# Computer OS's and formatting HD's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453 "2006-09-12T19:19:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/1 "2006-09-12T19:19:16Z")
[I can’t post a question on the Microsoft discussion boards, so I’ll try here.] I have a replacement hard drive that I am trying to format so I can do a clean install of Windows 2000 Pro. The startup floppy that I have is for Windows 98. It informs me that the disk has no FAT or FAT32 partition, and proceeds to pretend that the drive is not there. I know that it is partitioned, so it must be NTFS (XP, 2000, etc.). How do I get this formatted? I assume I should use NTFS - how would I get an NTFS-capable startup floppy?\* Can I use the 98 floppy to format somehow, and then convert to NTFS? Bonus points: on another computer, each time I click on an SDMB topic reply notification in Outlook Express, a new window opens in Internet Explorer. On this one, the new window **replaces** the previous one. Where is the secret switch to open a new one? \*The 2000 Pro installer will create a **Setup** series of floppies to install 2000, but not a **startup** floppy that would allow DOS commands. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/2 "2006-09-12T19:27:29Z")
Assuming the PC can boot from a CD, the way the hard drive is formatted should make no difference. Once the install process is running, it’ll give you the option to keep existing partitioning/formatting, or to blow it all away and re-partition and format. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/3 "2006-09-12T19:31:29Z")
And for the bonus points, in IE go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab. Uncheck the box that says “Reuse windows for launching shortcuts”. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/4 "2006-09-12T19:53:41Z")
If you want to go back to square one, download Microsoft’s utility [depart.exe](http://www.svrops.com/svrops/dwnldutil.htm) to the floppy. Boot up the computer with your Win98 floppy (you can find more OS bootdisk image files at [bootdisk.com](http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm)), then use delpart.exe to kill the hard drive partition. Next use fdisk to recreate the partition, followed by the Win98 format utility. When you finally install Win2000 you will have the opportunity to convert the partition from Win98 FAT to NTFS. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/5 "2006-09-12T21:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=yoyodyne] And for the bonus points, in IE go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab. Uncheck the box that says “Reuse windows for launching shortcuts”. [/QUOTE] Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/6 "2006-09-14T18:55:29Z")
[QUOTE=yoyodyne] And for the bonus points, in IE go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab. Uncheck the box that says “Reuse windows for launching shortcuts”. [/QUOTE] Ack. This doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/7 "2006-09-14T18:59:27Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] [I can’t post a question on the Microsoft discussion boards, so I’ll try here.] I have a replacement hard drive that I am trying to format so I can do a clean install of Windows 2000 Pro. The startup floppy that I have is for Windows 98. It informs me that the disk has no FAT or FAT32 partition, and proceeds to pretend that the drive is not there. I know that it is partitioned, so it must be NTFS (XP, 2000, etc.). How do I get this formatted? I assume I should use NTFS - how would I get an NTFS-capable startup floppy?\* Can I use the 98 floppy to format somehow, and then convert to NTFS? Bonus points: on another computer, each time I click on an SDMB topic reply notification in Outlook Express, a new window opens in Internet Explorer. On this one, the new window **replaces** the previous one. Where is the secret switch to open a new one? \*The 2000 Pro installer will create a **Setup** series of floppies to install 2000, but not a **startup** floppy that would allow DOS commands. [/QUOTE] I have lost the link, but a couple of hours after posting this, I found a reference that helped. In the W2000 setup, you are given the option to repair an existing installation. Once there you can go into a recovery console mode, which provides DOS capability, so I was able to format the disk. Moreover, a few minutes later, the setup process appears to provide a format option in a non-DOS mode. So that problem has been solved. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/8 "2006-09-14T20:49:16Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Ack. This doesn’t work for me. [/QUOTE] Do yoy have Yahoo! Companion installed? That can cause this kind of problem. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-oss-and-formatting-hds/372453/9 "2006-09-14T21:49:52Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] Do yoy have Yahoo! Companion installed? That can cause this kind of problem. [/QUOTE] Nope.