intall start over from scratch?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Just setting up a new system which includes DVD drive, 200GB HD, zip
drive, installing XP Home SP2.

Started the install process and made 3 partitions, didn't realize til
install was done that it named the partitions E: F: and G: and the zip
and dvd drives were C: and D: I really don't want it that way...
really want the system on C:

Did some google searches and found that the zip drive may be the
culprit. Disconnected the zip.

For the life of me I cannot make it reformat the harddrive. I can boot
from the xp cd. Go back through the setup and do a clean install but I
keep getting hung up. Only progress I've made is deleting F: and G:
and made a new partition which it named C: That parts cool, so now I
want to get rid of the partition that had the original system on it,
but it keeps saying that I can't because the partition contains
temporary Setup files that are required to complete the installation.

If there was a way to get back to the blank slate harddrive (reformat
it) I would be happy as a clam.

How can I truly wipe out the disk and start over?

Thanks in advance!
Mike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 03:20:42 GMT, oo Mike oo wrote:

> Just setting up a new system which includes DVD drive, 200GB HD, zip
> drive, installing XP Home SP2.
>
> Started the install process and made 3 partitions, didn't realize til
> install was done that it named the partitions E: F: and G: and the zip
> and dvd drives were C: and D: I really don't want it that way...
> really want the system on C:
>
> Did some google searches and found that the zip drive may be the
> culprit. Disconnected the zip.
>
> For the life of me I cannot make it reformat the harddrive. I can boot
> from the xp cd. Go back through the setup and do a clean install but I
> keep getting hung up. Only progress I've made is deleting F: and G:
> and made a new partition which it named C: That parts cool, so now I
> want to get rid of the partition that had the original system on it,
> but it keeps saying that I can't because the partition contains
> temporary Setup files that are required to complete the installation.
>
> If there was a way to get back to the blank slate harddrive (reformat
> it) I would be happy as a clam.
>
> How can I truly wipe out the disk and start over?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> Mike

If you really can't get the partition with the old installation to delete,
you could just go ahead with the install on your new C:. Delete the old
setup when the new one is in. If a boot menu is created that lists both old
and new XP installations, you can adjust that later by editing the boot.ini
file.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User

 

[Jerry]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Hard drive manufacturers provide software with their drives that you can
boot from and then use to set up new drives. If you didn't get such a CD
with the drive then check the appropriate web site and get it there. Use the
program to remove the old partitions and the re-create new ones. Leave the
ZIP drive disconnected till done.

"oo Mike oo" <no.email@this.com> wrote in message
news:mjv4r0ll18km8h2926l148f9bnl9gva6ed@4ax.com...
> Just setting up a new system which includes DVD drive, 200GB HD, zip
> drive, installing XP Home SP2.
>
> Started the install process and made 3 partitions, didn't realize til
> install was done that it named the partitions E: F: and G: and the zip
> and dvd drives were C: and D: I really don't want it that way...
> really want the system on C:
>
> Did some google searches and found that the zip drive may be the
> culprit. Disconnected the zip.
>
> For the life of me I cannot make it reformat the harddrive. I can boot
> from the xp cd. Go back through the setup and do a clean install but I
> keep getting hung up. Only progress I've made is deleting F: and G:
> and made a new partition which it named C: That parts cool, so now I
> want to get rid of the partition that had the original system on it,
> but it keeps saying that I can't because the partition contains
> temporary Setup files that are required to complete the installation.
>
> If there was a way to get back to the blank slate harddrive (reformat
> it) I would be happy as a clam.
>
> How can I truly wipe out the disk and start over?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> Mike

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

>"oo Mike oo" <no.email@this.com> wrote in message
>news:mjv4r0ll18km8h2926l148f9bnl9gva6ed@4ax.com...
>> Just setting up a new system which includes DVD drive, 200GB HD, zip
>> drive, installing XP Home SP2.
>>
>> Started the install process and made 3 partitions, didn't realize til
>> install was done that it named the partitions E: F: and G: and the zip
>> and dvd drives were C: and D: I really don't want it that way...
>> really want the system on C:
>>
>> Did some google searches and found that the zip drive may be the
>> culprit. Disconnected the zip.
>>
>> For the life of me I cannot make it reformat the harddrive. I can boot
>> from the xp cd. Go back through the setup and do a clean install but I
>> keep getting hung up. Only progress I've made is deleting F: and G:
>> and made a new partition which it named C: That parts cool, so now I
>> want to get rid of the partition that had the original system on it,
>> but it keeps saying that I can't because the partition contains
>> temporary Setup files that are required to complete the installation.
>>
>> If there was a way to get back to the blank slate harddrive (reformat
>> it) I would be happy as a clam.
>>
>> How can I truly wipe out the disk and start over?
>>
>> Thanks in advance!
>> Mike
>
Well, finally did get things worked out using the Windows CD, just
took a while and more googling. While I'm waiting for windows to
reinstall on C: drive I'll try to explain how I got it done, for the
next person.

Before starting this, I did disconnect the Zip drive. Also had to
change my keyboard connection from USB to the PS/2 because the USB
wasn't active for initial boot up screens from CD.

Here's the source that got me through it:
http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/reinstall-reformat-winxp/index.html#reinstallxp

Method#1, item 2a leads to this page:

http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/reinstall-reformat-winxp/reformat-NTFS-XP.html

And here's Microsofts expanation of the Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;314058&

Found these by googling "how to format your hard drive"

Basically what I did was...
-Booted from XP cd
-Went to the Recovery Console (2nd menu item)
-When it asks "Which Windows installation would you like to log
onto?", you have to type the number next to your choice, otherwise it
just reboots.
-Typed map to see what drives and partitons were showing up
-Then typed "Format C: /fs:ntsf" replacing "C" with appropriate letter
for each of the hard drive partitions that showed up. There's much
more detail if you go to the links above, DISKPART also looks like a
useful command.

This truly got rid of all of the previous install info. So when I
booted from XP cd next time, it went right to the partition setup
window and allowed me to remake the partitions as I wished to have
them.

Continued with installation as normal.

Thanks for everyone's input.