Format system drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matthew
  • Start date Start date
M

Matthew

I want to reformat my C drive, which is the drive where
Windows 2000 is installed on my computer. With Windows
98, I would be able to exit to DOS and just type "format
c:" and it would do it. But exiting to DOS isn't an
option in Windows 2000. Is there any other way to
completely remove ALL data from my system drive?

Please note that I have three partitions on my computer
and want to maintain them all (and the data on the other
two drives).

Thanks,

Matthew
 
Matthew said:
I want to reformat my C drive, which is the drive where
Windows 2000 is installed on my computer. With Windows
98, I would be able to exit to DOS and just type "format
c:" and it would do it. But exiting to DOS isn't an
option in Windows 2000. Is there any other way to
completely remove ALL data from my system drive?

Please note that I have three partitions on my computer
and want to maintain them all (and the data on the other
two drives).

Thanks,

Matthew
Click to expand...

Formatting drive C: while Win2000 is active is equivalent
to sawing off the branch you're sitting on.

Get a Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com and boot
your PC with it.

If C: is a FAT partition, format it. If C: is an NTFS partition,
delete it with fdisk.exe, then create & format a new primary
partition.
 
Formatting drive C: while Win2000 is active is equivalent
to sawing off the branch you're sitting on.

Get a Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com and boot
your PC with it.

If C: is a FAT partition, format it. If C: is an NTFS partition,
delete it with fdisk.exe, then create & format a new primary
partition.
Click to expand...

I am confused.
I understood that this operation could be done using the Win2000
Installation CD.
Is this not so?

Brian Tozer
 
I am confused.
I understood that this operation could be done using the Win2000
Installation CD.
Is this not so?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is so but you must boot on the installation CD so that Win2000
isn't running. Shut down the computer, re-boot and enter the BIOS by
pressing whatever key your particular computer wants you to press.
Then tell the BIOS to boot on CD first, place the Win2k CD in the CD
drive and exit the BIOS and continue to boot. During the install,
you'll be asked what partition to install on, that screen will also
give you the opportunity to delete the C: partition, do so. The next
screen will give you the opportunity to format the partition, select
FAT or NTFS and format it. Then you can continue a fresh installation
of Win2k or you can exit the install w/o installing and have a blank,
formatted C: partition.

As an alternative, you could exit the installation right after deleting
the C: partition and then use any boot disk to format it later.
 
"KiwiBrian" wrote
Click to expand...
Yes, it is so but you must boot on the installation CD so that Win2000
isn't running. Shut down the computer, re-boot and enter the BIOS by
pressing whatever key your particular computer wants you to press.
Then tell the BIOS to boot on CD first, place the Win2k CD in the CD
drive and exit the BIOS and continue to boot. During the install,
you'll be asked what partition to install on, that screen will also
give you the opportunity to delete the C: partition, do so. The next
screen will give you the opportunity to format the partition, select
FAT or NTFS and format it. Then you can continue a fresh installation
of Win2k or you can exit the install w/o installing and have a blank,
formatted C: partition.

As an alternative, you could exit the installation right after deleting
the C: partition and then use any boot disk to format it later.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for clarifying that for me.
Hence I find it surprising that the above response that I queried is often
given rather than the one that you give.
Presumably both should be given, with clarification on under what practical
circumstances the floppy option is the preferred choice.

Thanks again
Brian Tozer
 
KiwiBrian said:
I am confused.
I understood that this operation could be done using the Win2000
Installation CD.
Is this not so?

Brian Tozer
Click to expand...

When I wrote my note I thought that you need a formatted
partition before you can install Win2000. I was wrong. You
can install Win2000 into a totally unpartitioned and
unformatted partition. Sorry for the confusion.
 
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