Re: Starting from scratch on an older laptop--need guidance
From: Alex Nichol (alexn.mvpdts_at_ntlworld.delete.com)
Date: 07/01/04
- Next message: Brian: "Quick Launch"
- Previous message: Darrell: "Re: Help exporting/importing address book in Outlook Express"
- In reply to: 1940LaSalle: "Starting from scratch on an older laptop--need guidance"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 17:56:47 +0100
1940LaSalle wrote:
>I want to start from scratch on an older laptop (after
>removing any valuable files/applications, to be sure).
>That is, I want to format the hard drive, and start over
>with an entirely clean slate, ending up with XP as the
>operating system.
>
>Here's the kicker: the laptop accommodates EITHER the
>floppy drive OR the CD-ROM drive--and it's not possible to
>swap them out on the fly (I've tried, and it doesn't work).
>
>I assume that the initial steps are these:
>
>1. Save anything I need/want to save to floppy discs, USB
>drive, etc.
>2. Call up the DOS prompt and type in FORMAT (please
>correct me on this!)
If your machine can boot from the CD then you can boot the XP CD to
format the drive and install. If it cannot, what I would do is:
Boot a basic DOS startup floppy (ideally the basic one you can make on
any machine not running XP, by running the program
tools\mtsutil\fat32ebd\fat32ebd.exe on the Win98 CD - or download an
image from www.bootdisk.com)
Use its FDISK to delete partitions on the hard drive and make a new one
for the XP setup. It is difficult not knowing how big the drive is but
*if* it is over 10 GB I would split to have say 7 to 10 for the C:
drive and the rest as an extended partition with a logical drive, D:
which you would later use for data. You could get away without, using
space on C instead, below, but this makes some things a bit easier.
Reboot;
FORMAT /S C:
FORMAT D:
if you made one
Now COPY from the floppy A: to C the files
MSDOS.SYS
IO.SYS
Config.sys
Autoexec.bat
Command.com
oakcdrom.sys
mscdex.exe
and you will be able to shutdown, swap the floppy for the CD and boot
the hard disk to the DOS, and with CD support that should 'see' your CD
drive and give it a letter, eg E:
If that works, put in the XP CD and COPY the i386 folder from it onto D:
COPY E:\i386 D:
Shutdown, reconnect the floppy and reboot that startup disk. Run
SMARTDRV
then
D:
CD i386
(letter i number 386)
WINNT
which should set the XP setup going
-- Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies) Bournemouth, U.K. Alexn@mvps.D8E8L.org (remove the D8 bit)
- Next message: Brian: "Quick Launch"
- Previous message: Darrell: "Re: Help exporting/importing address book in Outlook Express"
- In reply to: 1940LaSalle: "Starting from scratch on an older laptop--need guidance"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
