Formatting / Re-installing Windows

[WeAreBongo]

Hi folks, I'm having trouble with my pc and am thinking of formatting the C:\ drive and re-installing Windows XP. Do I just go to a DOS prompt, type FORMAT C:\ then let it do it's stuff. When formatted, can I just insert the XP disk to re-install Windows? Is that it? Thanks dudes.

[Ethel]

My pc has the option to restore to factory default - so it will return to the condition it was when I bought it.

If yours has similar, that has got to be a lot easier.

This might be useful to you

http://lifehacker.com/software/windows/geek-to -live-how-to-format-your-hard-drive-and-instal l-windows-xp-from-scratch-157578.php

[ChuckFickens]

you won't be able to format the c drive from the dos prompt, you can't format the drive the computer has booted from.

if you have the XP CD the easiest way is just to insert the CD reset the computer and let it boot from the CD (you may have to press f12 or similar to change the boot order) and then let windows go through the install precedure and it will format the drive for you.

Make sure you have any drivers you may need to get connected to the internet before doing this (i.e. network card) as long as you can get on the internet you can download any other drivers you may need.

if your computer came with a driver CD as well as the XP cd makes it even easier.

[WeAreBongo]

Thanks for the replies - I don't have my drivers on CD, I bought the pc ready-built from a friend. Could I copy all my drivers onto a USB hard drive or flash drive before formatting? Are they all kept in the same folder?

[ChuckFickens]

did the friend not provide you with the CD's that came with each individual bit of the computer then? they are not normally kept in place on the computer, unless the person who built it was nice enough to put them all in one folder called drivers or similar somewhere.

of not you will have to download them, but that can be a pain with a custom made computer as they won't all be available from one place.

You would normally need:

video card driver
sound card driver
motherboard driver
network card driver
modem driver if it has a modem installed

and then drivers for any external stuff (printers scanners etc)

Windows normally finds most the other stuff it's self

[WeAreBongo]

Afraid not, they were older pcs that his office was selling. Will the Windows disk not hold all these drivers?

[ChuckFickens]

no probably not

if you right click on the my computer icon and select properties and then select hardware from the tabs at the top, then click on device manager you can make a list of the drivers I mentioned above, then at least you know roughtly what to go for.

is it branded PC (dell or similar)

[Buenchico]

Firstly, it's not usually necessary to reformat a hard drive in order to reinstall Windows. An 'on top' installation will fix most problems. You should always try it first, since such an installation preserves all your program and data files, including all your drivers. (I've done an 'on top' installation many times, both on my own PC and on other people's machines. It nearly always fixes any problems. The only software I've ever had to reinstall has been the anti-virus program. I've never lost any data files, such as Word documents or images).

Depending upon how the BIOS on your PC is configured, you should be able to boot it up (without accessing drive C) by restarting it with either an original Windows disk in the CD drive or a boot disk in the floppy drive. (You can use a Windows 98 or ME boot disk, which can be downloaded from the internet, since the version of Windows is irrelevant at this stage). If neither of these options work, go into the BIOS to change the order in which your PC looks for a boot disk. (The key you need to press, to enter the BIOS, should appear in the on-screen information when you first start the computer. It might be F2, F8 or Delete).

With a Windows XP OS disk in the drive, you simply need to type C:setup to start an on top installation. If you really want to reformat the drive first, type C:format

As CF indicates, a 'clean' installation of Windows will lose all of your drivers. This frequently means that your PC will only boot into 640 x 480 graphics mode until you reinstall the graphics driver.

To back up your drivers, you could try using Driver Genius. The program's features are rather limited during the 15 day free trial period but they should be sufficient for your needs:
http://www.driver-soft.com/

Chris

[WeAreBongo]

It's a Dell machine. Hmm, might try the 'on top' option first then - so I insert the XP disk, choose the re-boot from disk option. Do I need to get to a DOS prompt to type C:SETUP? Apologies for the step-by-step requirements - I'm not a hardware person!!

[Buenchico]

Any bootable disk should take you to a DOS prompt. Some people experience problems when trying to boot from a Windows XP OS disk. It's often easier to use a Windows 98 or ME boot floppy. You can download one from here:
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
(Fairly obviously, when you're given the choice of how to boot your computer, it's necessary to choose 'Boot with CD drive support' if you intend to load Windows from your CD drive. A 'basic boot' suffices for formatting the hard drive).

Chris

[ACtheTROLL]

Ah well ...
here's how I'd do it.

make your disc
http://www.howtohaven.com/system/createwindows setupdisk.shtml

but first goto
http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/
download, install and backup your drivers.
copy the drivers to your new CD (or just to a cd - they could save your @ss)

Personally I always start with a full format ... but it's optional.

[ChuckFickens]

if it's a dell and it still has the service tag on it you can go to the support section of the dell website enter the service tag and what windows version you have (XP) and all the correct drivers should be listed for download there too so you can download them all and then burn them to a disk ready for use.