Wiping a partition

[TekDragon]

Im trying to wipe the partition on my PC and start over due to a reset problem when I try playing games.

Problem is, when I try to delete the partition it says it has necesary setup files.

WTF? I'm using the god damn CD. What else does it need to install?

[Squick]

What OS? If you are using XP just boot off the CD, then a few steps into the setup it will show your partition information, one of the options is to delete the partitions.

Is that what you are trying to do?

Squick

[TekDragon]

Originally Posted by Squick

What OS? If you are using XP just boot off the CD, then a few steps into the setup it will show your partition information, one of the options is to delete the partitions.

Is that what you are trying to do?

Squick

That's exactly what i'm trying to do. Win Xp Pro. I get to the part where it asks me what I want to do w the partition and i say i want to delete it. It says it is unable to perform the operation because necesary system files are on that partition.

I have the win xp pro CD. I don't understand what else i need.

[Squick]

Are you booting off the CD or running setup from inside Windows?

Is that a legal version or some hacked version? I have done this hundreds upon hundreds of times between Win2k and XP... Never had the slightest problem.

My recommendation would be write down the exact error and go to groups.google.com and google the error.

Also go to microsoft.com and go to the support KB and type the error in there.

Squick

[TekDragon]

Hmm, what I was doing was inserting the Win Xp Pro CD while inside windows. Thing pops up asking me if i want to install windows or repair windows. I do install. It then does some stuff and takes me to the blue DOS type screen.

Maybe i'll try inserting the CD, then restarting the PC and installing windows from DOS.

[Smaug]

Yeah boot from the CD, that should work.

[Ait'al]

I used to get that from dos (real dos6.0,6.2)whenever i would play with something. Might have been formating. It would tell me i couldnt do it. Cant remember how i fixed it.

On another note did you do a reinstallable backup on one of the partitions(To reformat form the HDD). You may have to get rid of it first. I may always stops you from for instance deleting it since it becomes a drive(If thats still how they do it) when you partition(Drive C: and Drive B: D:, depending on how far back you go). Its protected from deletion because it is your startup/intstalation disk now for after formating, Etc, and doesnt like you getting rid of through different means than the one that made it. Until you change it so the comp no longer treats the drive like its storing that info.( I dont mean just deleting the info. Theres a setting to make the computer recognize that that drive is an official drive for storing that. It used to part of the partitioning process but through a seperate program than the format.EXE program(or just another option in format you had to do first, i cant remember) and you had to undo it through that program first before deleting it through format.)


Also make sure your using hte same thing you partitioned with in the first place to unpartition. It has to get rid of of the drive information first. Even if its just a drive and no install stuff it wont let you do stuff to it untill its drive info is deleted the right way. One program makes the format but the other (maybe the official) has no knowledge of the proccess of the first program and tries to delete it as if it had made it but there's different info so its like making an apple tree to bud oranges by hitting it with an axe.( i know that dont make much sense)

[Mtx]

Originally Posted by TekDragon

Hmm, what I was doing was inserting the Win Xp Pro CD while inside windows. Thing pops up asking me if i want to install windows or repair windows. I do install. It then does some stuff and takes me to the blue DOS type screen.

Maybe i'll try inserting the CD, then restarting the PC and installing windows from DOS.

Don't forget to make the rom drive the first boot... if it isn't already.


Oh and if you have a 9x OS on one of your computers you can really step up its performance by using a defrag system, designed to run in DOS, on it.

[Squeeky]

Tech Forum Tek

[Zatrais]

1 word

Fdisk

use it, learn it, love it. When all else fails, good ol fdisk works.

a quick link, incase you need to make a bootable floppy

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm