How do I format my drive to install Windows?

how do i format the hard drive to install windows 98 se. thank you.

This question was answered on December 7, 2002. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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There is something called a "startup disk" It is a bootable floppy disk with format.com, sys.com, fdisk, and a few other files It's created from Windows, or else comes with the original Windows CD.

A startup disk can be created from most any PC running '98, and also loads generic CD ROM drivers which work on most machines If they don't, you have a pretty old CD drive and need to load custom drivers Consult the manufacturer's website.

The PC's BIOS setup (consult the manual) has to be configured to first seek and boot from a floppy disk This is usually the default setting.

Once booted into DOS, FDISK is the first thing to run It will sense your hard drive, providing the hard disk is properly connected Next, run FORMAT, then SYS/C:

Access the CD, then type SETUP (press ENTER after all DOS commands).

The Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q221829 has more complete instructions Also, if you're having trouble creating that startup disk, try article Q187632 Do a Google search to find the exact URL's, as they are too long to print here.

Happy Motoring!

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Posted by Robert of Mesa Community College on December 7, 2002

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