Formatting Question

User wrote:
> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
> XP anway?)
>
> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs (D
>
> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>
> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the Win98
> boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
> what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>
> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
> accessible.
>
> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
>
>

Disconnect the slave drive and try again.

Alias

On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:52:44 -0500, "User" <user@nospam.com> wrote:

> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
> XP anway?)
>
> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs (D
>
> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>
> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the Win98
> boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
> what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>
> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
> accessible.
>
> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!


Is it NTFS? If it is, it will be invisible to a regular boot floppy.

>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

as far as can understand, windows 98 and windows ME only can be installed, if
the hard drive is without operating system at all, if you have the windows XP
cd use that one to farmat the hard drive, when finish formatting quit the
intallations, and now you have empty hard drive, and start with windows 98

"Ken" wrote:

> User wrote:
> > Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
> > XP anway?)
> >
> > I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs (D
> >
> > I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
> >
> > I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the Win98
> > boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
> > what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
> >
> > The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
> > accessible.
> >
> > Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
> >
> >
> My guess is the XP installation was installed on a NTFS partitioned
> drive. If that is the case, the FAT file system from the floppy or
> Win98 CD will not see it.
>

Boot with the winxp cd, delete the partition, recreate, format, install

"User" <user@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:13tnr96d3ehf215@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Ken" <ken@invalid.com> wrote in message
> news:NYadnTvI_tICekbanZ2dnUVZ_ovinZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>> User wrote:
>>> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it
>>> concerns XP anway?)
>>>
>>> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs
>>> (D
>>>
>>> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>>>
>>> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the
>>> Win98 boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>)
>>> and see what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive!
>>> (D.
>>>
>>> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
>>> accessible.
>>>
>>> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
>> My guess is the XP installation was installed on a NTFS partitioned
>> drive. If that is the case, the FAT file system from the floppy or Win98
>> CD will not see it.
>
>
> Yes. According to My Computer it says the file system for C: is NTFS and
> the file system for (slave) D: is FAT.
>
> What is the workaround so that the floppy will see the NTFS (C so I can
> reformat it ?
>

Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
XP anway?)

I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs (D

I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:

I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the Win98
boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.

The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
accessible.

Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!

User wrote:


> Yes. According to My Computer it says the file system for C: is NTFS and
> the file system for (slave) D: is FAT.
>
> What is the workaround so that the floppy will see the NTFS (C so I can
> reformat it ?

Boot with your Win98 boot disk, making sure that in addition to the CD-ROM
drivers it has Format and Fdisk on it (I've never seen a Win9x boot floppy
that didn't). At the A:\ prompt type: fdisk [enter]

The master drive will show up as (IIRC) a non-DOS disk. Delete the partition
and create a new one. Reboot after doing that work, still with the boot
disk. At the A:\ prompt type: format [enter]

How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a
Hard Disk - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255867

Reboot after the format, again using the boot disk. Put the Win98 install
disk into the CD drive. At the A:\ prompt type:

cd c:\ [enter]
C:\makedir Win98
cd d:\[to move to the Win98 install cd] [enter]
d:\copy Win98 c:\Win98 [enter]

After the copying of the files is finished:
cd c:\Win98 [enter]
Now you will be in c:\Win98
type setup [enter] and the Windows 98 installation will start.

Google search for "how to install Windows 98"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&btnG=Sear ch

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

User wrote:
> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
> XP anway?)
>
> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs (D
>
> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>
> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the Win98
> boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
> what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>
> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
> accessible.
>
> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
>
>
My guess is the XP installation was installed on a NTFS partitioned
drive. If that is the case, the FAT file system from the floppy or
Win98 CD will not see it.

"Ken" <ken@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:NYadnTvI_tICekbanZ2dnUVZ_ovinZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> User wrote:
>> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it
>> concerns XP anway?)
>>
>> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs
>> (D
>>
>> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>>
>> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the
>> Win98 boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and
>> see what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>>
>> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
>> accessible.
>>
>> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
> My guess is the XP installation was installed on a NTFS partitioned drive.
> If that is the case, the FAT file system from the floppy or Win98 CD will
> not see it.


Yes. According to My Computer it says the file system for C: is NTFS and
the file system for (slave) D: is FAT.

What is the workaround so that the floppy will see the NTFS (C so I can
reformat it ?

"User" <user@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:13tnom1l6o7hda1@corp.supernews.com...
> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it concerns
> XP anway?)
>
> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs
> (D
>
> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>
> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the
> Win98
> boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
> what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>
> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
> accessible.
>
> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!


>> User adds...
>> Yes. According to My Computer it says the file system for C: is NTFS and
>> the file system for (slave) D: is FAT.
>>
>> What is the workaround so that the floppy will see the NTFS (C so I can
>> reformat it ?


"Malke" <malke@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:%237usTVrhIHA.4844@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Boot with your Win98 boot disk, making sure that in addition to the CD-ROM
> drivers it has Format and Fdisk on it (I've never seen a Win9x boot floppy
> that didn't). At the A:\ prompt type: fdisk [enter]
>
> The master drive will show up as (IIRC) a non-DOS disk. Delete the
> partition
> and create a new one. Reboot after doing that work, still with the boot
> disk. At the A:\ prompt type: format [enter]
>
> How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition
> a
> Hard Disk - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255867
>
> Reboot after the format, again using the boot disk. Put the Win98 install
> disk into the CD drive. At the A:\ prompt type:
>
> cd c:\ [enter]
> C:\makedir Win98
> cd d:\[to move to the Win98 install cd] [enter]
> d:\copy Win98 c:\Win98 [enter]
>
> After the copying of the files is finished:
> cd c:\Win98 [enter]
> Now you will be in c:\Win98
> type setup [enter] and the Windows 98 installation will start.
>
> Google search for "how to install Windows 98"
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&btnG=Sear ch
>
> Malke
> --
> MS-MVP
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> Don't Panic!


User & Malke...
(Some of the previous responses to the contrary Malke is indeed correct when
he infers that the DOS FDISK command will detect an NTFS partition as a
non-DOS partition and the user can delete that partition and then create &
format FAT32 partitions.)

While there's nothing inherently wrong in the process Malke details re
installing the Win98 OS on the user's 20 GB HDD, is there any reason in this
case why the OP could not simply boot to his or her Win98 installation CD
(ensuring that the only HDD connected in the system is the one on which he
or she desires to install the Win98 OS) and simply install the Win98 OS onto
that HDD - in the setup process formatting the drive FAT32?

During the initial stages of the Win98 installation process the user will be
given an opportunity to boot from the CD-ROM and subsequently be given the
choice of (in effect) deleting the non-DOS (NTFS) partition, formatting the
disk FAT32, and completing the setup process from the Win98 installation CD.
Of course all data on that NTFS-formatted drive will be deleted and a fresh
install of the Win98 OS will ensue. I assume, of course, that's the OP's
objective.
Anna

Sounds like a lot simpler procedure, indeed. :-)

Anna wrote:
> "User" <user@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:13tnom1l6o7hda1@corp.supernews.com...
>> Hello. Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong NG but I'm stuck (and it
>> concerns
>> XP anway?)
>>
>> I have two physical hard drives; Primary :20 Gigs (C and Slave:2 Gigs
>> (D
>>
>> I currently have WinXP Home on my primary (C and just junk on D:
>>
>> I'm tyring to reformat my C: and put Windows 98 SE on it. I put in the
>> Win98
>> boot floppy with CD ROM support. When I get to the prompt (A:>) and see
>> what's in my C:\ it reports the contents of my slave drive! (D.
>>
>> The contents of my primary (C does not show up at all nor is it
>> accessible.
>>
>> Any ideas? Would appreciate any help any can provide!
>
>
>>> User adds...
>>> Yes. According to My Computer it says the file system for C: is NTFS
>>> and
>>> the file system for (slave) D: is FAT.
>>>
>>> What is the workaround so that the floppy will see the NTFS (C so I
>>> can
>>> reformat it ?
>
>
> "Malke" <malke@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> news:%237usTVrhIHA.4844@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Boot with your Win98 boot disk, making sure that in addition to the
>> CD-ROM
>> drivers it has Format and Fdisk on it (I've never seen a Win9x boot
>> floppy
>> that didn't). At the A:\ prompt type: fdisk [enter]
>>
>> The master drive will show up as (IIRC) a non-DOS disk. Delete the
>> partition
>> and create a new one. Reboot after doing that work, still with the boot
>> disk. At the A:\ prompt type: format [enter]
>>
>> How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition
>> a Hard Disk - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255867
>>
>> Reboot after the format, again using the boot disk. Put the Win98 install
>> disk into the CD drive. At the A:\ prompt type:
>>
>> cd c:\ [enter]
>> C:\makedir Win98
>> cd d:\[to move to the Win98 install cd] [enter]
>> d:\copy Win98 c:\Win98 [enter]
>>
>> After the copying of the files is finished:
>> cd c:\Win98 [enter]
>> Now you will be in c:\Win98
>> type setup [enter] and the Windows 98 installation will start.
>>
>> Google search for "how to install Windows 98"
>> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&btnG=Sear ch
>>
>> Malke
>> --
>> MS-MVP
>> Elephant Boy Computers
>> www.elephantboycomputers.com
>> Don't Panic!
>
>
> User & Malke...
> (Some of the previous responses to the contrary Malke is indeed correct
> when
> he infers that the DOS FDISK command will detect an NTFS partition as a
> non-DOS partition and the user can delete that partition and then create &
> format FAT32 partitions.)
>
> While there's nothing inherently wrong in the process Malke details re
> installing the Win98 OS on the user's 20 GB HDD, is there any reason in
> this
> case why the OP could not simply boot to his or her Win98 installation CD
> (ensuring that the only HDD connected in the system is the one on which he
> or she desires to install the Win98 OS) and simply install the Win98 OS
> onto
> that HDD - in the setup process formatting the drive FAT32?
>
> During the initial stages of the Win98 installation process the user will
> be
> given an opportunity to boot from the CD-ROM and subsequently be given the
> choice of (in effect) deleting the non-DOS (NTFS) partition, formatting
> the
> disk FAT32, and completing the setup process from the Win98 installation
> CD.
> Of course all data on that NTFS-formatted drive will be deleted and a
> fresh
> install of the Win98 OS will ensue. I assume, of course, that's the OP's
> objective.
> Anna