Setup won't load to format hard drive?

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Guest

I am trying to reformat a hard drive, but when I boot to the installation CD,
it loads Windows normally. Is there another way to get to Windows Setup?
 
Dustin said:
I am trying to reformat a hard drive, but when I boot to the installation
CD,
it loads Windows normally. Is there another way to get to Windows Setup?
Click to expand...


What do you mean "loads Windows normally"? Do you mean it just boots
straight into Windows? If that's the case then you are NOT booting from the
CD.
 
No. I have gone into the bios and changed the boot sequence and it asks me
to press any key to boot from CD. Then it boots straight into Windows. I
have never had this problem before.
 
On most PCs it is possible to set the boot order at the BIOS level, without
the need for pressing any extra key along the way later. That "press a key
to boot from CD" sounds more like some special bootloader or other software
above the BIOS level (i.e., on the hard drive somewhere). Consider, if the
PC had no hard drive (or a dead one or a balnk one), it should still be
bootable from floppy or CD. Go back to the BIOS and try setting the boot
order. That may be separate from listing bootable devices, or it may be on
the same screen. If necessary, read the motherboard manual, or if a
pre-built PC, check their support website for more info, including possibly
a downloadable manual.

As for formatting a hard drive, if the drive (really the parition) is not
being used by XP, then XP itself would be the easiest way to format it. Use
XPs disk managment tool, or if the drive appears in explorer, just
right-click and choose format.

But, if you want to format the drive where XP is installed (usually C:),
then you must do that from outside of XP. Running the XP recovery console
from the XP CD is a possibility. Running the XP recovery console from a
stack of 6 or so floppies (free download from Microsoft) is a also a
possibility. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

However, the best bet might be to use the CD that came with the hard drive,
assuming that you installed it yourself. Or, download an ISO image and burn
it to CD from almost any hard drive maker. Such CDs also have disk testing
tools. Just avoid anything that sounds like "low level", since these tests
may be destroy pre-existing data everywhere on the hard drive. I have had
good luck with the Seagate tools: http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/
They also offer a a floppy version, but that does less, and its screen are
more DOS-like.
 
Bob said:
On most PCs it is possible to set the boot order at the BIOS level,
without the need for pressing any extra key along the way later. That
"press a key to boot from CD" sounds more like some special
bootloader or other software above the BIOS level (i.e., on the hard
drive somewhere).
Click to expand...


No, it's a BIOS feature, and a common one, giving the user the chance to
boot from the hard drive even if the CD is first in the boot sequence..

Dustin, if you are set to boot from the CD first (and if you're getting the
"press any key" message, you are) and it's not booting from it, there are
only three possibilities: either something is wrong with the CD drive,
something is wrong with the CD (e.g., it's not a bootable CD), or your
keyboard isn't being recognized.

What kind of keyboard do you have, USB or PS2? Have you tried booting from
other bootable CDs?
 
Hi Ken

I've only seen that "Press a key to boot from CD" message on Windows 2000
and XP bootable CDs. (Not sure about Windows 98.... it's been too long
since I used one!) Are you sure it's not a MS-specific feature on their
bootable OS CDs?

PG
 
Paul said:
I've only seen that "Press a key to boot from CD" message on Windows
2000 and XP bootable CDs. (Not sure about Windows 98.... it's been
too long since I used one!) Are you sure it's not a MS-specific
feature on their bootable OS CDs?
Click to expand...


Yes, I'm sure. It can't be. Booting is a function of the BIOS. Also, nothing
can be read from the CD until the computer has booted.. The only way
*anything* on the CD could be an MS-specific feature would be after it had
already booted from it.
 
Hi Ken

Willing to try something? Make a Windows 98 boot disk, then make a bootable
CD using that boot disk as the source of boot information. I have a CD like
that, made in that way, and it doesn't prompt for a key to be pressed in
order to boot from CD.

By comparison, a Windows XP CD seems to be set to wait a few seconds for the
user to press a key. If no key is pressed, it redirects to the MBR on the
hard drive. It's easy to prove - with your BIOS set to boot CD / HDD /
Floppy, start it with your XP CD in the drive. Then restart without the CD
in the drive.

That's been my experience. I can't put "MVP" at the end of my signature, so
if you maintain your position on this, I'll bow out gracefully.

Paul
 
Hi Dustin

Sorry if I'm asking an obvious question... you don't say anything about
PRESSING a key when prompted - have you pressed a key when that message
appears?

Paul
 
Paul said:
Hi Ken

Willing to try something? Make a Windows 98 boot disk, then make a
bootable CD using that boot disk as the source of boot information.
I have a CD like that, made in that way, and it doesn't prompt for a
key to be pressed in order to boot from CD.

By comparison, a Windows XP CD seems to be set to wait a few seconds
for the user to press a key. If no key is pressed, it redirects to
the MBR on the hard drive. It's easy to prove - with your BIOS set
to boot CD / HDD / Floppy, start it with your XP CD in the drive.
Then restart without the CD in the drive.
Click to expand...


Sure, I'd like to try that, and I will, when I get the chance. I don't even
need to make a bootable CD; I probably have several non-Microsoft bootable
CDs around.

That's been my experience. I can't put "MVP" at the end of my
signature, so if you maintain your position on this, I'll bow out
gracefully.
Click to expand...


Nothing at the end of anyone's signatures guarantees that he's always right.
As a matter of fact, almost the only thing I'll guarantee is that all of us,
including those of us with the MVP at the end of our signatures, are
sometimes wrong. Perfection isn't possible, and *everyone* makes mistakes.
Somebody's advice is useful if he's mostly right, and you can be mostly
right even if you don't have letters at the end of your name.

So even though I still think I'm right, I'll try this and report back on
what I find. If I'm wrong I'll be happy to apologize and thank you for
teaching me something. It may be a couple of days before I get to it though.
 
Hello Ken

Thank you, and well said. I'm equally happy to learn and am enjoying this
newsgroup participation.

Paul
 
Paul said:
Hello Ken

Thank you, and well said. I'm equally happy to learn and am enjoying
this newsgroup participation.
Click to expand...


You're welcome and thanks for reminding me. I still haven't tried it. The
reason is that I want to do it when I first boot in the morning, and I keep
forgetting. I'm in my usual fog before I have my coffee, and powering on
first thing is an automatic thing for me.
 
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