Re: Formatting Windows XP the installing Windows 98

> On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 23:05:13 -0500, "Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>Dee:
>>"The Outsider" is correct in that when you invoke the FDISK command, one
>>of
>>the menu items you will ultimately come to is "Delete Non-DOS Partition"
>>and
>>that's the item that you will choose to delete your NTFS partition. I
>>reiterate that there is *no* need to use the delpart.exe utility in your
>>situation; it is *not* simpler to use than the FDISK command.
>>
>>Again, if you need help in using the FDISK (and FORMAT) commands available
>>on a DOS boot floppy disk (Win9x/Me Startup floppy disk), do a Google
>>search
>>as I previously recommended.
>>Anna


"The Outsider" <no@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fg5ho1ld2davkcngmv84aq9171rjpcfrm6@xxxxxxxxxx
> FDSK doesn't always work in killing an NTFS partition. Please do tell
> us what Delpart.exe is really for seeing as you seem to think you know
> otherwise.
>
> http://www.russelltexas.com/delpart.htm
> Going nuts because you can't fdisk a Windows 2000, NT, or XP drive?
> Don't feel stupid....it just won't work until you kill the NTFS
> partition with another utility.
>
> Here's a partitioning tool useful when you need to clear NTFS
> partitions from NT or W2K drives and reinstall Windows
> 95/98/Millennium. Place it on your boot floppy and run it to delete
> the NT partitions which defy Fdisk.exe. Then reboot and use fdisk to
> create your Windows partitions. Delpart comes from the old NT 3.1 CD
> or Resource Kit and is a very useful file when you need it.


For anyone coming upon this interminable thread for the first time the issue
is the OP's (Dee) posting that her WinXP system is apparently unstable and
she wants to delete her (presumably formatted) NTFS HD and presumably format
that drive FAT32 so that she can install Win98.

As we've previously explained, Dee can easily use the FDISK command on a DOS
boot floppy disk (Win9x/Me Startup floppy disk) to delete the NTFS partition
and subsequently create a FAT32 partition on her HD.

Let me repeat for (I think) the third time! There is *no* need to use the
delpart.exe utility in this situation to delete the NTFS partition. FDISK
will easily & simply accomplish this objective. The delpart.exe utility is
useful when one has previously created one or more logical NTFS partitions
in an extended partition on the HD. In that situation the FDISK command will
not "see" those partitions so using the delpart utility would be useful in
deleting those non-DOS partitions. That is *not* the situation here. Dee's
HD presumably contains a single primary NTFS partition. Her HD does *not*
contain logical drives.
Anna

P.S.
Dee - If you're still around, I trust you haven't been confused by the turn
this thread has taken. To accomplish what you want to do is a relatively
simple task and I trust you haven't been put off by the responses to your
original query. But I have an uneasy feeling that you might well have
been...


.

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