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Home > Forums > Desktop Software > PC Operating Systems > Microsoft: Windows 2000 Professional Forum

Cant format Win2K...HELP

Read More Threads Like This One

allard (TechnicalUser)

10 Jan 01 5:12

I need to format win2000, cause most of my hardware doesnt work properly with it (printer/scanner etc). But most of all, I cant play any games with the program...
So I want to format it and put 95 back on. But when I press f8 after the reboot and choose the option (whatsitcalled?) that gets me just to the dos-prompt, It does go to the prompt...but I cant type anything!!!! So I cant format it that way!! Can somebody tell me how to format windows2000, since that way ISNT working..... thanks

Telsa (Programmer)

10 Jan 01 10:51

When Windows 2000 was installed, what format was the disk drive done in (FAT, FAT32, NTFS)?

Do you have a Win95 boot disk with fdisk and format on it as well as cdrom drivers????

Mary

rfeenie (TechnicalUser)

10 Jan 01 10:59

is there not a low level format facility in your system BIOS. at start press ( usually) F1 or Del to enter setup and check for theis low level format. im not sure if you can delete a w2k partition with a w95/98 boot disk Mary ? have you done it b4 ( formatting that is ,not 'it')

Rob

If in doubt get the Ball Pein Hammer out

Telsa (Programmer)

10 Jan 01 12:10

Fdisk will work... but it's tricky. I suspect this is an NTFS partition. You really don't want to low level format an IDE drive.

I'm thinking fdisk and let it pick a size and do its thing (it won't recognize the original size). Then format. THen go back into fdisk and remove the partitions and repartition. THen it'll find the full disk size. But with Win95, needs to have CDROM drivers on the boot disk or still can't reinstall.

This is the cheap alternative... the more costly one would be to get Partition Magic to reset the drive.

Mary

wybnormal (TechnicalUser)

10 Jan 01 13:33

Personally I think Partition Magic is cheap compared to the amount of time wasted trying to "fix" the problem :) Even more so since you use it over and over. One the "must haves" in any admins or power use tool kit.

Mike S

aditrusj (IS/IT--Management)

14 Jan 01 23:48

formatting it with win95 boot disk should work. append the extension /u (as in a:\format c:/u). you should be able to wipe out everything and reload your OS from scratch (it also does not matter if you have W2k in an ntfs of fat partition)

rfeenie (TechnicalUser)

16 Jan 01 6:18

whats wrong with LLF ing a IDE drive Telsa ?
nuffink at all

If in doubt get the Ball Pein Hammer out

ukwebsite (Programmer)

18 Jan 01 5:53

All you have to do is start the Windows 2000 setup and delete the partition. Exit the setup and format is at usuall. This will get rid of the NTFS

Matthew Wilde
matthew@ukwebsite.com

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