreeDos? What's the best way
to go about it?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Was running WIndows 2000 NT and would like to replace it with
Windows XP Home OEM. I would like to do a clean install on my 60G
IBM hard drive. I ran through WIndows XP Home set up, choosing
clean install thinking that it must wipe the partition at some
point. Nope. I ended up with WIndows XP and 2000 installed to the
same partition, and when I booted it asked me which one I wanted to
use. Fearing that they would interfere with each other, I tried to
delete 2000 manually (deleting all relevant folders). I did
succeed in destroying 2000 -- it doesn't work -- but I still get
the same question on boot about which one I want to use.

This used to be soooo easy under DOS. (Showing my age.) How can I
wipe the drive for a clean install of XP? I tried some CD images of
bootable hard drive tools from the manufacturer of my hard drive,
but it had errors. All of the online help on this subject assumes
that XP disks instead of CDs, and says that they will reformat the
partition (the CD doesn't) and are bootable (the CD doesn't seem to
be).

Can I do it through a bootable copy of FreeDos? What's the best way
to go about it?

Windows XP Home will not upgrade Windows 2000.
The path would be Windows NT --> Windows 2000 --> Windows XP...

Boot with the Windows XP Home CD, choose to delete the partition(s) in
question, create new partition(s) and format them and install on that.

Yes - the Windows XP Cd *is* bootable if you set your BIOS to boot from CD
first.

 

[DL]

In addition;
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[Inquiringmind]

Wasn't trying to upgrade Windows 2000, was trying to do a clean
install. I suppose technically I can boot from the Windows XP CD, but
it doesn't allow me any functionality. As per message above, it
doesn't offer the option of deleting or formatting the partition, and
that's the heart of my problem . . .

 

[Inquiringmind]

Was running WIndows 2000 NT and would like to replace it with Windows
XP Home OEM. I would like to do a clean install on my 60G IBM hard
drive. I ran through WIndows XP Home set up, choosing clean install
thinking that it must wipe the partition at some point. Nope. I
ended up with WIndows XP and 2000 installed to the same partition, and
when I booted it asked me which one I wanted to use. Fearing that
they would interfere with each other, I tried to delete 2000 manually
(deleting all relevant folders). I did succeed in destroying 2000 --
it doesn't work -- but I still get the same question on boot about
which one I want to use.

This used to be soooo easy under DOS. (Showing my age.) How can I
wipe the drive for a clean install of XP? I tried some CD images of
bootable hard drive tools from the manufacturer of my hard drive, but
it had errors. All of the online help on this subject assumes that XP
disks instead of CDs, and says that they will reformat the partition
(the CD doesn't) and are bootable (the CD doesn't seem to be).

Can I do it through a bootable copy of FreeDos? What's the best way
to go about it?

Thanks for the Michael Stevens link. I did look at it earlier, but
whatever his XP floppies are doing for him, my XP install CD
apparently works differently. So again, the question is, what can I
use to boot from the CD, and format my disk, so that I can do a clean
install?

 

[Rock]

Was running WIndows 2000 NT and would like to replace it with Windows
XP Home OEM. I would like to do a clean install on my 60G IBM hard
drive. I ran through WIndows XP Home set up, choosing clean install
thinking that it must wipe the partition at some point. Nope. I
ended up with WIndows XP and 2000 installed to the same partition, and
when I booted it asked me which one I wanted to use. Fearing that
they would interfere with each other, I tried to delete 2000 manually
(deleting all relevant folders). I did succeed in destroying 2000 --
it doesn't work -- but I still get the same question on boot about
which one I want to use.

This used to be soooo easy under DOS. (Showing my age.) How can I
wipe the drive for a clean install of XP? I tried some CD images of
bootable hard drive tools from the manufacturer of my hard drive, but
it had errors. All of the online help on this subject assumes that XP
disks instead of CDs, and says that they will reformat the partition
(the CD doesn't) and are bootable (the CD doesn't seem to be).

Can I do it through a bootable copy of FreeDos? What's the best way
to go about it?

You need to be clear about what you are doing? What specific steps did you
follow to install XP? One cannot upgrade from Windows 2000 to XP Home, nor
can an OEM CD do an upgrade, so you should be able to boot from the XP CD
delete the current partitions to remove the previous OS, format them to NTFS
and install XP Home.

 

[Inquiringmind]

You need to be clear about what you are doing? What specific steps did you
follow to install XP? One cannot upgrade from Windows 2000 to XP Home, nor
can an OEM CD do an upgrade, so you should be able to boot from the XP CD
delete the current partitions to remove the previous OS, format them to NTFS
and install XP Home.

I want to reformat my hard disk, getting rid of the old operating
system (which happens to be Windows 2000 NT), and do a clean install
of Windows XP. The specific step I followed was to use the XP Home
OEM CD and indicate that I wanted a clean install. There was no
option offered in the set up for clean install to delete the current
partition or to reformat it. That is my problem. I need to delete
the current partition and reformat it.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Was running WIndows 2000 NT and would like to replace it with Windows
XP Home OEM. I would like to do a clean install on my 60G IBM hard
drive. I ran through WIndows XP Home set up, choosing clean install
thinking that it must wipe the partition at some point. Nope. I
ended up with WIndows XP and 2000 installed to the same partition,

You did the installation incorrectly. You must boot from the Windows
XP CD (change the BIOS boot if necessary to accomplish this) and
follow the prompts for a clean installation (delete the existing
partition by pressing "D" when prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

 

[Rock]

"Inquiringmind" wrote

I want to reformat my hard disk, getting rid of the old operating
system (which happens to be Windows 2000 NT), and do a clean install
of Windows XP. The specific step I followed was to use the XP Home
OEM CD and indicate that I wanted a clean install. There was no
option offered in the set up for clean install to delete the current
partition or to reformat it. That is my problem. I need to delete
the current partition and reformat it.

Are you booting from the CD or trying to run it from within Windows? If
booting from the CD, I don't understand why it isn't offering the options to
delete partitions and format. Is it a generic XP Home OEM CD?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

There was no option offered in the set up for clean install to
delete the current partition or to reformat it.
That is my problem. I need to delete the current partition
and reformat it.

All I can say to that is that you are doing something wrong or you have a
very badly hacked CD.

When it gets to the point where it asks you to CHOOSE where to install
Windows XP (and it must get to that point - or you have an unattended CD) -
then you need to DELETE the partition (the option will be there to do so)
and reboot right after it confirms it was deleted... And then run through
again to the point where it asks you which partition to install on and
CREATE a partition and install on it.

 

[Inquiringmind]

Yes, the BIOS is set to boot from the CD first, and XP set up comes up
from the CD. That is not the problem. I followed prompts for clean
install. It listed the single partition (C drive) and asked me to
choose where to install it. I chose that partition. No option was
offered to delete partition or reformat the partition. Instead, it
happily installed on that partition, where Windows 2000 NT was already
living. Thereafter every time I booted I was asked which operating
system I wanted. I saw an earlier post in Google Groups of someone
with the exact same problem, but unfortunately no answer was posted.

I've already done it twice, but I'll run through one more time to make
triple sure.

I bought this copy as XP Home OEM from Ebay and you folks are
beginning to make me worried. It was shrinkwrapped, had product
code, everything. Of course, these days, this may not mean much.

Assuming that it works the third time the same way it worked the first
two times, let's assume that, for whatever reason, my particular XP CD
does not allow one to delete and reformat the partition. Assuming
that this is the case, I am repeating my original question: how can
you get a bootable disk that allows you to do that? I am tempted to
go for FreeDOS but I read that DOS has issues with the structure of
bigger disk drives (60G). Thanks!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Yes, the BIOS is set to boot from the CD first, and XP set up comes
up from the CD. That is not the problem. I followed prompts for
clean install. It listed the single partition (C drive) and asked
me to choose where to install it.

STOP - right there.
Don't go past that point.
You are MISSING something - either by overlooking it (most likely) or by
having some messed up version of the Windows XP CD.

Step 10 of the link I believe you said you were following....
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Read carefully....
"10b If the hard drive or partition has a previous installation of XP you
want to remove, choose to delete the partition by pressing "D"."

Are you saying - in fact - you got to the CHOOSE PARTITION TO INSTALL ON
screen and pressed D and there was no response?

 

[Inquiringmind]

Let me check one more time to be triple sure.

 

[Inquiringmind]

OK, found it! Thanks very much. Deleted partition and reformatted;
all is well. Thanks to all for your assistance!