How to re-format my hard drive in WIN XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Katie
  • Start date Start date
K

Katie

I am losing my mind trying to find the answer to this
question. I upgraded to XP from WIN 98SE but all the
files remain from WIN 98 even though I did a clean
install. I think the best solution is to wipe the drive
and reinstall XP again. But I just can't figure out how
to do this.
 
Katie,

First you need to set your BIOS to boot from the CD. Having done that,
stick the XP installation CD in the drive and reboot. The installation is
self explanatory from there. You want to choose the options to format and
install XP, not the repair options. Do a Google search for "Clean Install
of Windows XP" and you'll get more information than you can believe. You
can also go to the PC World website, or the Tech TV website and do searches
for info on how to do your installation. Good luck. Post back if you run
into trouble. Remember that a format will wipe the hard drive, so make sure
you have any critical data backed up before you start.
 
Kevin & Jupiter thanks for the help. I'm still not
getting anywhere. I changed the BIOS to boot from the CD-
ROM, but when I reboot it continues to boot from the hard
drive. So I created a set of bootable WIN XP setup
floppies, and again changed the BIOS to boot from the
floppy drive. The system still persists in booting from
the hard disc. What am I missing?
 
Hi Katie,

When you first start the machine from the CD, at the bottom of the screen
you will see a prompt to press,"I think", enter to boot from CD. If you
don't press the key, it will boot from the HD.

HTH, JAX
 
Katie;
Is the CD original or a copy?

Is the CD a boot device before hard drive?
It must be

Is there more than one CD Drive, DVD, CD/RW?
If so try the other.

With the Windows XP CD in the drive, reboot.
Immediately start tapping a key about once a second.
It should boot to CD.
 
if you upgraded form 98 then xp retains win 98, as a
rollback in case of problems. i believe on reinstallation
you can opt out of this option.
 
Make sure in bios that "boot other device" is enable or
bios will ignore it even though it is first boot device.
The option should be in advanced section where you changed
the boot devices. As far as clean install goes check out
support.microsoft.com. Do a search of knowledge for
whatever os you want and all your questions. It is
informative and at times unrelated but there is a lot of
good reading.
 
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