Formatting with preinstalled XP

[darklink1017]

If I format my harddrive with XP already installed would the operating system itself be permanently deleted? I'm kind of a newbie so I don't really know.

 

[canadian_divx]

it should be

 

[canadian_divx]

do you want to reinstall xp or anouther operating system

 

[darklink1017]

Reinstall

 

[Nick M]

If you reinstall; you will format your hard disk; and all data on it will be gone; including the operating systems.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

format=

format = at all times no matter what a total wipe clean of all infomation and the targeted drive ..... ie format C:/ C is wiped clean nothing will remain

 

[darklink1017]

Ok, thanks.

 

[RosyRev]

Hey, can somebody walk me through something similar? I was using 98 and having some problems. I bought XP Home Edition - full version - and installed it on the same Hard drive. I didn't know how to format and partition. There were problems, but I lived with them up to this point. I have a slave hard drive, so I installed XP on a partition of the slave drive - 1.6GB. This works fine, but the partition is not large enough. If I partition and reformat the main drive, can I then install XP on it without first uninstalling XP from the slave drive? I would uninstall XP from the slave as soon as I was up and running on the main drive.
Type rather slowly. I'm 70 years old and don't read as fast as I used to do.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Welcome to the forums RosyRev.

First make sure you have backed up all your favourites, documents, ect. If you need help let us know.

As for formatting I would do both drives at the same time but I'm not to sure of how xp does it so I'll explain how to do one drive.
First make sure the cd rom is set to boot first. If you have already loaded xp then it should be OK. Now insert the xp cd & boot the computer. It will pick up the cd & start loading. Follow the screens till you get to the section of formatting. Look for the drive with '98 on it & select that one. Seeing as you are getting rid of '98 I would go with the NTFS file system. (you will see the options there) Go for a full format not a quick one. Just keep following the screen instuctions & all will be fine. That's it.

You can load the xp cd in & bootup to see what will happen. If it loads, good, if not let us know & we can explain how to get started.

 

[RosyRev]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Mission accomplished. I now have XP on a clean hard disk and am in the process of re-installing programs. Life is good.

 

[damnyank]

RosyRev - dude I am impressed - just by Hipster typing slowly - you got your system straightened out and "Life is good".

Excellent job Hipster - perhaps ya'll can type slow for me too in the future!

<dy - what are ya saying? You are not as old as Kirrie - yet>

All kidding aside - I think it is great that ya'll are helping us who have "senior moments" as well as the "kids" (nothing inciteful intended) who just fly along!

 

[Hipster Doofus]

T.....y.....p.....i.....n.....g..........s.....l.....o.....w..........f.....o.....r t.....h.....e.....d...a...m..n.yank.

 

[damnyank]

Thank you Hipster - you are so considerate!