Hi, the other day, i got a virus that completely screwed up my computer. I'm thinking that I just want to reformat my hard-drive, buy a copy of windows 98 and reinstall everything i had on it. However, I cant log in to windows, even in safe mode, to reformat the drive :mad:

Does anyone know if you can erase/reformat a hard drive without using windows, such as in DOS. Or, is there an other way to erase a hard drive without windows (without reformatting)

:) PLEASE HELP :)

If you have Win98 go to bootdisk.net and download a boot disk then boot form it and when you get to the MS-DOS prompt, type: "FORMAT C: /S" You will obviously need to do this on another computer.

If you are going to be installing WinXP you can get the CD and boot from it, then when you get to the blue install screen, push R and you will be transpoted to an MS-DOS prompt. Type: "FORMAT C: /S" if you had a previous version of windows and want to change your file system to the new NTFS type
"FORMAT C: /S /FS:NTFS" insted.

That should be it. If you have any problems, let me know.


<(-'.'-)>

The Win98 CDROM is also (nearly always) bootable - its at least worth a try - and may be all you require.

carrot, your suggestion of using the command line from the Recovery Console isn't necessary if you are reinstalling WinXP. After booting to the CD, one can simply just cotinue with a "New installation" to a point when one is given all the choices about choosing, deleting, creating and formatting, the relevant partition(s); all from simple prompts.

And ... since a virus has been involved in the corruption ... ensure that any floppy diskettes are WRITE PROTECTED BEFORE you boot up the PC. Another good reason for using a CD inpreference to a boot floppy.

Whena virus is involved and you have to reinstall Windows (any version) as a result, ALWAYS format the drive. Don't even think about trying to install "over the top" or just delete files, anything like that. IF it's one of the really nasty guys like CIH I usually repartition it as well.

Turn the machine off and UNPLUG IT for 5 minutes to be absolutely certain all power is drained and NOTHING can possibly lurk in memory, use a WIndows CD or a windows 98 start up floppy made on a KNOWN CLEAN computer or downloaded from bootdisk and WRITE PROTECT IT. (I'm glad Paul included that, it is VERY important.). If you download a bootdisk from the link above, do it on a different computer, not the one with a virus problem.

I'm so particular about the boot floppy because any time a virus hits your machine it will write itself to any floppy accessed on that machine until it is cleaned up. Do not use any floppies you even accessed in that machine. If it's not write protected and has been accessed since the virus hit, throw it away. NEVER use any boot floppy that is not write protected, no matter where it comes from. Make one yourself on a clean win98 machine, or download one yourself on a clean machine. It's an ISO file so read their instructions. WRITE PROTECT IT. I can't stress that strongly enough. Before you get that drive formatted the virus WILL write itself to your boot floppy. So write protect it.

The win98 SE is a bootable CD, first edition was not. The only thing I don't like about booting to the win98 CD is it makes it a bit more difficult to partition/format. Sometimes, (not always) it gives you a "Bad command or filename" error message, then you have to search for the directory on the CD where the utilities are and work from there, or give DOS a path...it's a pain...

Thats why I said to just boot off the floppy disk, i HATE the way win98 boots from a CD.
WRITE-PROTECT,WRITE-PROTECT,WRITE-PROTECT!!!! They are so right. If you don't have write protection on, even putting the floppy in the drive could cause the virus to move over to the disk. You don't even have to try and access it.
Also, the reason I said to format the drive in the recovery console is because I had almost the exact same problem, except my power supply was dying, so everything went bad. Anyway, when I tried to format the drive while using the install option, it gave me one blue screen of death after another. So I just did it in the Recovery console and it worked.

Thats why I said to just boot off the floppy disk, i HATE the way win98 boots from a CD.
You may hate the way win98 boots from a CD but doing these things from a CD is the surest way of avoiding viral transfers as long as your CD will boot up for you.

He He - and Pete, you obviously still don't believe that I have a bootable Win98 first edition. C'est la vie. ;)

It must be the 'Middle Edition'.. :D

Hehe...I have both, 1st edition won't boot, 2nd will. Same for every 1st edition CD I've tried. If you do really have a win98 1st edition CD that is bootable, you got an oddball...Or it could be that "middle edition" FTT mentioned :D

One little thing I have since discovered is that only full edition CDs are bootable and not upgrade editions. Could that be the middle edition maybe?

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