Can I get the ME install CD to only reformat the C partition, not theD?

In article , Gumby wrote:

Things I would do:
1) Take drive out put it in an external case or dock
2) Backup your partition D on another PC after you have down step a
3) Put drive back in your laptop
4) Plug in an external USB CD drive and Floppy
5) Get it to boot somehow from the boot floppy or CD
6) Proceed from there

Usually on Laptop, if you hold down the on/off button it will shut off.

Thanks Jim, but as I mentioned, I really don't think this laptop can
boot from USB. Also, I don't have an external USB CD or floppy drive,
and don't have time to run around trying to borrow or rent one.

Well you've spent the past two days seeking advice here. ;-)

Another thing I should have mentioned is that I want to do this on the
cheap. I don't want to put any money into this old jalopy of a laptop.
I just want to get it to run for 2-1/2 more months, until January,
when I will buy a new one. (tax reasons why I want to wait)

At least that's a valid reason. :-)

How much data do you have on your D: partition that you can't lose?
You can now get 8 GB thumb drives quite cheaply, and one or more of
them would probably still be useful with your new PC.

I'd be surprised if installing ME from CD would reformat your D:
partition if you're simply installing it on C: -- but I have to admit
I don't really *know* what it would do, and I'm always prepared to be
surprised!


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

Most of the data on the D partition is already backed up and I could
backup the rest easily enough. THe HD is 120 GB (it's a fairly new
hard drive) THe system recognizes about 112 GB of that amount (amazed
me, too, as most people told me that this old system would not be able
to recognize most of a big HD.)

I don't know anyone who has this same laptop, Jim.

Right now I would really like to try Mike's idea of copying a boot
floppy to the HD. But the boot floppies you can download from the web
all seem to demand to be unpacked to a floppy drive. I can't just
unzip them and copy the files to the HD.

Still working on it...thanks for your suggestions.

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C and install Windows on C? Can it do
those things on the same drive that it's installed on? But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

Aren't computers intellectually stimulating...

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C

No. Why do you need to do this to format C:? I've earlier suggested two
alternatives, format C: from XP if C: 32GB, delete all files in C: from
XP if C: 32GB.

But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

No. The system will boot from the drive that is active which can be set
as D:.
--
Mike Maltby



Gumby wrote:

Most of the data on the D partition is already backed up and I could
backup the rest easily enough. THe HD is 120 GB (it's a fairly new
hard drive) THe system recognizes about 112 GB of that amount (amazed
me, too, as most people told me that this old system would not be able
to recognize most of a big HD.)

I don't know anyone who has this same laptop, Jim.

Right now I would really like to try Mike's idea of copying a boot
floppy to the HD. But the boot floppies you can download from the web
all seem to demand to be unpacked to a floppy drive. I can't just
unzip them and copy the files to the HD.

Still working on it...thanks for your suggestions.

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C and install Windows on C? Can it do
those things on the same drive that it's installed on? But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

Aren't computers intellectually stimulating...

As you are now prepared to 'forfeit' the D: partition (if necessary) and if
you have access to "someone else's laptop" then you *might* be able to
install WinMe as you suggested yourself, in the 3rd paragraph of your
original post.

There are some points you need to consider first. Is your WinMe CD an MS
Retail version or an OEM version?

You asked :- How can I make the install CD only format C and not D?

Your question implies that the CD is an OEM and bootable and would attempt
to first format the drive and install a 'factory fresh' installation. On the
other hand you *might* also need a special floppy disk (supplied with your
CD) - as the installation files on the CD may be in a special (OEM)
compressed format. Also, an OEM version *may* be tied to your original
laptop's BIOS and *may not* install onto another.

Assuming, that you are able to proceed and all goes well, let it completely
install onto your HDD in "someone else's laptop" and confirm WinMe is
working ok on that machine.

Now replace the HDD into your original laptop and re-boot and you will very
likely find that it will hang during the boot sequence. Switch off and
re-boot into Safe Mode and it 'should' now at least work in that mode.

Open Device Manager and 'Remove' any/all devices showing conflicts - Yellow
exclamation/question marks (and there's likely to be a few!). Then close
down and re-boot into Normal Mode.

And this is where the fun starts! - WinMe will ask for various drivers for
certain devices specific to your original laptop (e.g. Display, touch-pad,
modem, etc. drivers) and you will have to try and satisfy its needs until
you eventually get all the correct drivers installed.

This is likely to be an iterative process - each time it hangs when trying
to boot into Normal Mode, restart in Safe Mode and correct the Device
Manager issues - until you eventually get it to work.

BTW - if your CD is an MS Retail version, things might be a little simpler.

Best of luck

Mart


"Gumby" wrote in message
...
Most of the data on the D partition is already backed up and I could
backup the rest easily enough. THe HD is 120 GB (it's a fairly new
hard drive) THe system recognizes about 112 GB of that amount (amazed
me, too, as most people told me that this old system would not be able
to recognize most of a big HD.)

I don't know anyone who has this same laptop, Jim.

Right now I would really like to try Mike's idea of copying a boot
floppy to the HD. But the boot floppies you can download from the web
all seem to demand to be unpacked to a floppy drive. I can't just
unzip them and copy the files to the HD.

Still working on it...thanks for your suggestions.

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C and install Windows on C? Can it do
those things on the same drive that it's installed on? But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

Aren't computers intellectually stimulating...

The boot floppies you can download - from boot-disk.com at least - can be
extracted with winrar (http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm). That leaves you
with an .ima or .imz which can then be extracted using winimage
(http://www.winimage.com/download.htm). Both can be run as fully functional
evaluation versions.

Shane



"Gumby" wrote in message
...
Most of the data on the D partition is already backed up and I could
backup the rest easily enough. THe HD is 120 GB (it's a fairly new
hard drive) THe system recognizes about 112 GB of that amount (amazed
me, too, as most people told me that this old system would not be able
to recognize most of a big HD.)

I don't know anyone who has this same laptop, Jim.

Right now I would really like to try Mike's idea of copying a boot
floppy to the HD. But the boot floppies you can download from the web
all seem to demand to be unpacked to a floppy drive. I can't just
unzip them and copy the files to the HD.

Still working on it...thanks for your suggestions.

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C and install Windows on C? Can it do
those things on the same drive that it's installed on? But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

Aren't computers intellectually stimulating...

You get an error message in the winrar stage, but it can be ignored. It has
nothing to do with the contents and presumably applies to the fact the .exe
contains commands for writing to a floppy.

"Shane" wrote in message
...
The boot floppies you can download - from boot-disk.com at least - can be
extracted with winrar (http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm). That leaves
you with an .ima or .imz which can then be extracted using winimage
(http://www.winimage.com/download.htm). Both can be run as fully
functional evaluation versions.

Shane



"Gumby" wrote in message
...
Most of the data on the D partition is already backed up and I could
backup the rest easily enough. THe HD is 120 GB (it's a fairly new
hard drive) THe system recognizes about 112 GB of that amount (amazed
me, too, as most people told me that this old system would not be able
to recognize most of a big HD.)

I don't know anyone who has this same laptop, Jim.

Right now I would really like to try Mike's idea of copying a boot
floppy to the HD. But the boot floppies you can download from the web
all seem to demand to be unpacked to a floppy drive. I can't just
unzip them and copy the files to the HD.

Still working on it...thanks for your suggestions.

One question that occurs to me...if I succeed in copying boot files to
C:, can I command DOS to format C and install Windows on C? Can it do
those things on the same drive that it's installed on? But i can't
copy the DOS files to D, because the system always boots from C,
right?

Aren't computers intellectually stimulating...

Op Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:57:59 -0700 (PDT) schreef Gumby
:

Thanks Jim, but as I mentioned, I really don't think this laptop can
boot from USB. Also, I don't have an external USB CD or floppy drive,
and don't have time to run around trying to borrow or rent one.
Another thing I should have mentioned is that I want to do this on the
cheap. I don't want to put any money into this old jalopy of a laptop.
I just want to get it to run for 2-1/2 more months, until January,
when I will buy a new one. (tax reasons why I want to wait)

You can make a bootable (WinME-)DOS CD.
You will need someone with a floppy drive though.
Download the ME bootdisk, then create the ME bootdisk on the other
persons computer.
Then create a bootable CD, using the ME bootfloppy as the boot image.

Put the CD in your laptop, boot from CD, choose the option with CDROM
support from the bootmenu and you have the DOS from WinME staring at
you.
Next you can access your WinME CD and run the setup (or run setup from
your HD).
AFAIK the installation process will not format your D: drive.

Bart

--
Bart Broersma

(ff _ANTISPAM_ wegpoetsen uit dit adres natuurlijk)

"Bart" wrote in message
...
Op Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:57:59 -0700 (PDT) schreef Gumby
:

Thanks Jim, but as I mentioned, I really don't think this laptop can
boot from USB. Also, I don't have an external USB CD or floppy drive,
and don't have time to run around trying to borrow or rent one.
Another thing I should have mentioned is that I want to do this on the
cheap. I don't want to put any money into this old jalopy of a laptop.
I just want to get it to run for 2-1/2 more months, until January,
when I will buy a new one. (tax reasons why I want to wait)

You can make a bootable (WinME-)DOS CD.
You will need someone with a floppy drive though.
Download the ME bootdisk, then create the ME bootdisk on the other
persons computer.
Then create a bootable CD, using the ME bootfloppy as the boot image.

You don't need a floppy drive, all you need is a boot image. Of course, it
helps if you have a CD drive on the machine you're making the bootable CD
for.

Shane

Really overwhelmed by all the helpful suggestions. Shane sent me an
email that, if I understood it correctly, might have a way to put
WinMeDos on my laptop HD by copying it over from an XP desktop. And
that this might enable me to get a DOS prompt when I boot the laptop.
If I could get a DOS prompt, then I could run setup from the ME
install CD that I previously copied to the D partition. That would be
the easiest and cheapest of all options to get this machine running
again.

You know, I must correct something I wrote earlier. Actually, the
fellow who previously installed Win ME on my laptop HD from another
computer did not put the HD into another laptop, but installed ME from
a laptop HD connector on an XP desktop. I wonder how he was able to do
that? Was it that the laptop HD was connected in such a way as to be a
slave to his desktop's C drive? I don't really know what "slave" drive
means, but that occurred to me as a possibility.

He did in fact install only the first stage of the install, the
"copying files" stage, then disconnected the laptop HD and put it in
my laptop, where it proceeded to detect my hardware upon restarting.

Bart, thanks for the suggestion but my laptop's CD drive does not
work, in addition to the nonfunctional floppy drive.

There are cheap converters (US$3 or so) that allow a 2½" laptop IDE drive
to be connected to a full size desktop IDE connector. I use one of these
quite often and recently upgraded the disk drive on a number of laptops,
each time imaging the C: drive on the old laptop drive to the new drive
using BING and with the old and then new laptops drives connected to a
desktop PC running XP. I've used the laptop IDE connector/converter in
both an external USB enclosure and also a full size IDE caddy.

I see no reason why you shouldn't do the same given the relatively low
cost involved and the resulting easy solution to your problem which both
Shane and myself have already detailed.
--
Mike Maltby



Gumby wrote:

Really overwhelmed by all the helpful suggestions. Shane sent me an
email that, if I understood it correctly, might have a way to put
WinMeDos on my laptop HD by copying it over from an XP desktop. And
that this might enable me to get a DOS prompt when I boot the laptop.
If I could get a DOS prompt, then I could run setup from the ME
install CD that I previously copied to the D partition. That would be
the easiest and cheapest of all options to get this machine running
again.

You know, I must correct something I wrote earlier. Actually, the
fellow who previously installed Win ME on my laptop HD from another
computer did not put the HD into another laptop, but installed ME from
a laptop HD connector on an XP desktop. I wonder how he was able to do
that? Was it that the laptop HD was connected in such a way as to be a
slave to his desktop's C drive? I don't really know what "slave" drive
means, but that occurred to me as a possibility.

He did in fact install only the first stage of the install, the
"copying files" stage, then disconnected the laptop HD and put it in
my laptop, where it proceeded to detect my hardware upon restarting.

Bart, thanks for the suggestion but my laptop's CD drive does not
work, in addition to the nonfunctional floppy drive.