Author Topic: xp and 98 (Read 2973 times)

Michelle · « **on:** February 24, 2006, 16:47 »

Hi all,

I'm sure we talked about this before but I can't find it, so I'll ask again, if thats okay.

Blokeys Pc has windows 98 on one drive and xp on the other - "cough" mistake of mine I think when I put xp on I think. We didn't remove 98 as the drive with xp on seemed to be using files from 98 to run some items or open some things. Even though you can't start up the computer using the drive with 98 on, odd that.

Anyway now space has become an issue and he wants to just get rid of 98 from the other drive so he can use that drive as storage. Now my question is ....

Is it best to just reformat that drive - and do you do that from control panel? I can't remember if I've done this before - but I'm sure I did with sandra on the MESH pile of poo - Or is it best to uninstall 98 which I'm not sure we can as that was part of the problem before, 98 went crazy, so I think thats a pointless question. lol

Thanking you .............................. :wink:

See I knew there was a problem there somewhere

Simon · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2006, 18:21 »

I think, if you simply want to wipe the drive clean, to use for storage, you should be able to go into My Computer (on the XP drive), right click the 98 drive, and choose Format. It may, however, not allow you to do this if it detects an operating system on the drive you want to format, in which case, you'll have to ask Sandra. :grin:

chorleydave · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2006, 18:33 »

I would have thought that (assuming there is a floppy drive) you could simply start the PC with a Windows boot disk, get to the A: prompt and format D: or whatever the spare drive is called.

Sandra · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2006, 18:37 »

As Dave says you could format it by using a 98 boot disk.

Unfortunately it depends how you have set it up initially Michelle.

If you have done a dual boot setup in the usual way then when you installed XP it will have altered the master boot record (MBR) which will be on your 98 OS drive.
If you try and fomat that drive from inside XP I dont think it will let you do it.
As Simon says it will know that its a system drive.

If you have installed XP on the drive while the 98 OS drive was disconnected then each OS/drive will have its own MBR.

In that case you could format the 98 OS drive, but it would give a warning that I think you could override.
Or you could do it Daves way.

When you start the pc does it take you to a screen that asks which OS you want to boot from and that you select by using the Up and Down arrow keys then press enter ?

If so then you have set it as a standard dual boot and I think that even if you disconnected the 98 OS drive as the XP drive would no longer have a MBR then it wouldnt boot

The same would happen if you formatted it by using a boot floppy.

Has he a lot of stuff that needs saving on either drive as the best way would be to save everything he needs to one drive then disconnect that drive by pulling the power lead or the ribbon cable from that drive.

Set the other drive as a single master by using the jumper and then reinstall XP on that.
Dont forget to do as I told you before and to delete each partition then create a partition of the size that you want to install XP on.
Then you can connect the other drive as a slave, transfer the data to the XP OS drive, if you have enough space and then format the slave drive and transfer the saved data back to the slave drive

Michelle · « **Reply #4 on:** February 24, 2006, 19:11 »

Oh god, did someone forget I am blonde! ! ! !

Okay ........................ yes it does "dual boot" is it? - it comes up so you can choose which drive to use and lists both os's - but it won't start up in 98 which is why we put xp on, but somehow it went on the other drive! :roll:

Don't think we have a windows 98 floppy as thats why we put on xp.

So does that mean I can't do it Simons way?

Simon · « **Reply #5 on:** February 24, 2006, 19:14 »

You can download a Windows 98 boot (floppy) disc from http://www.bootdisk.com/ Michelle.

Michelle · « **Reply #6 on:** February 24, 2006, 19:16 »

Quote from: "Simon"

You can download a Windows 98 boot (floppy) disc from http://www.bootdisk.com/ Michelle.

oh yeah, I'm sure I've done that before

thanks - so .......... wot should I do? :roll:

Sandra · « **Reply #7 on:** February 24, 2006, 19:18 »

Ring me

You only have a few minutes though as a friend is coming for dinner soon :wink:

Simon · « **Reply #8 on:** February 24, 2006, 19:25 »

Umm.... :blush2: Normally, I would say put the floppy in the drive, reboot and when you get to the prompt, type FORMAT X: (the 98 drive), but this is a bit more complicated, so over to Sandra...

Michelle · « **Reply #9 on:** February 24, 2006, 20:15 »

Righto - I spoke to Sandra, and she worked out a way to do it............... but on second thoughts - it all seems too much for my little brain - lol - and lots of programmes to reinstall which might be tricky. :wink:

Now on the C drive where 98 was most of it has been deleted, infact there is very little on that drive - or partition it is - only 1gb of stuff, which doesn't look important, and nothing much he wants on there, so ............ I assume that we cannot reformat the partition because of the MBR which runs xp is on C: is that right.

So I also assume that we could just get it down the the minium required on that drive (partition) and just use it for storage.

Is there a way to stop it asking which OS to use.

Simon · « **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2006, 20:23 »

Yes, there is a way to stop it asking which OS to start:-

Right click My Computer on your Desktop > Properties > Advanced > Startup and Recovery (Click Settings), then set the default OS to XP, and untick "Set the time to display Operating Systems". Click OK, and that should do it.

As far as using the rest of the 98 drive space, I don't see why you can't, but I would try to partition off the OS, so as to have a clean part of the drive to use, then create a new drive letter and path, but I can't tell you how to do that, sorry.
Probably Partition Magic would help.

Sandra · « **Reply #11 on:** February 24, 2006, 23:36 »

You would still have to reinstall your programs Michelle as the MBR is on partition C.
You could save from C to D and then reinstall XP on C but youd have to reinstall your programs again afterwards.

I am not sure if the FIXMBR command would work to rebuild the MBR if you formatted C using a boot disk, thats the only way youd get away without reinstalling XP again.
It would then be able to use your original XP installation on the D partition.
Bit messy but it can run from there.

The problem doing it that way is to rebuild the MBR so that it knows you have a bootable OS on D

Michelle · « **Reply #12 on:** February 25, 2006, 00:29 »

hmmm thanks alot

I'll have to think what to do :?

Michelle · « **Reply #13 on:** February 25, 2006, 16:16 »

Me again

- thanks for all of your help so far.

I'm a little confused tho............................... :shock:

Okay just to clarify - on C: is some of windows 98 (1gb used) out of 20gb.

On D: is xp and all of the files and programmes required and always used, C: is never used. xp runs fine on D but is going a little slow and is getting full with only 6gb left spare out of 20gb.

It isn't really a problem how it is - apart from the slowness but it is a slower machine and that could be due to other things .....but it seems a waste of space on C: so I wanna put some of the folders on D onto C for storage. (like pictures and music)

Could I do what simon says and make a new partition on C: say for 17gb's and have a another drive? And just ignor C if thats where the MBR is ...... Would that work?

Sandra · « **Reply #14 on:** February 25, 2006, 23:25 »

No need to make another partition.
Just make a new folder on C to store your extra stuff in.