uninstalling XP

[Albert]

Thanks Doug....Don't have the XP CD.....Am trying to
format without the help of the CD.

 

[XS11E]

Thanks Doug....Don't have the XP CD.....Am trying to
format without the help of the CD.

Download a boot disk(s) from www.bootdisk.com and use it(them) to
format.

You can use just about any boot disk, Win98, WinME, the several for
Win2000 or WinXP.

 

[*Vanguard*]

Thanks Doug....Don't have the XP CD.....Am trying to
format without the help of the CD.

When adding another post for the same discussion, *add* your new post to
your old thread. Do NOT start another thread each time you reply to
your own discussion.

You wanted to format using XP but then you don't want to format using
XP. Yup, a bit confusing. If you want to format a partition OTHER than
where the operating system is installed, just do it. If you want to
format the partition where is the operating system, well, even you
should know that you cannot take your socks off without also removing
your shoes. You cannot format the partition where the OS and format
program is ran from. Some possible solutions are:

- Boot using the install CD for Windows XP. You will get the option to
format the partition. You didn't like that solution because you said
"trying to format without the help of the CD" which makes it suspect
that you really don't have a legal CD (or you're stuck with a
bastardized version that puts an image file in a hidden partition rather
than giving you an install CD).

- Boot using a DOS-bootable floppy which includes a copy of FORMAT (and
probably FDISK, too). Windows XP can create a DOS-bootable floppy (but
I don't know what utilities it includes). Otherwise, go to
http://www.bootdisk.com/ to get an image to create a bootable floppy.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

[snip]

- Boot using a DOS-bootable floppy which includes a copy of FORMAT (and
probably FDISK, too). Windows XP can create a DOS-bootable floppy (but
I don't know what utilities it includes). Otherwise, go to
http://www.bootdisk.com/ to get an image to create a bootable floppy.


--

FYI *Vanguard* the DOS-bootable floppy that XP creates has no utilities. It
is simply a Windows Me bootable floppy. As you mentioned one will need to
add tools to it.

 

[Albert]

The install CD has been lost. This is my girlfriends
computer and also is the Chinese version which makes it
much more difficult. The bootable floppy is the option
that I was looking for....thanks.

 

[*Vanguard*]

FYI *Vanguard* the DOS-bootable floppy that XP creates has no
utilities. It is simply a Windows Me bootable floppy. As you
mentioned one will need to add tools to it.

I wasn't sure what got put onto the floppy in a format of it under
Windows XP. I've never bothered making one since I have all the
downloads from www.bootdisk.com to create bootable floppies along with
shortcuts to each one to quickly let me make bootable floppies. I don't
have a floppy available right now to check, but I assume that the
bootdisk.com floppy images do include the utilities.

 

[*Vanguard*]

The install CD has been lost. This is my girlfriends
computer and also is the Chinese version which makes it
much more difficult. The bootable floppy is the option
that I was looking for....thanks.

You might want to check with Microsoft as to how much they will charge
to send you a replacement CD providing you can satisfactorily prove to
them that you have a legal copy installed now. Someday you'll need the
product key (if it was a retail CD) or the files from the CD for a
repair (unless it is an OEM version, in which case you will need to
contact whomever supplied the OEM version for a replacement).

However, since you are formatting the partition in which Windows XP is
installed (and why you couldn't format while Windows was running) and
since you do not have the CD then any operating system's format command
would work, especially the one for whatever OTHER operating system you
intend to install or use, since you are obviously not reinstalling
Windows XP (because you don't have it anymore).

 

[Harry Ohrn]

I wasn't sure what got put onto the floppy in a format of it under
Windows XP. I've never bothered making one since I have all the
downloads from www.bootdisk.com to create bootable floppies along with
shortcuts to each one to quickly let me make bootable floppies. I don't
have a floppy available right now to check, but I assume that the
bootdisk.com floppy images do include the utilities.

--

Yes the disks there have all the tools that are standard to Windows Start-up
Disks. Some of the Custom disks include additional tools.