Hard Disk problem

[LordBrocktree]

I have a really old laptop like from the early to mid 90's and it is having problems with the hard disk, i would like to install MS-DOS so that i can update it to windows 98 if the poor little thing has enough memory (heh, little the thing weighs like 8 pounds), do any of you techies kno how i can fix it?

[donal]

Format it, and reinstall win98?
doesn't that install DOS with the OS?

[LordBrocktree]

dont want to be n00bish but how do you format it

[donal]

My best advice on that is to look it up on the web and follow the instructions. The first time is always the hardest to do. Try this site:

http://www.webtechgeek.com/How-to-Format-a-Hard-Drive.htm

Make sure you are comfortable with the process before you do it, you can ruin your hard drive.

[Slayer_of_the_Immortals]

Go to where ever your drives are listed (My Computer normally, but never worked with something that old.) Right click on the 'c' drive, or the leter of the drive your gonna format if it's other than 'c' and select 'format' from the drop down menu.

[royalmarine]

you cant format a hard drive from within windows if windows is operating on that hard drive.
what you need is a boot disk for windows 98.
put that floppy disk in, and then restart your computer.
it will show u how to do the rest.

[LordBrocktree]

heh i'll take donal's advice, there is no such thing as "my computer" on this thing i havent got as far as to use the cursor yet it's all text right now, fortunatly it just a summer project right now, my real computer is what im using right now
edit:
thanks loads guys now im off to install windows 3.1 :D

[WindsHellFire]

lol funny
first u need to have msDos floppydisks
and a windows 98 cd-rom
then u must start up with the first floppy of msdos
its a "bootdisk"
on the disk u typ when started "format c:"

got it so far?

[WindsHellFire]

Or am i wrong is the windows 98
a boot sequence installer allready

[WindsHellFire]

whaahahah i used to have a computer where i had to first do a 6 disk msdos installation. then do a win95 installation in dos, whahahah!, and then had to do a 95-98 upgrade installation

[LordBrocktree]

well unfortunatly i cant get it to format the C drive, it tells me that the c drive is the drive used to boot up and that i should not format it. what command could i use to override the programing and format it

[WindsHellFire]

u tried that in windows or from the boot floppy disk in dos?
u need to boot with floppy

[Nemesis-]

Whe you boot up with a floppy you shouldn't get any prolems when you type format c: =/

[royalmarine]

http://www.bootdisk.com/

go here.
get a floppy disk. read the instructions.
turn your laptop off.
put the floppy disk in.
turn the laptop on.
it will load to dos prompt off the boot disk.
the type format c:/......

[WindsHellFire]

of course u should select floppy drive as ur first boot device in cmos/bios
("del" at startup)

[LordBrocktree]

i have been booting from a disk but when i have the A:\> prompt and type FORMAT C: it says it is a bad command or file does not exist then i type C: to get the C:\> prompt and if i try formating then it tells me that it is the boot drive and i shouldnt format it, the key words i think are "should not", that means that it can be but it isnt advised, i've tried about everything to erase the hard disk, i even pulled it out and stuck magnets to it, that didnt even phase it, i think im going to upgrade to an electro-magnet

[royalmarine]

when u use the floppy disk, is it a book disk???

[LordBrocktree]

i spose its a boot disk it starts up MS-DOS for me

[Vaekor]

When you say that it starts MS-DOS for you... It loads your computer directly to the command prompt? (The C:/> or A:/> prompt) If you're booting from a disk, it should open to A:/>. If it's pulling up and windows or anything other than just the command line prompt, then something is wrong.

Secondly, if you are at A:/>, then type "dir" and tell me if format.exe is on the disk. If not, we want to copy it there from the hard drive.

Thirdly, don't put magnets on your hard drive... that's a no no.

[LordBrocktree]

ok how do i copy it from the hard drive?

[Vaekor]

Before we go into that... where did you get this boot disk? I want to make sure we'll be able to start re-installing stuff before we trash the old drive.

It sounds like from some of your descriptions that the computer is actually still booting from the hard drive and not the floppy, which is strange. Could you tell us what all *is* on the floppy?

[LordBrocktree]

im not sure my grandpa had the laptop before he gave it to my sister because he didnt want it anymore and he thought she could use it for college the boot disk came with the comp he must have made it be4 it got screwed up i think im just going to trash it and buy a new one that wont need a major memory upgrade or just forget the idea altogether
thanks for trying

[Vaekor]

I strongly recommend against a 10 year old laptop for college use, but I hate to see anyone trash a computer... I've still got an Apple IIe in my room that I set up occasionally -- the computer is almost as old as I am, it's got sentimental value. ::Grins::

Part of the problem is that it's going to be hard to step you through a process like this on the forums... perhaps you could contact me (or anyone else you know in PR with some tech knowledge - any of the people who have posted to this thread if they don't mind helping) on IRC or a messenger program like AIM and we can talk about it in real-time.

Either way, it seems you're deciding against further help here, so I'm going to close this thread unless you PM me otherwise.