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Re-format, partition, and rebuild your drive with FDISK or, the Old Engineer's Answer to Disk Problems and Everything
A blast from the past! This floppy disc tute is years old, though still probably valid for engineers.
I understand you can now get FDISK on a new-fangled thing called a CD, and will have to investigate that.
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This is a step by step guide to FDISK - a complete guide
to all the steps needed to partition, format, and load the Operating System (Windows
etc.) onto a hard drive, using the FDISK utility on a 3.5 inch floppy
boot disc. The other uses of FDISK aren't covered because we want to concentrate on the most important area.
You can also burn the files onto a CD and use that instead, if you don't have a floppy drive. If you do this, instead of drive A:, you'll most likely be using drive D: in the following instructions.
If you're new
to this – or even if you aren't, but would appreciate an aide-memoire – this will be handy, as there are actually 25 steps to reformatting. Whenever someone's
advice is sought on this, they always give you about five or six steps
to do; which leaves you scratching your head over the missing twenty. To the best
of my knowledge, this is the only full guide to reformatting with FDISK – I've
never seen this listed anywhere else. There must be many people who have had
to give up half-way, often due to problems with the DOS commands, which are totally
foreign to Windows users now.
We should state from the start
that this is an engineers' and advanced users' style of reformat; users will normally
employ a bootable CD or a third-party app for this. However, when the machine
has difficulties, or crashes irretrievably, this is the method engineers
employ. In fact this will always be useful information for engineers, advanced
users, and those progressing, because the days when all machines can boot from
all Windows CDs are not only still a long way off, but will in fact never come.
Even if all current Windows CDs were to be bootable (i.e. you could format and
install a clean new O/S on the drive from the CD), this does not apply to any
Windows OS in the past. You cannot boot from all W98, W98SE, WME, and W2K CDs (see later). We will be using these for a long time to come, to run valuable software
that will not run on anything else. In fact you could of course make yourself
a bootable version of a Windows non-bootable CD, if you had to; but with a
knowledge of FDISK, it's not necessary. It also applies when the CD drive is faulty,
or locked out by a faulty BIOS.
Here, we describe the process
of reformatting a previously-used drive. Formatting a new HD is virtually the
same, except:
1. You don't first have to delete any partitions.
2. You
may find that your new HD is not recognised by the PC, in which case you will
need a HD installation app.
3. If you buy a Retail Box hard drive, as against
a cheaper OEM Pack, you will often get the manufacturer's HD installation
floppy, which contains their special HD installer. These are often based around
DiskManager DiskGo. Alternatively this can be downloaded from the HD makers' website.
FDISK is normally also included, in an easier to use package. Partitions
A partition is a section on the hard disk which is dedicated to one particular
operating system or group of data. It needs to be formatted before use
or re-use. This process removes any previous data and divides the space up into
small parts of a uniform and recognisable size. Note that ALL PREVIOUS DATA
WILL BE LOST and the disk will be wiped*. This is a very good reason why re-formatting
is carried out occasionally as a maintenance exercise: it's an excellent
way of cleaning all sorts of unwanted accumulated dross off the PC.
* A
word of caution: when we say 'wiped' we mean as regards all user data.
There are two caveats to bear in mind:1. A reformat actually
only removes the file indexing system – the files are all still there. Less than
1% of data is actually removed, and therefore the original files are still
recoverable by a data retrieval specialist. If you need to actually wipe the disk
clean of all data for security, you must use a specialist application for this.
They normally run from a boot floppy, like DBAN / Boot&Nuke for instance, and
overwrite the disk many times until every individual section has been written-to
several times. One pass is thought to be the minimum required, and 5 passes
plus for complete erasure. This takes longer than most people are prepared to
wait.2. The boot sector is not wiped, and therefore some types
of virus may still remain. In addition, it is now also thought possible by
some that since the actual data is not removed by a reformat, there may be a chance
that some viruses can survive and re-generate. As viruses and their coders
become more and more sophisticated, these sorts of problems become more likely.
For instance, some experts say that 20% of PCs are Botnet slaves; but it is highly
doubtful that one in five PC owners would be likely to agree. Who knows the
real situation? Make a new boot disc
Prior to re-formatting, make a boot disc from your existing operating
system. Go to Start - Help to see how to do this. You will need one floppy for
most Windows OSs, but four for W2K. As an aside, it's not a bad idea to make another
boot disc now and then and keep it. All boot discs are definitely not created
equal, and one will prove to be able to fix a problem, on yours or somebody
else's machine, whereas others will fail. This applies especially to W2K boot discs, which often turn out to have been corrupted in the making, and
have to be re-done several times to get a functional four-disc set.
TEST
A W2K BOOT DISC SET IMMEDIATELY you have made it, by trying to boot up
with it (no harm will be done to your current installation). Also, boot discs can
be corrupted by placing them next to a speaker AND ESPECIALLY a monitor, since
they are recorded magnetically. Monitors sometimes use a degaussing burst on
boot-up, and this will be just fine for your floppies! FDISK Notes
1. FDISK stands for Fixed Disk, i.e. a utility for a non-removable drive
(not format disk).
2. Only your first CD drive may work during this process.
3.
W2K will not install from a W98 boot disc. The first part of the
process will, and it's quicker, as you're only using one disc instead of four.
From there on, you need to insert the W2K set of four boot discs. Solution: if
you only have a W2K CD, and not a set of boot discs, then install W98 and upgrade
it to W2K with the W2K CD. Then make your boot discs – checking them immediately
by booting with them. Often one of the series is no good, and has to be re-done.
In
the following instructions: HD = hard drive or hard disk.
Enter = hit the
Enter/carriage return key.
Type <xyz> = type in the three letters xyz. All typed commands can be in upper
or
lower case, it
makes no difference.
Boot or boot up = switch the PC on.
Re-boot = switch the PC off, then on again – in practice
this means hit the
reset
button, usually below the main power On button, on the
front
of the ATX case.
Esc =
the Escape key.
O/S =
operating system, i.e. Windows 98, Linux etc.
Disc / Disk = media type: removable media such as floppies and CD's are spelt
disc,
and
'fixed' drives are spelt disk, by convention.
Finally, a word to the wise. Print this out now, since you won't be able to
access it when you are fdisk-ing. Dohhh!
To re-format the hard drive and install a clean O/S
1. If you are installing Windows 98, boot up with a Windows 98 boot disc
in (W98 boot floppy in Drive A). From the option list, select (1) Start computer
with CD-ROM support, and Enter. Boot file loading and HD checking starts
up. If you are installing Windows 2000, you can also boot with a W98 boot disc
– for the first bit only – or with the four W2K boot discs.
2. After a while,
this process ends and a prompt appears - A:\>, with a blinking cursor, at
the beginning of the line. Type <fdisk> and Enter. Try not to insert any
additional letters after the 'f' and before the 'd', although working with DOS,
our modern version of Greek, may make you want to...
3. At the prompt 'Do
you wish to enable large disk support?' select (Y) and Enter.
4. At the
options list select (3) Delete partitions, and Enter.
5. Type in <1>,
which is 'Delete primary DOS partition', from the choices given, and Enter.
6.
At the warning, select (1), the partition to be deleted, and Enter.
7.
At the prompt 'Enter volume label' hit Enter for none (recommended), or type
in a label.
8. At the prompt 'Are you sure?', do not attempt to type in
'I don't really know'; change (N) to (Y) and Enter. The partition is deleted.
Hit Esc.
9. From the options displayed, select (1) Create primary DOS partition,
and Enter.
10. Click (1), for Create primary DOS partition. 'Verifying
drive integrity' runs, showing the percentage completed.
11. At
the prompt 'Do you wish to use the maximum available size and make the partition
active?' select (Y) or (N). For the usual single partition, for one OS only,
select (Y). If you want to install two OSs, and therefore need two partitions,
select (N); drive integrity checking runs again (this is an 'issue').
12.
If you have chosen multiple partitions, then at the request, enter the partition
size for the the first partition (e.g. 50%) and Enter. The partition is created.
13.
Hit Esc. Select (2) Select active partition, and Enter.
14.
Enter the number of the partition you wish to make active: (1), and Enter.
15.
Hit Esc. Hit Esc again. Now reboot the PC, with the Boot Disc still in.
16. Select (1) Start PC with CD-ROM support, and Enter.
17. At the prompt,
type <format c:> and Enter. If you have done one partition already,
and are doing a second partition, it will be <format d:>. Note that with
all these commands, they must be PRECISELY right or nothing will happen. For
instance in the first command given, there is a space between format and c.
18.
At the warning and prompt 'Proceed with formatting?', type (Y) and Enter.
Formatting of the partition starts, with the percentage completed visible.
19.
At the prompt 'Volume label?' hit Enter, for no label – recommended.
At
this point, if installing Windows 2000, remove the W98 boot disc,
insert W2K boot disc #1, and insert the W2K CD-ROM. Reboot. Continue with the W2K
installation as prompted. The setup is automatic, with choices given for language,
keyboard layout etc.
20. At the prompt, type <e:\> and
Enter. The prompt changes to E:\.
21. Insert the W98 CD in your CD-ROM drive.
22. Type <setup> and Enter. If fault messages come up, try changing
the drive letter that you typed in at step 20. to d, and if that doesn't work,
then every letter through to h or even higher if you have multiple drives
(CD, Zip etc) and partitions. It doesn't matter if you type something in upper
or lower case (D or d), since FDISK cannot recognise the difference.
23. At
the prompt 'Setup is now going to perform......' hit Enter. Scandisk runs, and
all being well, terminates quickly.
24. Type <x> for Exit. The Windows
98 splash screen comes up.
25. Hit 'Continue', and the CD installation
starts. Remove the floppy disc now.
Note: there is no need to use
the <sys /c> command with this procedure.
When the OS installation is finished:
1. Immediately defrag the drive, as it starts out badly fragmented by
the installation routine, which doesn't correct it. Marvellous.
2. Make a
new boot disc!
Booting from a CD
FDISK is also on the Windows CDs, in uncompressed format in order to
be used directly from the CD; plus the system files and drivers from the boot floppy.
In other words, you might be able to boot from the Windows CD and proceed
from there. If you do this, it's easier to use than the floppy disc method as:
you're eliminating one stage; it's easier to use; it's faster. You can also make
a bootable CD, or buy one / download one ready-made for this purpose.
There
are however some problems with this, otherwise it would be the perfect
solution:
1. Not all PCs or laptops can boot from a CD.
2.
Not all Windows CDs are bootable.
3. You will need to enable this in the BIOS,
as often it is disabled.
4. Not all BIOS ATAPI drivers work on all CD
drives. Obviously this shouldn't be a problem on a standard machine, but if it
has been repaired or upgraded it might be.
>1: All new equipment
has the ATAPI drivers in BIOS to enable this, so all recent machines can boot
from a CD. Obviously, you need CD-ROM drivers available, when the hard drive is
bare, in order to access a CD; in the past these were often not present in the
BIOS therefore you could not boot from a CD, but they are in all new ones. ASPI
drivers are for SCSI arrays, and therefore not needed for the vast majority of
machines. Unfortunately, many of us are still using older equipment that doesn't
have the ATAPI drivers in the BIOS, so this option is not available to us.
From about 2000, all PCs had an ATAPI-enabled BIOS.
Although the boot
floppy loads a set of ATAPI drivers, they do not work on all CD drives.
>2:
Not all Windows CDs are bootable (in other words you can't boot up
without an O/S installed or a floppy boot disc, in order to install the O/S or
get out of trouble). This is, strangely, one of the few advantages of an OEM
CD: it is bootable. The Retail Boxed versions aren't (or weren't in the past, from
W95 thru W2K). An OEM CD, by the way, is for original equipment manufacturers
and retailers to 'package' with their PC sales; it has no box or fancy packaging,
and also no warranty with Microsoft. For problems, refer to your dealer.
A Retail version comes in a box, and has a warranty with MS – but can't be booted
from. Don't ask me why. This is an important point, and one on which a lot of
'experts' are confused, so it's well worth repeating in Very Large Letters:
! NOT ALL WINDOWS CDs ARE BOOTABLE !
>3: The boot device or drive is enabled / disabled in the BIOS.
If you have a CD which you think is bootable, but the system ignores it on
boot-up and hangs due to an incomplete C-Drive, then go into your BIOS options
at boot-up and change the settings. You will need to hold down a certain key during
the boot sequence, to boot into the CMOS settings (another word for BIOS).
This key is different according to the various manufacturers, but you can try
Del, F8, or Space. If no joy, then RTFM (Read The Manual). You are not looking
to boot into the Safe Mode menus, if this comes up with one key, so reboot and
try another key.
When you get to the CMOS settings, go to Main Settings
or similar, which will probably be the first page. Look for First Boot Device:
it should be A-Drive, the floppy drive. Change the Second Boot Device to D-Drive,
your CD-ROM drive (or the appropriate letter if for some reason D is incorrect
– perhaps if you have additional drives). Third Boot Device becomes C-Drive,
your hard drive. Now Save and Exit. The machine should now reboot and recognise
your CD drive.
>4: Not all ATAPI drivers work on all CD drives,
though obviously this shouldn't be a problem on a standard machine; if it
has been repaired or upgraded it might be.
The boot drive sequence
is important, and elsewhere on this site it is explained in more detail, since
it may not accord with other advice encountered. The sequencing means that on boot-up
the machine looks first for a valid OS in the floppy drive, then the CD
drive, then the hard drive; which is what you want. You will however need to ensure
that the floppy and CD drives are empty during normal boot-ups, otherwise
the machine will try to boot from them.
Floppy Drives in the 21st Century
They may seem an anachronism, but whenever you present your machine with
a seemingly-insoluble problem to the poor old engineer, he'll hope and pray
that it has an FD. If not, it just costs you more in the end. Simple. Just think
of it as the machine's built-in screwdriver.
Avoid all-USB machines,
and DVD / CD drive-only machines, if you want less problems. If you don't care
what problems cost to resolve, and you can leave it all to someone else and
pay the bill presented without quibbling about the cost or the time it took, then
don't worry.
Finally
You will eventually find that trying to repair a corrupt or faulty Windows
OS is a lost cause. Just bite the bullet and re-format: it cleans everything out.
Let's hope you had everything of value backed up before Windows went down; and
don't forget to do so before re-formatting, if you have the option.
Tip: use Acronis true Image - you can re-install a clean new OS and the apps and the data in a jiffy: a one-shot new working drive.
Extremely
Useful Bit Of Information: if, after playing around installing various
OSs, half-deleting them, repairing OSs, using all sorts of different boot
discs, and so on, you're left with a 'ghost' OS which causes the boot sequence
to stop and give you a choice of operating systems to start up – which aren't actually
there in reality – here's a fix: download Acronis OS Selector 5.0 Special
Edition (this is the 'Lite' / free / restricted version) from www.acronis.com;
it's a free download. Install it and select 'Make default and boot' for your
main (and only) OS. The other ghost/s will disappear and the PC will boot straight
through as normal. You won't actually know that Acronis is on there (though
you can see its program folder Bootwiz in Program Files, and open it via Start
- Programs as per usual, if you need to). |
Guide to FDISK 
