Reinstalling Windows 2000 without formatting the partition (couldn

G

Guest

Hi all! Can someone please help me with this? A few days ago, we reinstalled Windows 2000 for someone. We logged onto Windows, ran the cd from Explorer, and chose to Install Windows. When it came to the part of the setup where it allows you to delete the existing partition or create a new one, it wouldn't allow us to delete the partition. No matter how many times we hit L on the keyboard, it just would not delete. Why??? I know there are other ways to delete and format the partition, but we ultimately decided to just reinstall Windows over the current OS without deleting and recreating the partition. But I'm still curious about why we couldn't delete the partition through the setup. Also, when the installation was finished, we went into explorer and found some program files that were still there (at the root of C). Generally if you simply delete an application from the explorer, you'll start getting error messages in Windows. But we were able to successfully delete the folder containing the application files without any problems. I know this has to do with the fact that we performed a "clean" install, but I would really like to know why we were able to delete the folders like that and not receive any error messages. Can someone PLEASE explain that one to me? Thank you!!!
 
D

Danny Sanders

Hi all! Can someone please help me with this? A few days ago, we
reinstalled Windows 2000 for someone. We logged >onto Windows, ran the cd
from Explorer, and chose to Install Windows. When it came to the part of the
setup where it >allows you to delete the existing partition or create a new
one, it wouldn't allow us to delete the partition

Windows will not commit suicide. What you were doing was, from within
Windows you were asking it to, basically, kill itself and it said no! To do
what you were asking required Windows to delete files it was currently using
because you booted the OS.
If you want to "kill" Windows you have to do it without it knowing. Boot
from the CD, and delete the partition. You are then asking the Windows setup
on the CD to "kill" the "sleeping" (not active) Windows on the hard drive.
Since you booted from the CD the computer is not using files on the hard
drive.

Generally if you simply delete an application from the explorer, you'll
start getting error messages in Windows. But we >were able to successfully
delete the folder containing the application files without any problems.

That would depend on the application.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE



Jen said:
Hi all! Can someone please help me with this? A few days ago, we
reinstalled Windows 2000 for someone. We logged onto Windows, ran the cd
from Explorer, and chose to Install Windows. When it came to the part of the
setup where it allows you to delete the existing partition or create a new
one, it wouldn't allow us to delete the partition. No matter how many times
we hit L on the keyboard, it just would not delete. Why??? I know there are
other ways to delete and format the partition, but we ultimately decided to
just reinstall Windows over the current OS without deleting and recreating
the partition. But I'm still curious about why we couldn't delete the
partition through the setup. Also, when the installation was finished, we
went into explorer and found some program files that were still there (at
the root of C). Generally if you simply delete an application from the
explorer, you'll start getting error messages in Windows. But we were able
to successfully delete the folder containing the application files without
any problems. I know this has to do with the fact that we performed a
"clean" install, but I would really like to know why we were able to delete
the folders like that and not receive any error messages. Can someone PLEASE
explain that one to me? Thank you!!!
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Greetings --

It sounds like you're trying to delete the partition containing
the system volume from within Win2K. You can't. This would be the
computer equivalent of sawing off the tree limb you're sitting on, and
Win2K is "too smart" to allow this.

Simply boot from the Win2K installation CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of boot
devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH


Jen said:
Hi all! Can someone please help me with this? A few days ago, we
reinstalled Windows 2000 for someone. We logged onto Windows, ran the
cd from Explorer, and chose to Install Windows. When it came to the
part of the setup where it allows you to delete the existing partition
or create a new one, it wouldn't allow us to delete the partition. No
matter how many times we hit L on the keyboard, it just would not
delete. Why??? I know there are other ways to delete and format the
partition, but we ultimately decided to just reinstall Windows over
the current OS without deleting and recreating the partition. But I'm
still curious about why we couldn't delete the partition through the
setup. Also, when the installation was finished, we went into explorer
and found some program files that were still there (at the root of C).
Generally if you simply delete an application from the explorer,
you'll start getting error messages in Windows. But we were able to
successfully delete the folder containing the application files
without any problems. I know this has to do with the fact that we
performed a "clean" install, but I would really like to know why we
were able to delete the folders like that and not receive any error
messages. Can someone PLEASE explain that one to me? Thank you!!!
 

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