How to format a HD with win 2k installed

[tony draper]

Got a hard disc from a dual cpu machine that is now scrapped, it had win 2k installed, as a operating system I found 2k to be fine but I never had a 2k disc, anyway I want to use this as a spare hard disc for my machine that has win 98 installed, normally I have a spare HD outside the machine with a clean install in case of probs,trouble is the normal win 98 boot disc will not format the disc with win 2k installed, I know the reason, I just want to format this disc so I can install win 98 l,how can I go about this.?
:confused:

[Lost_luggage34]

Surely just plug it in, get to a DOS prompt (Start -> Run -> command), identify the drive letter and type Format x:

Or have I over simplified it ? No longer have a Win98 machine to test the theory out.

[Irish Steve]

Been a while since I did this.

If you try to boot the 98 machine with a 2000 disc in it, it may well not boot at all, as it may get upset with the format of the 2000 disc.

So, to avoid that sort of hassle, make yourself a boot floppy, and then add the FDISK ( or is that FDISC) and FORMAT tasks (the .exe files)

Attach the 2000 disc to the machine as a secondary disc, not a primary device, then make sure that the BIOS can see the device, so that it can be got at within the operating system.

Boot from the floppy, get to the DOS prompt, and then run an FDISK on the 2000 drive. Grea care to avoid the "live" drive, FDISK is not particularly user friendly, and the interface is more than cranky and old!

After the FDISK, you will have to reboot to make the disc visible to the OS, boot from the floppy again, as it's quicker and avoids possible hassles, and format the drive (with GREAT care that you don't by mistake format the C: drive!!!)

Once that's done, it should all be present and correct.

There's probably a quicker way to do this with something like partition magic or similar, but if you don't have them it costs, this way should work without spending any more money

Hope this helps

[tony draper]

The trouble is with this particular HD disc in the machine as master it will not boot from a win 98 boot disc, nor will the machine boot from the windows 98 CD, no matter what I tell it to do in bios, re going into dos,as I understand it win 2k was not a dos based system?
The win 2k disc works perfectly well as a slave with a win 98 as master,it was installed in the fat 32 format, but I do not think one can format a hard disc that is installed as slave, I may be wrong here ,but I seem to recal trying that once and the dammed machine started formating the C: master disc not the D: slave. even though I had typed "format D:"
:confused:

[stagger]

The 2000 disk probably has its partion(s) formatted using NTFS - a file system that 98 can't read or format. However, 98 should be able to delete this partition. You say that you are able to boot into 98 with the 2000 disk as a slave. You should be able to do this so shouldn't need to make a boot floppy. So from 98 bring up a dos prompt and run FDISK.

You should be able to select your slave drive and delete the NTFS partition - then create a new partition this time formatted using FAT32.

Now I can't remember how FDISK menus work - so you can't need to give exact instructions. But please be VERY CAREFUL - if you accidentally delete your Win 98 partition you won't be able to get it back!

[tony draper]

When I loaded win 2k on this particular disc, I was given the option at the start to use either the fat32 file system or the NTFS file sys, I chose the fat 32, so is it likely it has a partition in the NTFC?
Its weird,no matter what boot sequence option I choose in bios, ie A: D: C: , A: cdrom, C: with this disc in as master it always defaults to booting from the C: master hard disc.
Is there some kind of win2k boot disc?I recal in order to install win2k from the cd one had to first let it create four(or was it six?) floppies.and run the install from them.
:confused:

[maxell]

Are you saving the changes in BIOS before you exit?
Found this ages ago when i was having trouble with a format its a bit long winded but worked!

You will need a win98 start up disk if you dont have one go to www.bootdisc.com & download one on to a floppy .
Insert the floppy in the pc & boot up.
Choose option WITH CD ROM SUPPORT
At the a:prompt type in Fdisk . You then get a message do you want to continue with large disk support press enter .
You then get 4 choices enter choice 3 Delete partition .
then enter choice 4 delete non dos partition .
Just follow the instructions it will tell you it is deleted .
Then you must create a new partition.
On th FDISK menu choose option 1 create a primary dos partition & just folow the instructions .
When you have finished press ESC to get back to a: prompt.
Leave the win 98 start up disc in reboot ( press control , alt & delete ) .
This time take choice 1 With cd rom support .
At the a: prompt type in FORMAT C:/S this makes the drive bootable & puts system file on . it will take about 10 min there is a %progress bar.
When it is finished at the a; prompt Type in D: if D:IS YOUR CDROM DRIVE .
Put in your WIN98 CD
At the D: prompt type in SETUP
Then it is just a case of following the WIN98 CD SET

hope it helps

[tony draper]

Yes I know how to save the bios setting I have formated dozens of hard disks and I have a number of win98 startup discs, a dos boot disc simply will not boot the machine with this Hard disc as master, a bootable win 98 cd will not boot the machine with this hard disc in as master, it always boots from the hard disc ignoring the CD rom drive and the floppy drive.
I am doing everything right I assure you, Think I will try formating it in the machine as a slave,but as I stated in the earlier post,I am not sure if this will work.
Obviously there has to be some way of formating a hard disc with the win2k operating system installed, but it does not appear to be possible with the win 98 dos based operating sysyem.

[Lost_luggage34]

Perhaps look at the jumper settings ? These days most drives work on the CS - cable select setting. Sometimes the hardware needs to be told if it's Master or Slave.

[tony draper]

Yers one knows all about the master slave setting links.
Wondering what would happen if I install said hard disc as slave then delete every folder on it using win explorer,hmmm clutching at straws here Drapes.
Theres nothing wrong with this hard disc you understand,stick it in as master and it works just fine as a windows 2k operating system ,likewise clag it in as slave and it happily works with the win98 master.
I have four hard discs that I alternate in the machine,three of em are getting a bit long in the tooth, the one with win2k is not that old, I want to do a clean win 98 install on it and copy the stuff I want to keep from the other discs, in anticipation of tothers going tits up,which in ones experience will eventually happen,had a fright this morning,booted up to the message Primary Hard Disc Failier, managed to get round that and run a surface scan so disc will prolly be good for a few more months, but in ones experience once bad sectors start showing up,the disc is heading for binary heaven
:(

[maxell]

AH! now it begins to make sense, the method i posted above will work with 2000 or XP
The problem you have is that you have removed the hardrive from the comp where it was loaded and windows partialy configures to the mother board which is probably why it is bypassing your BIOS settings.
Try installing it as a slave and then fdisk and format it

[tony draper]

Errrr I have already said I have tried that on one occasion, the disc was not removed when it was partially loaded or anything like that, the disc is perfectly fine with a perfectly fine operating system thereupon,tiz just that one wants rid of that operating system,and win 98 loaded upon same, one likes win98 and is used to messing about with it believe me I have tried most things,one has been pottering about with puters for nye these twenty years gone,this machine is the 17th one one has built with bits with ones grubby litte paws, hardware and configuring of same one understands, tiz software probs that still sometimes baffle one, like this one.
:{

[maxell]

confused again now.
The disc you want to format is from a different computer to the one you have tried to install it in (yes)
so if its installed as master it will most likely ignore your motherboard bios settings as its looking for the original bios/motherboard where windows 2k was loaded.
If its installed as a slave can you boot the computer with its original win 98 hardrive as master with the win 98 setup disc?

[tony draper]

No the disc one wishes to format is not from a different machine,win 2k was loaded upon it on this machine, which origionaly was a Dual Pentium platform the only differnce now is that it has a single CPU .
The disc I wish to format works perfectly well in the machine as a master, it also works perfectly well as a slave to a win 98 Hard disk, theres nothing wrong with the disc or the operating system upon it,theres nothing wrong with the machine it is sitting in, both work perfectly well.
I think as I stated earlier,win 2k will not let a dos based operating system such as win 98 format it, but there must be some way of doing it, very frustrating,will give up on it today, lest one looses one's rag and pelts said hard disc agin the wall.

:uhoh:
Err yes I can boot the machine from a floppy with the win 98 disc installed as master,and the win2k disk as slave, but as I stated earlier I have tried to format a slave hard drive on a previous occasion, I typed Format D: as normal but the machine commensed to format the C: drive, which was most distressing .
I think that is what I was asking earlier,is there a way of formating a hard drive when its installed as a slave
From my past experience I assumed that the format command from a boot floppy will only format the C: or master drive.

[maxell]

if you know the disc make model number etc, some manufacturers have a download available which returns the hardrive to its bought state, from which you have to fdisk and format as normal.
If that program can be run on a slave hardrive without affecting the master i do not know. But it may be an option
not used 98 in many years but with it setup as you have it at present master/slave with 98 as master if you right click on the slave drive in my computer do you get the option to format it?
Although the odds are you have tried it and got the unable to format due in use msg

[Avtrician]

Drapes,

Set the W98 disc as Master (C:/) and W2K as slave (D:/).

Computer should now start as a W98 machine. select my computer, and right click on d:/ drive. Select format. should ask you to verify as formatting will erase everything. select yes , and away it should go.

Should that fail for some reason you could delete everything on the hard drive. and try again. If this still fails, reboot using your W98 boot disk.

Now you type in fdisk at the promt. select the second drive, remove/ delete partitions. Now recreate the partition/s you want. Exit fdisk, and enter format D:/. this will reset the HD as a dos / fat32 drive.

remove boot disk and restart the computer, you should now be able to see a blank hard drive ready for you to do that which you will.

Hope this works for you.

[Loose rivets]

Do you have the soft for low-level format? This would give you a virgin disc so to speak.

[Byrna]

Hi Tony Draper,
The NTFS partition will not be very FDISKABLE. I have always used another program called DELPART which works perfectly with NTFS and FAT16/32 partitions, to delete a partition.

Here is the link to DELPART (I did a Google search):
http://www.juliatexas.com/delpart/delpart.exe

Now, this is a known and tested partitioning tool so don't worry, it is not buggy and will not mess up your system.

You can also use the native WIN2000 installation CD to start a Win2k install and format/delete partition from there.


Hope this helps.

John