Formatting XP

[Sharon51]

:rrg: I have done this once, but I have to admit I don't remember how I did it. I now have to reformat my sons computer. He has 2 seperate drives. I am going to reformat his C drive as he has moved what he wants onto his other hard drive. I would just like a few jot notes as to how to do this so I don't really mess up his computer. e.g. how to get started, etc. (I am very computer illiterate, I just do my best, so I can use all the help I can get.

Please and Thank you
Sharon - a desperate Mom

[Yogi]

A quick google search ( I entered "reformat") yielded this amongst many others....

http://www.filerecovery.org/reformattingyourharddrive.html

[tsehou]

Try this:
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

[Athlon2600Plus]

Desperate Mom I bet you're son is grateful to have a mom like you , good luck with the formatting !

[Sharon51]

tsehou - that site was great. I am assuming that the information in there for XP Professional, is the same as XP Home Edition. At least I hope so.

I will print off what they showed on that website as it gives me a step by step list which is what I need, and I can keep it just in case I need it again.

And yes Athlon, my son is very grateful to have a mom like me, but he is a good son.

Thanks everyone for your help. I will be back if I have a problem.

Sharon

[Sharon51]

Does it matter if I format in FAT OR ???(what ever the other one was)?

[Mischief007]

Do you have older computers in your home that use Windows 98 or ME?? If not then format as NTFS.

[tsehou]

Having other computers that use Windows 98 or ME shouldn't affect your decision to use FAT or NTFS. Win 98 and Me will work fine networking with a machine using NTFS.

If that computer will only be running windows XP then use NTFS as it is much better than FAT. Otherwise if you will be running other operating systems then use FAT for compatiblity reasons.

[Sharon51]

Yes the only system on it is Windows XP. And yes we have 2 other computers in the house both using Windows XP. I thought I should ask as he has another drive that he put into the computer and I don't want to have to format that, as it has all his music and photos on it. Should I somehow check to see what is on the computer and then format the C drive the same as his E drive?

Again thanks
Sharon

[AMD]

FAT32 is very convenient when you have a major system failure, since the drive can be put into an older machine for data recovery. I'm using it with no complaints.

---------------------------------
Windows XP is compatible with both file systems, so it shouldn't make a difference.

If you're comfortable with working inside a computer, disconnect the secondary drive (the one with the data) before doing anything to avoid accidentally formatting it.

[imboden]

i always thought that WinXP required NTFS... i guess i am mistaken,

[Didi]

My system is setup with XP pro (NTFS) on drive C,
FAT32 on drives D and E.
My HDs are at least 5yrs old. I also have a 7yr old CD burner,
a 7yr old DVD player and a 4yr old DVD burner.
My network includes XP pro, XP home, Win2000, Win98 and Win98SE
XP has no problem with older versions or peripherals

[debbie]

Great link tsehou. :) Thank you.

[Exmortis]

FAT32 is very convenient when you have a major system failure, since the drive can be put into an older machine for data recovery.

The same could be said for NTFS if you put the drive into another machine running WinXP. Not sure why it has to be an older machine for recovery. In any case, machines running Win98/ME can easily be made to read NTFS partitions with the right tool (www.sysinternals.com http://www.sysresccd.org/). The idea of keeping it FAT for possible future recovery is getting old. NTFS is a lot better for today's large drives.

[Swordfish]

i always thought that WinXP required NTFS... i guess i am mistaken,

personal preference really. I have Windows Xp installed on my main drive using FAT32 No problems at all.