Need to erase Hard Drive and load different OS

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:28 PM

I currently have an old Dell laptop that was running Win 95 -
and it worked fine.

I loaded Win ME and it cannot accommodate it.

I only need it to show presentations to clients. No other use.

When I use the boot disk from www.bootdisk.com

I type:

a:

then

format c:

Then "Y"

A message comes up that says "Drive C: is currently in use by another process. Aborting Format.

Please advise... I need to use the laptop at a client presentation tonight at 8pm (Wed 1/23/03)

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:31 PM

Don't you have a Win`95 boot disk ?

**maface** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:32 PM

Try using "FDISK" first delete the partition-create the partition-set the partition active then try "format"

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:37 PM

No, I don't have a Win 95 Boot Disk...

What are the steps to erasing the hard drive?

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:37 PM

You can try it but ..... If it won't perform the command >FORMAT< I doubt it will perform an >FDISK<. If you have the CD and a startup diskette from Win`95 or Win`98 and you put them both in and then do a cold boot it should lead you through the process ..... no?

EDIT: Sorry, didn't read your post before this went up,

If you can make a startup disk for Win 95 or 98 on another PC then do as I said earlier in this post. Put in the CD and the diskette ~ turn it off ~ after a minute or so turn it back on ~ follow the instructions and eventually you can do as you started to .... except I'd use the comand -----

FORMAT C: /U

That will assure that nothing is saved during the format process.

Oh ~ and to make a startup diskette .... put the CD intr a PC and when it initializes the "intro screen" it should give you the option to make a startup diskette.

**Target** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:38 PM

Are you actually booting from the floppy disk, or are you trying to run this from a DOS window? Sounds to me like you are running this from a DOS window which will not work.

Place floppy disc into the drive, and power up the machine. It should boot from the code contained on the floppy (ie: you should not do this from within Windows)

Once you are at the A:\ prompt, then you type FORMAT C: and it should wipe out the drive for you (assuming of course that format.com is also contained on the floppy drive).

Once the format is complete, then you can go about installing another OS onto the hard disk. How to best accomplish that is somewhat dependent on which one it is you want to install. So, once you have completed the format, fill us in on what else you want to do and what you need assistance with.

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:44 PM

I'm now downloading a WIN95 Boot disk from
www.bootdisk.com

DSL down - so dialing up...

---

I will then restart with the disk in drive A:

---

Previously, it would say: "Invalid disk" and not load from the code on the disk...

---

Once the download is complete, I will try again and give a progress report in a few minutes...

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:48 PM

You'll have better luck, or should I say it's a "sure thing"
.... when you make a startup diskette from the very same CD you're trying to load.

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 02:57 PM

I started the laptop with the disk from bootdisk.com

I said "Invalid system Disk" Remove and press any key...

-----

How do I create a startup disk from the WIN 95 CD that I currently have

or

Can I boot up from the CD drive?

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 03:14 PM

Look up ..... I posted the directions in this thread @ 10:37 am.

Or should I say I edited it to say that @ 10:46 am ???

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 03:27 PM

I put the Win95 CD into my PC...

But there was no option for creating a startup disk.

Time is growing short...

Is there another way to erase the hard drive?

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 03:31 PM

To make a startup diskette with the CD you have to put it into a PC that's working. That's when you'll get the intro screen. After you make it in the one you are using now put it and the CD in the one you want to format ..... it should all come back to you once you see a familiar process ......

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 03:43 PM

I put the WIN95 disk into my PC (is working) - not into the laptop.

When I put the disk into the PC, it gives me the following option in a GUI window:

Windows 95 Tour
Hover (game)
Cool Video Clips
Browse this CD
Add/Remove Software (grayed out)

When I "browse" I don't see "Startup disk" or anything remotely related...

**PartsMan** · January 22nd, 2003, 04:22 PM

Sorry, my bad ~ I just tried to make a Win`95 startup disk on my win`98 machine and it won't let me. I don't have your answer.

**maface** · January 22nd, 2003, 05:25 PM

Did you try booting from the CD?

**TrinityC** · January 22nd, 2003, 05:31 PM

Yes, it says that I cannot go from Windows ME to Win95

Therefore, I need to erase the HD and reinstall WIN95

**maface** · January 22nd, 2003, 05:33 PM

Did you try running fdisk off the disk? then formating
Didn't see PM sorry

**PartsMan** · January 23rd, 2003, 01:03 PM

TrinityC ~ did you get it running?

**grandchehaw** · January 23rd, 2003, 01:18 PM

Sorry. I just reread the post. You should still be able to create a boot disk off your other computer boot off that run format and then reinstall 95.

-JR