how to reformat the harddisk and load the windows98 second edition and other related soft wares?
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Minimum Hardware Requirements to Install Windows 98\nThe minimum hardware requirements include: • 486DX 66-MHz or faster processor (Pentium recommended) \n• 16 megabytes (MB) of memory (24 MB recommended) \n• 195 MB of free hard disk space (the required space may vary from 120 MB to 295 MB, depending on your computer's configuration and the options you choose to install) \n• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive \n• 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive \n• Video adapter and monitor that support VGA or higher resolution \n• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device \n\n\n\n\nHow to Partition the Hard Disk\nAfter you decide which file system you want to use, run the Fdisk tool: 1. Insert the Windows 98 Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart your computer. \n2. When the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup menu is displayed, choose the Start computer without CD-ROM support option, and then press ENTER. \n3. At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press ENTER. \n4. If the hard disk is larger than 512 MB, you receive the following prompt:\nYour computer has a disk larger than 512 MB. This version of Windows includes improved support for large disks, resulting in more efficient use of disk space on large drives, and allowing disks over 2 GB to be formatted as a single drive.\n\nIMPORTANT: If you enable large disk support and create any new drives on this disk, you will not be able to access the new drive(s) using other operating systems, including some versions of Windows 95 and Windows NT, as well as earlier versions of Windows and MS-DOS. In addition, disk utilities that were not designated explicitly for the FAT32 file system will not be able to work with this disk. If you need to access this disk with other operating systems or older disk utilities, do no enable large drive support.\n\nDo you wish to enable large disk support (Y/N)? \nIf you want to use the FAT32 file system, press Y, and then press ENTER. If you want to use the FAT16 file system, press N, and then press ENTER. \n\n \n5. After you press ENTER, the Fdisk Options menu is displayed. Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive option, and then press ENTER. \n6. Press 1 to select the Create Primary DOS Partition option, and then press ENTER. \n7. After you press ENTER, you receive the following prompt:\nDo you wish to use the maximum available size for primary DOS partition?\nFAT32 File System:\n\na.  If you chose the FAT32 file system in step 4 and you want all of the space on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press ENTER. \nb.  Press ESC, and then press ESC to quit the Fdisk tool and return to a command prompt. \nc.  Skip to step 10. \nFAT16 File System:\n\na.  If you chose the FAT16 file system in step 4, and you want the first 2 GB on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press ENTER. \nb.  Press ESC to return to the Options menu, and then skip to step i. \nc.  If you want to customize the size of the partitions (the logical drives) on the hard disk, press N, and then press ENTER. \nd.  A prompt is displayed for you to type the size that you want for the primary partition in megabytes or percent of disk space. Note that for a Windows 98-based computer, Microsoft recommends that you make the primary partition at least 500 MB. Type the size of the partition that you want to create, and then press ENTER. \ne.  Press ESC to return to the Options menu. \nf.  Press 2 to select the Set active partition option, and then press ENTER. \ng.  When you are prompted to type the number of the partition that you want to make the active partition, press 1, and then press ENTER. \nh.  Press ESC to return to the Options menu. \ni.  To assign drive letters to the additional space on the hard disk:1. Press 1, and then press ENTER. \n2. Press 2 to select the Create Extended DOS Partition option, and then press ENTER. \n3. The option that appears displays the maximum space that is available for the
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hey me again..the only way to do this that i know of is in DOS\nand its complicated\nall thats in those is info for system restore
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first format the disk and reinstall windows in your system
23411
use the windows CD or also called back-up cd
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WIndows will reformat it to the NTFS system when you install it. I have hard drives that I switch between Linux and Windows all the time.
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You don't have to reformat!  Just go to the Start button, then click on it, then click on Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, then System Restore.  Then try "going back" one at a time until you find one that's far enough back before you made whichever screw-up you made, and you'll be good to go.  That's all assuming you have Windows XP.
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If you are using it on another computer of your own, just plug it in as a slave drive and then if using Win XP, just go to My Computer and right click on the drive. Then select format and it will wipe it clean for you. \n\nIf you are just going to install windows on it then just format at windows setup.\n\nIf you are not going to be the user of this computer and want to protect your privacy use a tool from http://www.download.com to do a deep format - one in which data cannot be recovered.\n\nGood Luck
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If you want to whip it out clean(your entire hard drive), then reboot your system with the windows boot disk and type "format c:" this will whipe out all data from the drive.\n\nif you need to preserve your data then you may have to do it manualy with the with the deltree command from the dos prompt. You will also have to reboot using the win98 boot disk because you will get an error saying someting like "Can't  remove directory, X file,already in use by windows"\n\nalso please make sure you copy deltree.exe onto you bootup\nfloppy. I beleive that the windows boot disk does not set the path to the windows directory, so doing a deltree from the prompt will not work with out the deltree.exe program on your floppy.\n\nThe command from your A:prompt should look like this\n\nA:>deltree c:&#92;windows\n\ndeltree c:&#92;windows, is the actual syntax to type at the prompt.\n\nyou can then from there use anny method you choose to delete any windows swap files.\n\nNotes:\n\nuse the dir command to see any hidden files left over by windows\n\nFirst use dir/? to get the correct syntax. dir will let you see the hidden files and the attrib command will let you change the attributes of a file from hidden to archive so that yo may delete any hidden windows files on your hard drive.(attrib/? for syntax)\n\nif you need more info,E-mail me, Thanks for the question!\n\nThe first answer is wrong. Do not do a low level format. A low level format is done at the manufacture NOT the user.
900776
First, I hope I get 10 points for pointing you in the right direction in your last question.\n\nIf thats the route you think you need to take then get your windows CD out and re-install windows. If and when it asks you to re-format the drive, click yes.\n\nMost, not all computers come with factory re-fresh CD's, this will make your laptop like the day it was bought.\n\nHow old is this laptop, What is the OpSys (95,98,2000,Me,XP)
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You can also upgrade from Windows 98. Boot from the Win 98 CD and format the hard disk, then install.
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format the hard drive, clean install windows
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Perhaps you can purchase another reformat disk from the computer company.  Or might be better to buy a new  preprogrammed one that comes with the restores disks.  \nE
226895
try to reinstall windows .. or format the hard disk and install a fresh copy
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No. There is no eay way. Perhaps the easiest is to simply buy another hard disk (if you can actually install one in your hardware) and install a fresh copy of the operating system on it, making it the a new c drive, but this raises some particular issues. Some applications (and many operating systems) require that certain files (configuration stuff, for instance) be on the same drive from which the system has booted (or on which the application is installed). So changing to a new drive like this will involve some obscure issues dependent on not so obvious details of how this or that program (including the operating system) was designed and implemented. \n\n==========\nThere are some things you'll have to think about here, before you do anything at all. I'll assume you aren't going to get a new hard disk, and discuss the problem as you laid it out. Namely, reformatting the existing C drive and reinstalling your system on it. \n\nDo you really need to reformat? You may be able to reinstall Windows over itself, and if a damage Windows file is part of the problem, escape without the major pain of reformatting. \n\n========\nFirst, without the installation CD (or copies of all the files from it) you're sunk. I'm not sure from what you say whether you have a copy of the CD on your second drive or not. If you don't ... Trouble lies that way. \n\nSecond, You must backup everything you have on the C drive that is not reinstalled from the distribution disks. And you must be certain that whatever backup method you choose will be able to actually read the backup formatted files after the reinstallation. It is not unusual, sadly, for some backup programs to be unable to actually read in the backup files it creates. \n"Backup" includes the operating system (Microsoft has dropped support for 98 and for SE, so you would be well advised to update -- my suggestion is to 2000, but some folks are willing to settel for 2000 Lite -- ie, XP. Or even to make this your opportunity to switch to a vendor who poses fewer problems -- the main option as I write this is one of the kind_of_Unixen), Linux -- my favorite is the SuSE distribution). And "backup" includes application files as well. Identifying just which files these are, and where they are is not always easy. Clearly all your pictures and documents you've written and would qualify, but applications (and operating systems) usually have several configuration files, history files, backup files, index files, ... which it will save time to have copes of. But, if an application doesn't provide for saving these and reinstalling them over a fresh installtion of the application, ...  There will be problems here as well. You might have to reconfigure some or all of your applications (and the operating system too) after reinstallation. this is a pain, but may be unavoidable...\n\nThird, you must be certain that any new hardware you've installed will be recognized by the Windows boot routines at reinstallation time. It might be wise to start a reinstallation (with the intent of cancelling it essentially immediately) to test whether the BIOS will call up the Windows installation routines from wherever they are, and whether they will be able to find the new hardware. Since hardware support (ie, drivers and design troubleshooting) for 98SE has mostly been dropped, increasingly more hardware will not be supported for 98SE.  Without support, you'll have to write your own drivers -- not recommended.\n\nFourth, you must, when reinstalling, configure your software in ways which are compatible with how they used to be configured, lest there be odd (perhaps fatal) happenings from the incompatibilites. Some things don't matter -- like icon colors or the shape of the cursor, but some will.\n\nFifth, keep a record of what you did and why at each step of the way, starting before you begin backing up. Include all instructions (and options) and the immediate re
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If all you want to do is reformat then you could use FreeDOS or Knoppix.
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U need to make a startuo disk and use it with your win98 cd or have a win98 bootable cd.\nit will take u in ms-dos.\nThere u just write "format c:" ---> this formats ur drive.\nThen run setup to install windows.
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If you insert the windows cd, there will be option for for formating/clean install and recovery from back up called known good configuaration.\n\nbut I recommend it slightly differently. To be safest, create partition in hard drive. then back up your previous installation there. Install fresh in other drive.