I’m trying to delete Win Me off the hard drive so I can reformat and reinstall Me. I read the help file on the “start-up disc” and tried to delete as per instructions. It says it is going to delete Me but a minute later it says “cannot remove Me” or something to that effect. Heres what I did:
Rebooted with start-up disc
at A: prompt, typed “Smartdrv” and hit ENTER
at A: typed “<C>: and hit enter
at A: typed “cd\<windows>\command” (says file not found!!)
at A: typed “uninstall.exe”
said yes
starts uninstall process but then stops.

How do I uninstall and then Reinstall Win Me???

When you put your first recovery disk in it should ask you if you want a clean install from scratch or if you want to save what you have on your computer..

Select clean install...it will wipe the hard drive clean and then install the OS..

I also think you can use the command fdisk (format disk...

Search that or wait till someone else responds to your problem...good luck

I don't think the start-up disc gives me that option. Also, after it does finally reformat, what do I need to do to reinstall Win Me?

First of all you need the Windows ME disks that came with the machine or a stand alone copy of Windows ME that you or someone else purchased..

Follow the instructions from here:

http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/clean.htm

If you are not going to partion your hard drive forget that part..

Once you get a c:\ prompt use the format comand, type: format c:\

This will erase everything on your hard drive! So don't do it unless you know what to do next..

After formating the hd, start installing the OS..

Takes a while to do so be patient..

This is the way I would do it...others may have different thoughts..

Hopefully you understand that reformatting will completely erase the hard drive & you'll lose all files & programs that you currently have installed? Some people confuse "reformat" with "reinstall" & are shocked when they find out what they've done.

What seems to be wrong with your current WinME installation?

With Windows ME I have found that re-installing it every few years minimum, is the only way to keep it running fairly well. I am in desperate need of a re-install myself, but to lazy right now to do it..

Right now system freezes after watching a streaming video from MSNBC...nothing but the blue screen of death stating system is unstable..piece of sh!t computer..lol I have tried just about everything...next is going out and buying a newer computer I think. Tired of all the hassles with ME..

I Definitely want to reformat the hard drive! I’m giving the computer to my daughter because it has a good Sound Blaster board I installed and she wants it mostly to play CD’s. I’ve got everything off the computer that I want and the OS installation is very old and giving some problems. Now, how to get it to reformat? When I reboot with thee start-up disc I only get an A: prompt.

If I do get the reformat started, at what point do I insert the Win Ms CD and reinstall the operating system?

"you can use the command fdisk (format disk..."

Uh... no. Two different commands (oddly enough, with different names)

n00b error

Saying that XP is the most stable MS OS is like saying that asparagus is the most articulate vegetable

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When you get to the a:\ prompt type: c:\

You should now have a c:\ prompt, voila!

then type: format c:\

Which is the correct syntax to format your hard drive.

The fdisk command is when you want to create partitions on a disk.

If you got confused, my error. I humbly admit to my mistake..

Becareful of the information you get on the interent, use it carefully..

Thanks, After the disc is reformated, are you prompted to install the OS? Do I need to reboot with the Win Me CD in the cd drive at some point? Just need to know so I don't screw it up.

Thanks again!

You need to boot off the WinME boot floppy...select option 4, minimal boot, then when at the A:\> prompt, follow ta21's instructions, however, the correct syntax is FORMAT C: (no back slash).

Once the fomat is complete, reboot again with the boot floppy still in the drive, this time select, "with CD support". Watch the screen for what letter is used for the CD drive. Pop in the WinME CD, then change the A:\> prompt to the letter designated for the CD drive. Then type SETUP & hit ENTER...if you've done everything correctly, the installation should begin.

I have found in the past that either format c: or format c:\ will work...it seems to ignore the back slash..

I want to thank everyone for their help. Its nice to find someplace where you can go and get good advice. I'll be doing the reformat/reinstall tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for all the great help everyone!

I reformated and reinstalled WinMe with 0 problems. Thanks again for the help.