Low Level Formatting (please help!)

[gmx]

I am having the hardest time trying to low level format my hard drive. I switched operating systems from Windows 2000 to windows 98. I first installed windows 98 SE, and I kept getting errors when I tried to install the drivers. Now my computer just freezes in the windows boot up mode. I figured out that I need to low level format my machine to remove every component of windows 2000 from my machine. OK now for the problem.

I select boot from the floppy drive only in the CMOS. I insert the win boot disk, and it won't boot from there. OK so I tried to boot from the cd-rom, and I was successful, and I get the a prompt on the screen. Now I insert the disk for the hard drive utilities. I pressed dir/w to view the disk, and the windows startup disk files are shown. What is happening is that my a: drive is not read as the floppy. When the computer recognizes the A: drive it recognizes it as the cd-rom drive, therefore I can do nothing about formatting, because the floppy drive is not recognized at all. I have tried everything that I possibly could.

Please help with this problem if it is at all possible.

And much thanks previously
sorry so long.

[NDC]

Are you sure your FDD is working properly? Try acessing a floppy disk in windows and see if it will read the contents in floppy disk.

[gmx]

I konw that I have to reformat my machine, but the thing about that is if you do a regular format on a machine it does not remove some of the registry files from windows 2000 because they are write protected and are located on the top cylinder of the drive. So I have to low level format. A regualr format doesn't work.

And my computer does bios does recognize the fdd, when the computer is booting up it gives me a message that the boot sequence is not recognized on the floppy drive.

Thank you for your thoughts and ideas, I am open for anything. Please keep them comming.

[Jeff7]

I have been prescribing ZAP and WIPE for stuff similar to this:

ZAP

WIPE

ZAP very quicly removes any partition data, and file allocation data. WIPE not only ZAPs the drive, but it also writes zeroes to the whole drive.

[gmx]

I would try that but I can't get to windows at all. I tried to reinstall windows, and it freezes afer it copies all of the files, and when it is looking for new hardware to install. So in no way shape or form can I get to windows. My thought for the future, and my last feeble attempt to try to keep my hard drive alive is to burn a CD of the hard drive utilities, and try to run it from the cd-rom, since that is the only drive other than C: that I can run.

If there is another option please do tell.

Thanks

[Crackerjackman]

doesnt the windows 98 cd have a directory with the format.exe file in it? If it does, then just format your C drive, will get rid of those windows 2000 files, unfortunatly everything else too =/, but it might be your only chance at this point.

[qball]

Your FDD is not being recognized by the BIOS! This can occur because if it is a hardware failure or you have your floppy disabled in the BIOS.

Enable the floppy in you BIOS, keep the 'boot to floppy' setting and set the 'boot sequence' to start looking at A:.

The reason I state this, is normally if your floppy fails (hardware), your BIOS will give you a message. Since you are not recieving the message, the floppy most likely is disabled.

I'd offer more, but getting into my BIOS will make completing this message near impossible.

[drn]

i agreer with crackerjackman the best way now will be to format the drive and start all over that is what i would do now instead of trying to lowlevel format