Reinstalling XP and formatting the C drive.

[Colin M]

How do you reformat the C drive if XP is loaded and you
want to reload it onto a clean drive?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

How do you reformat the C drive if XP is loaded and you
want to reload it onto a clean drive?

Boot with the Windows XP CD.
Follow through the installation instructions until it gets to the point
where it asks you what partition to install on. At this point, DELTE the
partition, continue install.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive, boot with the XP
CD in the drive. If it isn't or you are not sure, you need to enter the
system's BIOS. When you boot the system, the first screen usually has
instructions that if you wish to enter setup press a specific key, when you
see that, do so. Then you will have to navigate to the boot sequence, if
the CD-ROM drive is not first line, set it first in the boot sequence. Save
your settings and exit with the XP CD in the drive. The system will reboot.

A few screens into the boot process, if you see the message on the boot
screen to "Press any key in order to boot from the CD," do so.

After loading drivers and files, you should be taken to a screen with
the following:

To Setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
To Repair a Windows XP Installation using Recovery Console press R.
To Quit setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

In your case, press ENTER.

Agree to the License agreement by pressing F8.

You will then be taken to a screen with two options.

To repair the selected Windows XP installation press R.
To continue installing a fresh copy of Windows XP without repairing,
press ESC.

This will bring you to a partition map where you
can delete, create and format partitions.
Select the drive you wish to format, delete the partition, then create a new
partition, format as desired and continue with XP installation.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Detailed instructions found here
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Simply boot from the WinXP 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.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

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


Bruce Chambers

--
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[Guest]

To format your C Drive with Xp already on it, you will
need your CD, when the XP CD opens, select New
Installation, NOT UPGRADE and it will go through the
format procedure for you, thats how I did my format.

 

[Guest]

Michael

Will that work with a Windows XP upgrade disc as well

Thanks for the info

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Michael,

Will that work with a Windows XP upgrade disc as well?

Thanks for the info!

Yes. As long as you have previous (upgradable) media to insert when Windows
XP Setup asks you about your qualifying product.
(It asks just before the partitioning part, I believe.)

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Yes, just Shenan has confirmed in this thread as long as you have previous
upgradeable media. If the media is a customized OEM CD as opposed to an OEM
disk that is essentially identical to the retail disks, in other words,
something setup will recognize, this method will work for a clean install
even with an upgrade.