Fdisk on W9x

[FZWG]

Appreciate some assistance.

If a hard drive has W9x installed on it, for it to be totally cleared out, is it a matter of going to MSDOS and running Fdisk, or is there something else involved?

[Steve R Jones]

All you really have to do to start over is to format c:

[FZWG]

At the MSDOS prompt, or does one need a boot disk? Would like to know if you can Fdisk or Format without a boot disk?

[Steve R Jones]

MUST have boot disk. The drive being fdisked or formatted cannot be in use.

[GroundZero3]

i thought with win9x you can press f8 before win stated up and it would bring you to a command prompt. maybe my imaginantion. but if you don't have a boot disk you can make one thru windows or www.bootdisk.com (http://www.bootdisk.com) have to boot up to the disk then at the command prompt fdisk first then format. to get completely clean you could do a low level format. but mostly people do that if they get a virus.

Jason

[This message has been edited by GroundZero3 (edited 04-16-2001).]

[FZWG]

Steve R Jones, GroundZero3,

Thank you for your replies.

Trying to help someone out over the phone. They do not have a boot disk.

Didn't know for sure if going to MSDOS worked, but it makes sense that the drive being fdisked or formated cannot be in use.

The F8 option sounds good also. May have to take a look at that. Isn't Command Prompt one of several options that show up with F8?

[codybear]

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/clean1.html

[FZWG]

codybear,

Great info! Thank you.

[GroundZero3]

good site cody

Jason

[RenaissanceMan]

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q255/8/67.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0&qry=Q255867&rnk=1&src=DHCS_MSPSS_gn_SRCH&SPR=W98SE
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[FZWG]

ReinassanceMan,

Thank you for your link.

More great info!!

Have a good week.