0zzie

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Hey guys,
when everything else failed to get my system going a few weeks ago - I tried a copy of a friends xp to see if that would work. It didn't and now I need to go back to my ME OS.
What do I have to do to get back? - Have I got a problem because my HD has NFTS on it now?
 

Toejam31

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You don't have a <i>problem</i>, exactly ... it's just that WinME can't see or run on an NTFS partition. So if you installed WinXP as an upgrade, and converted to NTFS at the same time (or after the new OS was in place), there's no way to remove WinXP and have your previous installation of WinME left intact. You'll have to start over from scratch.

I'd suggest that you create a Windows 98SE <A HREF="http://www.mirrors.org/archived_software/www.bootdisk.com/original.htm" target="_new">boot disk</A>, one that contains the FDISK and FORMAT utilities. Then enter the BIOS, and find the area that shows the list of bootable devices. Switch the first bootable device to the A: or floppy drive. Save your changes, and reboot the system.

Start the computer with the boot disk. Use the FDISK utility to remove any non-DOS partitions. Create a primary DOS partition, and make it active. Use the FORMAT utility to format the partition as FAT32, without transferring any system files, such as with the " /s" switch during the format. Reboot.

Change the boot order in the BIOS to start with the CD-ROM. Save your changes, and start the system with the WinME CD. Install the OS. When this is finished, change the boot order in the BIOS so that the first bootable device is IDE 0. Save your changes.

If for some reason you are unable to remove the non-DOS partition with FDISK, go to the website of the hard drive manufacturer, and download a disk utility, like <A HREF="http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm" target="_new">PowerMax</A> from Maxtor, <A HREF="http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools" target="_new">Data Lifeguard Tools</A> from Western Digital, or <A HREF="http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm" target="_new">Drive Fitness Test</A> for an IBM or Hitachi hard drive. Start the system with one of these utilities, and low level format (zero out) the hard drive. This will remove all data on the drive, including any partitions.

Then use the regular Windows 98 or 98SE boot disk to restart the system, and create the active, primary DOS partition, as previously mentioned.

I don't recommend that you use any of the manufacturer's utilities to actually partition or format the hard drive unless you have no other choice, as in certain situations this can cause unusual problems, due to the way the partition tables are written. This is <i>especially</i> applicable when using the Data Lifeguard Tools.

<A HREF="http://www.computerhope.com/sfdisk1.htm" target="_new">FDISK SIMULATION</A>

<A HREF="http://fdisk.radified.com/" target="_new">Ratified FDISK Guide To Hard Drive Partitioning</A>

Toey

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0zzie

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Toey,
first thanx immensly for your comprehensive response - its much appreciated. I have just been trying what you suggested - made both a me and 98se boot disk but as soon as i put the disk into boot - the pc says non-system disk or disk error - it does it whether its the 98 version or me disk.
My HD is made by fujitsu siemens so i havent yet tried any of the other tools you suggetsed but i have made a floppy with drive fitness on it in case.
Im basically stuck - how can i get around the thing not recognising the boot disk??

Thanks again
 

Toejam31

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There can be several reasons for this type of problem, but, basically, the error occurs when the BIOS cannot find the boot sector on a hard drive, or the master boot record is missing or damaged ... OR the device does not have bootable media. Be sure to use new, freshly formatted floppy disks, and if possible, scan them for errors after the boot disk is made.

Things to check:

1.) Improper parameters set in the CMOS for the boot device, i.e. the A: drive is not set as the first, bootable device, or the floppy drive is not being detected by the BIOS.

2.) The floppy drive cable is connected incorrectly, or the cable is damaged.

3.) The floppy disk is defective, or the boot disk was made incorrectly.

4.) The floppy drive is defective.

5.) A virus. It's possible that the computer you are using to create the boot disk has a virus that causes the floppy disk not to work, like this <A HREF="http://www.secadministrator.com/Panda/Index.cfm?FuseAction=Virus&virusID=579" target="_new">one</A>. Try making the boot disk on another machine, and then <A HREF="http://helpdesk.ua.edu/help/howto/writeprotect.html" target="_new">write-protect</A> the disk.

Here's a link that gives detailed information about how to create a <A HREF="http://www.pcguide.com/care/bu/boot_Contents.htm" target="_new">boot disk</A>. Perhaps it will be of some help.

Toey

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DaveP

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If you still have access to the XP CD, you could also boot from it, enter the set up, and partition and reformat with FAT32 from there, without having to use any floppies. After you partition and format with FAT32, exit the XP set up and reboot your computer with the WinME CD.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

0zzie

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Toey,
I have used the floppy extensively over the last fews days including to boot xp yesterday and it works fine. A is also set as the first bootable device. I wont be able to make a boot on another machine until i go back to work on monday.
I tried drive fitness but it wouldnt work bc its not an IBM drive
 

0zzie

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Davep - yep I do have access to the cd - so do I boot from the 6 floppies again - can you clarify for me at what stage i get to choose FAT32 over NTFS in the settup routine??? Thanks
 

DaveP

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Set your CD to boot first, as Toey described in his first post.
Boot directly from the XP CD. At some point in the install it will ask where to install windows and give you some format options. Delete the partitions with NTFS, recreate them and format with FAT32. After the format is complete, exit the set up, and reboot with the WinME CD. If all goes as expected, you'll never need a floppy.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by davep on 06/28/03 09:42 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
 

Toejam31

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Here's an additional problem.

Fact: WinME can <i>only</i> be installed in a primary DOS partition, so one must be created on the hard drive before the operating system installation will be successful. Perhaps you can create one on the hard drive, and then install WinME into it, despite the non-DOS partition being present, and then use a third-part tool to remove the non-DOS partition afterwards ... but this I can't say for certain, having never got myself into this situation.

In any case, if you can manage to get WinME installed, all the free space dedicated to the non-DOS partition will not be available, so I think it would be much less sloppy to go ahead and get that NTFS partition off the drive before attempting to install WinME.

Perhaps you should try using an application like the <A HREF="http://www.ranish.com/part/" target="_new">Ranish Partition Manager</A> to remove the non-DOS NTFS partition, and then use it to create the primary DOS partition. I'd don't have any experience with it, personally, but many people swear by it.

During the WinME installation, you won't have a choice between NTFS and FAT32. NTFS is strictly for WinNT, Win2K, and WinXP.

<A HREF="http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/textonly/installme.HTM" target="_new">Windows Me Installation</A>

If you just can't seem to find a way to get the system to start with a boot disk, you might consider temporarily moving the hard drive to another computer, and doing the partitioning from there. Perhaps you have a friend who might let you do this?

It's too bad that you've got a Fujitsu hard drive; you can't get disk utility software from them without paying a fee, which is ridiculous, IMHO.

<A HREF="http://www.ontrack.com/fujitsu/" target="_new">Fujitsu Disk Manager</A>

Update Edit: Ooo, that's an excellent good idea that davep has suggested! I completely forgot that you've got a WinXP CD. Thanks davep ... further proof that two heads are better than one, especially when the single head belongs to an old fart like me. :lol:

Toey

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0zzie

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Im afraid i just tried what dave suggested. I have the home version of XP and there is no option to format with fat 32 - the options I get were NTFS quick and NTFS - thats it - neither one works. God there must be some way to get NTFS off and replaced with FAT. I'll go back and reread the other suggestions you guys made - what a miserable state of affairs
 

0zzie

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Toey - any idea whether that Fujitsu disk programm for 14.99 would do what I need - im finding it hard to establish whether it would?
 

DaveP

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I'm sorry to here this is such a headache for you.

the options I get were NTFS quick and NTFS
Do you have the option to delete the partition? Maybe someone knows better than me, but, if it's already formatted with NTFS, maybe reformatting with FAT32 is not an option. I only say this because FAT doesn't recognize NTFS.
I went back to FAT32 from NTFS a long time ago, (for some forgotten reason). IIRC, I had to delete the NTFS partition completely, and then recreate it and format with FAT32.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

0zzie

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Dave - thx for stickin round.
yup did have an option to delete the partition - which i did - but then there was no formatting option after that apart from the 2 ntfs ones. If i escaped without NTFS - ie having only deleted the NTFS partition and left with clean slate - I still could not boot from floppy or ME cd bc (and im guessing now) there was no FAT32 and the system still didnt recognise either the boot disk or the CD as compatable.

I have been looking at the option on ranish.com mentioned above but im not confident i can handle it without making things worse
 

DaveP

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Something isn't right here. Besides the two NTFS options, you should have FAT32 quick and FAT32.
I'm only guessing here, but maybe if you just delete the partition, then reboot the computer with the WinME cd. Maybe then, the ME install will let you partition with FAT. Like I say, I'm only guessing, but at this point your not losing anything.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

Toejam31

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I wouldn't run out and spend the money for the utility at this point; honestly, you should have enough free tools at your disposal to work out this problem, with the links that have already been provided.

I'd do what davep suggested ... remove the partition with the WinXP CD. Then allow the WinXP CD to create a new primary DOS partition. Afterwards, quit the setup, reboot with the WinME CD, and use it to format the partition. Anything over 2GB in size will automatically be FAT32.

A thought: We're working blind here, since all that is known about the drive is that it's a Fujitsu. How large is the hard drive? The WinXP CD can't create a FAT32 partition over 32GB in size, so if the drive is larger than that, and you are choosing to create one large partition with all the available free space, the FAT32 file system option won't be available.

Really, you don't need that much space to install an operating system like WinME; even if you intend to install <i>all</i> your programs in the partition that contains the OS, 7-10GB should be all the space you'll ever need. The rest of the free space can be used for something else, like personal files.

Toey

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0zzie

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Davep - thats exactly what i tried - deleted the partition and rebooted with ME CD - it says somethingg to the ffect that it didnt recognise the format or something like that. I had to reboot the whole of XP bc fom scratch to get back on line.
I had no option for fat32 - could it be bc i have the home version not the pro version??
 

0zzie

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Yeah the disk is 40 gig
I tried to create a 39 gig partition
do you think thats why it didnt offer me the fat option???
Im not loatrhe to try it except it means another hour to reload xp and get the modem working again etc if it fails.
i keep look ing at the ranesh thing and practising on the simulator they have but its a bit greek to me.
 

0zzie

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PS - Can I just say a big thanks to you guys for your efforts whether we get it sorted or not - Its exceptionally good of you to expend so much effort on a stranger (well a journeyman he he)
 

DaveP

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Ahh! I didn't think of HDD size. That is most likely your problem. Do as Toey said and create a seperate partition. That works better anyways, because you can save your important stuff there. If you ever have to reinstall again, all that is saved on the second partition is not lost.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

0zzie

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OK ill have a go at that - if it fails ill be off line for an hour or so getting back up and running.
If i cant get back up - it'll be monday before i can let you know what occurred on my work PC
cheers guys (are you bothin the US) im in London.
 

Toejam31

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Yep ... that's it exactly. You can't make a 39GB FAT32 partition with the WinXP CD; it's a built-in limitation. You needed to make a smaller partition in order to get the FAT32 option back.

Hey ... if you managed to get WinXP loaded, and the computer is up and running, why go back to WinME? WinXP is the superior operating system in virtually every area! I was under the impression you couldn't get the computer started at all, even with WinXP (refer back to the original post.)

If you need help configuring WinXP, I'm sure that we can help you. I've been running WinXP longer than other other OS I've tried, and I'm sure davep can also continue to provide additional information. (Yes, davep, I just volunteered you! :wink: )

Toey

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DaveP

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You are welcome, and Good Luck.
See you in a little while.

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

DaveP

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Thanks Toey. That's a real compliment, coming from the master. :wink:

My Daddy used to tell me:
<b>It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid,
then it is to open your mouth and prove it.</b>
I never was good at taking advice!
 

0zzie

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Guys - Im back - sorry I couldnt respond sooner but sure enough i couldnt get my internet functioning again once I had tried the suggestions (fault with the ISP though).
Anyways im at work so im back on line.
OK I had some degree of success - you were 100% right - as soon as i changed the partition size - the FAT options appeared!!! So i made one partition of 20 gig and loaded xp on that. When inserting my disk it still said non-system disk. So i formatted the other 20 gig with fat32 but didnt load XP. Still same disk issue on reboot.
Then i loaded xp onto it - still same issue.
I must say there is 7 meg the system keeps for disk partitioning info I beleive which i cant format - It may be the MBR if i understand correctly. I wonder if it is this that isnt registering the change to FAT from NT.
After getting so close - it was a real shame the boot disk still wont run - I tried both ME and 98se. I know the floppy drive still works bc i can still load the IBM/Hitachi disk fitness thing.

As to the other question - I have to go back to ME bc I havent got a licence for XP - I only wanted to trial it to see if it fixed my problem with my radeon - so i could eliminate operating system from my list of issues. I now know it was a problem with an NVIDIA beastie that wouldnt go away rather then the operating system. Anyways as I say - it was just a test. Having spent all my budget on a new CPU, MOBO and GPU - I simply dont wanna buy XP. If I purchase XP - I would be better off having bought a new pc outright and I wanna make this project work.

Thanks guys - hope to hear from you