How to reformat harddrive

[Alegra0272]

Reformatting back to C prompt and re-installing Win95

Hi,
I am trying to help my father out with his computer. He went to turn it on one day and Windows will start to boot up and then there is an error message. I can't think of it right now but it says something about systemshell or something to that effect. However that isn't so much the problem. I am hopinh to reformat the computer and re-install Windows 95. I have a Windows 95 CD to re-install but I don't know how to reformat. I tried to just type format at the c prompt but it said the peramoters were not correct. Any help would be very appreciated. Thank you
Sam

[GretaP]

Hi Alegra0272,
You have to specify the drive letter of the drive that you want to format. For example, if you were wanting to format the C: drive, you'd have to key in:
format C:
<ENTER>

Before you do that, however, I'd advise you to create a startup floppy disk with CDROM support that will enable you to install Windows 95 from the CD once the drive has been formatted. If you don't have a startup floppy disk with generic CDROM drivers, you can d/load the file to create one from here. Click on the link for Windows 98 SE OEM and d/load it to your hard drive (do NOT d/load it directly to floppy disk, as this does NOT create the startup disk). Once the file is d/loaded to hard drive, put a formatted floppy in the drive and double-click on the d/loaded file to create the startup disk. I would then test the startup disk to ensure that you will have CDROM support in order to install Windows 95.......boot from the startup floppy disk and choose to start WITH CDROM SUPPORT. When you get to the A: prompt, look at the lines above it.....if you see one that says something like:
Drive X: = Driver MSCD001 unit 0
(where the X will be replaced by the drive letter for the CDROM)
then you're probably good to go. I would then insert the Windows 95 install CD, and change to the drive letter for the CDROM drive (the drive letter that would be quoted in the "Drive X: = Driver MSCD001 unit 0" line. Then do a dir command to see if you can access the install CD.....if so, you'll see a listing of the directories on the install CD.

If all seems good to go, you could either boot from the startup floppy disk again and choose to start WITH CDROM SUPPORT, or you could switch back to the A: drive by keying in A: <ENTER> at the CDROM drive letter prompt, and at the A: prompt, key in:
format C:
<ENTER>

Once the drive has been formatted, you've given it a Volume Label or not, and you're back at the A: prompt, with the install CD in the CDROM drive, key in:
setup
<ENTER>