removing windows xp
 

I recently installed xp (not an upgrade) I need to remove it to reinstall 98.
I am stuck at the activation screen. So I need to remove it in DOS. Any
ideas on how I do that?

removing windows xp
 

Is XP installed on a fat 32 or a NTFS partition? If fat 32, use a w98
floppy boot disk to format the C: partition. If NTFS, use Zap to wipe the
drive clean, use fdisk to create a fat 32 partition and format the
partition,

Zap or Wipe freeware will remove all partition information so you can start
over fresh with FDisk. Download it he
http://www.digitalissues.co.uk/html/...-wipe-zap.html

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007


"ilvpegasus" wrote in message
...
I recently installed xp (not an upgrade) I need to remove it to reinstall
98.
I am stuck at the activation screen. So I need to remove it in DOS. Any
ideas on how I do that?

removing windows xp
 

I can not get onto the internet on that computer. I also do not have the
drivers disks so I would really rather not format if I can get away with it.
Is there any way to type in a command in DOS to remove the windows directory?

"Ron Badour" wrote:

Is XP installed on a fat 32 or a NTFS partition? If fat 32, use a w98
floppy boot disk to format the C: partition. If NTFS, use Zap to wipe the
drive clean, use fdisk to create a fat 32 partition and format the
partition,

Zap or Wipe freeware will remove all partition information so you can start
over fresh with FDisk. Download it he
http://www.digitalissues.co.uk/html/...-wipe-zap.html

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007


"ilvpegasus" wrote in message
...
I recently installed xp (not an upgrade) I need to remove it to reinstall
98.
I am stuck at the activation screen. So I need to remove it in DOS. Any
ideas on how I do that?

removing windows xp
 

If you have a Win98 startup floppy (Emergency Boot Disk) use that to start
the pc.

The rest depends upon if drive is Fat32 or NTFS. Note - if it's a NTFS
partition you will have to reformat as 98 doesn't support that.

If NTFS ... Use Fdisk to delete the "unknown partition' then create a Fat32
partition. Reboot using floppy, format the C drive (Format C:) then skip
"Fat32" step below but do what follows after that ...

If Fat32 ... Change to your C: drive and delete folders, e.g. Windows and
Program Files in particular.

You also should have access to your CD drive (choose CD Rom Support when
booting using floppy) so might as well copy the Win98 folder off the cd onto
your hard disk. Also change back to the A: drive and run "SYS C" to change
what's used as the system boots (you've just destroyed the XP stuff so
otherwise you'll have problems). System should then boot using the hard disk
to a C:\ prompt. "CD" (change directory) into the Win98 folder and run
"Setup" to install 98. Note installing off the hard disk this way (and
leaving folder for later use) means 98 will never ask for the 98 CD when
installing drivers etc.

removing windows xp
 

Removing the Windows XP directory is not enough - you would have to adjust
the boot process so that it didn't try to access the XP version of Windows.

Are you suggesting that the original Windows 98 folder is still available on
that disk? If so, and if the drive hasn't been converted to NTFS then it's
possible that booting to a W98 startup disk and doing SYS C: would
re-install the original boot code and allow you to boot DOS, but I would
recommend checking in an XP newsgroup first, as there may be a less
intrusive way of disabling the XP boot and re-activating the DOS startup
files.

You should describe the process you used to install XP If you formatted the
primary partition then you old version of Windows 98 is gone, along with any
drivers you installed, so you will be no worse off by FDISKing (if
necessary) and formatting again. Note that most all drivers are available
for downloading, so if you can organise internet access you should be able
to get what you need.

Even if you can get back to Windows 98, there's no guarantee that your
drivers have been preserved.

If you used some other procedure to install XP then it is possible that some
or all of your Windows 98 is still on the drive and could be recovered.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"ilvpegasus" wrote in message
...
I can not get onto the internet on that computer. I also do not have the
drivers disks so I would really rather not format if I can get away with
it.
Is there any way to type in a command in DOS to remove the windows
directory?