Can't wipe hard drive, help!

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Hello everyone,
I am trying to repair an old dell for a friend, it has Windows ME. After reinstalling the graphics driver the computer will only start in Safe Mode and when rebooted into normal mode comes up with the 'Windows Protection Error. System Halted' There are no drivers with a yellow exlimation mark the in device manager, everything is working. And, I don't have any floppys, to create a boot disk. I also tried booting linux from a usb stick and get the same error. Plus, the computer won't boot from blank discs. The only way to install a new OS is to get rid of ME and I can't! Please help!!!!
 
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Optical drive, without doubt. They are not very expensive and are widely used - you need one of these in your machine, but you rarely need a floppy drive. Moreover, I doubt you can get a set of floppies to install Windows. Today the Win Install is just too HUGE to fit even on MANY floppy diskettes.
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avjguy2362

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Jun 21, 2012
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"won't boot from blank discs"...not sure what you mean. Do you have a Windows XP, 7 or 8 OS disc? As long as the boot order in your BIOS has the CD/DVD drive first, you will be taken to a menu to ask you if you want to install an OS. It will then Re-format (wiping everything on the HD) and install the new OS. All of your current problems are inside the ME OS. As long as you aren't trying to keep anything on the current HD, then simply install a new OS over it. IF you are booting from a USB stick, to install a linux system, again, the Boot Order in the BIOS needs to point to the USB, before the HD.
 
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Paperdoc

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avjguy2362 has the right approach. Just a small note. If you do go ahead and wipe the old HDD, saving NOTHING, but installing a new windows on it, you MIGHT have to use an option early in the Install process to Delete any and all existing Partitions on the drive. Then Install can use ALL of that drive for the new Windows, and it will wipe it clean during the Full Format operation.
 
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BIOS has a 'removable drive' option but no 'boot from USB'. And, I've already tired a Windows XP disc, get no option to boot from cd. The computer just goes straight to safe mode.
 
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Paperdoc

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The option to "boot from CD" will not show up on the start-up or boot screens. It is something you must set in BIOS Setup. On most machines you enter BIOS Setup by holding down the "Del" key as soon as you turn it on, until the opening menu of BIOS Setup appears. BUT on some machines it is some other key, so WATCH your screen (usually at the bottom) for any message about how to get into Setup.

Once in BIOS Setup, the opening screen will show you the basic HDD units it has, and other items. Note the on-screen prompts on how to move among the lines of the screen to make choices, and how to make changes. Now look at the menu tabs across the top, and find the place where you set the Boot Priority Sequence. Here it will offer you choices of boot devices, and you set the sequence. Set yours so your optical drive is first, and the HDD is second, and NO other devices are tried.

NEXT, make sure the Windows Install CD you plan to use in in the optical drive.

Now use the on-screen prompts to Save and Exit from BIOS Setup. It should boot from the Install CD and start looking for HDD units to install to. As I said, you MAY have to use its menu choices to Delete all the Partition(s) already on that old HDD before proceeding with the Installation to it.

You can leave the Boot Priority this way. In future it will check that optical init first and, usually, find nothing there and jump immediately to the HDD to boot. On rare occasions you MAY actually want to boot from the optical drive, and it will if you place a bootable disk in there.
 
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The bios is order is already set to boot from CD/DVD optical drive first, followed by hard drive, removable, and network. It does read the windows installation disc, but won't boot from it. The computer just hangs at the Windows ME screen then it just goes black. I can only boot into safe mode. However, the CD drive used to read discs in normal mode just fine.
 
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avjguy2362

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Your Win XP Disc must be damaged or possibly just a smudge (finger print) near the inside, that is preventing it from reading. Can you look very carefully at the disc and make sure it is perfectly clean and free of scratches. If there is a scratch near the very inside of the disc that is concentrically parallel to the inner circle, that could stop it from reading. Scratches from the inside towards the outer edge usually won't cause a problem. If it appears clean, then try the setting the boot order to "removable devise" only and try to boot from your Linux USB stick. Remove the DVD drive, HD and network choices. If it works, set them back to the correct order later.
 
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Paperdoc

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I agree with avjguy2362. Your machine TRIES to read the CD in the optical drive but fails. That is why it THEN tries to boot from the HDD with Win ME on it, and only partially succeeds.

MAYBE the optical drive itself is faulty? Can you borrow any other Windows Install CD just to see if your machine can boot from that? Or maybe a bootable Linux CD? Or a bootable disk diagnostic utilities CD?
 
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The optical drive could be faulty, or might just need a good cleaning. Tried Windows 98 setup disk, and the computer still boots from the hard drive. It won't boot from the USB stick running Linux, even with 'Removeable Device' listed first in BIOS. Sometimes the flashing light dosen't come on when plugged into the port. I have to wiggle it or lift the drive slightly. Oh, almost forgot. Here are the specs: Dell Dimension XPS T700r, 30GB HDD, P3 700Mz processor, 512 GB RAM
 
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There is no message saying to "Press any key to boot from CD". It's not booting from optical drive at all...and just continues to load Windows Millenium from the HDD. I can boot all the way into Safe Mode, but Normal Mode gives the blue screen of death - 'Windows Protection Error, Please restart your computer. System halted. ' No new hardware or software was installed prior to this happening. System restore didn't work either. It boils down to two options...1. buy floppy disks to reformat the hard drive/install windows...or 2. a new optical drive....what do you guys think would be the quickest/easiest way to do this?
 
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Paperdoc

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Optical drive, without doubt. They are not very expensive and are widely used - you need one of these in your machine, but you rarely need a floppy drive. Moreover, I doubt you can get a set of floppies to install Windows. Today the Win Install is just too HUGE to fit even on MANY floppy diskettes.
 
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