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formatting hard drive
Name: gemma Date: January 23, 2003 at 19:56:51 Pacific OS: win98 CPU/Ram: amd 333mhz/64mb ram
Comment:
I have two hard drives in my computer, win98 has become seriously corrupted (or whatever the technical term is for it not working). I was wondering if it is possible to install win98 onto the other whilst running it from my main hard drive? The purpose being that I could then restart with windows intact and all drivers and software etc. still available. And would this then allow me to format the other hard drive? If that makes sense!
Name: trophyman Date: January 23, 2003 at 20:04:15 Pacific
Reply:
you need to install the 2nd harddrive as a master , then install the corrupt drive as a slave to the master. you do that by setting the jumpers on the drive. then format the drive using a win98 boot disk. then install windows on the new master drive. and install any programs you use. then, access the 'old' drive, and copy/paste important data back to the 'new drive' its the easiest way
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Response Number 2
Name: Langener Date: January 23, 2003 at 20:11:37 Pacific
Reply:
I don't think it is possible. As far as I know, you only can have one OS running and that would be on C:\.I believe there is a Software available that lets you save all your Drivers and you might be able to reinstall them from there. Do a SEARCH and perhaps this Software is mentioned somewhere.
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Response Number 3
Name: Roy Hunter Date: January 24, 2003 at 12:53:20 Pacific
Reply:
Windows will only allow one copy of WIN.INI and CONFIG.SYS etc, and some of these files specify a drive letter in the text. If you install two copies of Windows or move it from one drive to another, it will try to boot from the one specified. You can't have both drives as C: so it can't really be done.
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Response Number 4
Name: Topaz Date: January 24, 2003 at 17:22:23 Pacific
Reply:
I agree with response #1 by trophyman. For the others you can use a bootdisk manager to boot to either drive. http://www.osloader.com/ You can run 2 versions of win98se with that boot loader or do any combinations of os's with it. The only thing you can't do it run from either drive without a reboot. You can still access files from the other drive as you would anyway and perhaps be able to find your drivers that way although I just reload the drivers each time I reformat. That way if anything is "corrupt" you don't bring it into the new os. Speaking of corrupt have you tried running sfc from the start, run, then type sfc and hit ok to see if you have windows files that are corrupt?
Summary: Dan, Successfully formatted hard drive. Made system disk from old system (3.1) Formatted hard drive pc will start up without system disk but can't do anything with it, it ask for system disk disk...