Format HD, reinstall XP Home - no floppy drive

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Guest

I have a DELL Dimension 4600 with matching DELL Windows XP Home Edition
installation disk. I have not had any problems formatting my HD since Win
3.1. However, the info to re-format my Win XP HD seems to be highly
classified and compartmentalized, and although I've looked, I can't seem to
find any step by step instructions on how to do it without creating a
bootable floppy disk, as my computer has 2 DVD drives but no floppy drive,
and even if that were not a problem, finding the correct application/s to do
the job and using it/them in the correct sequence also seems to be well
hidden and a mystery.

Can some one please point me to a document that goes through this procedure
step by step, that is how to re-format an NTFS HD and re-install Win XP
without a floppy drive.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.
 
The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.mspx

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| I have a DELL Dimension 4600 with matching DELL Windows XP Home Edition
| installation disk. I have not had any problems formatting my HD since Win
| 3.1. However, the info to re-format my Win XP HD seems to be highly
| classified and compartmentalized, and although I've looked, I can't seem to
| find any step by step instructions on how to do it without creating a
| bootable floppy disk, as my computer has 2 DVD drives but no floppy drive,
| and even if that were not a problem, finding the correct application/s to do
| the job and using it/them in the correct sequence also seems to be well
| hidden and a mystery.
|
| Can some one please point me to a document that goes through this procedure
| step by step, that is how to re-format an NTFS HD and re-install Win XP
| without a floppy drive.
|
| Thanks in advance for any help with this.
 
Ricardo Dell usually install a recovery partition on the hard drive so that
you can re-install xp should problems arise. If there is no recovery
partition you should have had recovery disk to perform the job. I suggest
you read your PC's user manual to see how to access the recovery option. By
using this type of recovery your system will be returned to 'factory'
conditions - in other words just like it was the day your first switched it
on.

However, if you have purchased a full boxed retail copy of Windows XP then
the windows xp cd is bootable. If you do have a full retail version of xp
you will find more details on install, formatting and partitioning on my
website http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org Clickt he Win XP Faq button and
take a look at questions 7, 41 and 85. Please Note: Only use these
instructions if you have the retail xp cd.

You could also use third party software, such as partition magic to format
the drive but i would advise against it if you have to rely upon Dells
recovery partition because you could delete that partition too, resulting in
you having to buy a full retail copy of xp
 
Even Mohammedan would have tested by booting up on the XP CD as every one
knows they are "Bootable." The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must
belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or
a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of
Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Winston Churchill - London, England
http://www.winstonchurchill.org
=======================================
 
Even Mohammedan would have tested by booting up on the XP CD as every
one
Click to expand...

(snip drivel)

WTF is this all about? If you want to have this amazingly stupid thing
on all your posts, at least learn how to use a proper sig delimiter and
keep sig to standard 4 lines max.

Malke
 
1. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman
2. must belong to some man as his absolute property
3. - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must
4. delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith
5. of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
6. Winston Churchill - London, England
7. http://www.winstonchurchill.org
8. =======================================
9. Malke is a Zero
0. No, this line is where Malke is a Zero
 
Ricardo said:
I have a DELL Dimension 4600 with matching DELL Windows XP Home Edition
installation disk. I have not had any problems formatting my HD since Win
3.1. However, the info to re-format my Win XP HD seems to be highly
classified and compartmentalized, and although I've looked, I can't seem to
find any step by step instructions on how to do it without creating a
bootable floppy disk, ....
Click to expand...


Then you've somehow managed to not look at any documentation involving
WinXP. ;-} The boot diskette is a thing of the past, as all legitimate
WinXP installation CDs are already bootable.

as my computer has 2 DVD drives but no floppy drive,
and even if that were not a problem, finding the correct application/s to do
the job and using it/them in the correct sequence also seems to be well
hidden and a mystery.

Can some one please point me to a document that goes through this procedure
step by step, that is how to re-format an NTFS HD and re-install Win XP
without a floppy drive.
Click to expand...

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

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
Why hide behind a KB? Walk up to a guy in the Mall and tell them what you
think. Of course a lot of fat boys are too lazy and coward to leave a KB
and face a real live person and tell them what they wish they can type
behind a KB cause they are too scared to leave the Mall looking like a freak
face or an Elephant Boy whose face was stepped on by an elephant.

I am sorry you are such a scared boy hugging your KB. <
(e-mail address removed) >

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use
the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
 
Why hide behind a KB? Walk up to a guy in the Mall and tell them what
you
think. Of course a lot of fat boys are too lazy and coward to leave a
KB and face a real live person and tell them what they wish they can
type behind a KB cause they are too scared to leave the Mall looking
like a freak face or an Elephant Boy whose face was stepped on by an
elephant.

I am sorry you are such a scared boy hugging your KB. <
(e-mail address removed) >

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to
use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
Click to expand...
(snip insults and more drivel)

I would have no problem in walking up to you in person and telling you
that what you post is drivel and that you apparently still don't know
what a sig delimiter is. You really should go play in the alt.* groups;
they're much more your style.

Malke
 
Well, we all meet people we disagree with but you cannot name a time nor
place when you have already in the past walked up to someone's face and got
it all off your mind. So, I guess you have to stick with hiding behind your
KB.

You know if you are male or female? Or a boy elephant?

Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
 
This isn't a KB this is a NEWSGROUP ..........look it up in the dictionary.
And yes Malke is right you are posting drivel.........wasting peoples time
with wrong answers and semi religious propoganda that has no relation to the
topic at hand.
Saul
 
You must have plenty of time to read my post and write a reply - your brave
boy hiding behind your KB in Canada as you are just like Peter Jennings -
anti American.

"If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!"
=======================================
 
So, you and Ms Malke or Mr Malke just go right up to people in the Mall if
you don't like something about them and call them stupid? I can't find
anyone that believes you do - so here is a quarter (American) for all of
your hot Canadian air.
=======================================
Regards, Computer Teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana
~ Read to Learn - Write to Think ~
=======================================
 
Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone - George Herbert Walker
Bush (American)
We believe in the homosexual and lesbian agenda - Peter Jennings (Canadian)
 
Education is the process of driving a set of prejudices down your throat.
Martin H. Fischer

To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society. Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President

peterk
 
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