I have NT 4.0 on a computer. I am trying to wipe out the hard drive so I can install WIN98. I can't boot with the WIN98 boot disk because it does not see the Hard Drive (HD is formatted NTFS). So I downloaded an NT4 Boot disk. I boot to the NT4 floppy boot disk. It goes into a Setup program and says it will prepare disk for re-install of NT4 (not what I want) but it says it will do a fdisk and format. It then asks for me to put in the NT System Disk into CD-ROM. Problem is I don't have an NT System disk. I bought this computer used from someone and just want to put WIN98 on it. I couldn't find a way to just do a format through this setup program. Does anyone know how I can format this Hard drive without having an NT system Disk?

You should be able to boot the PC with the windows 98 boot disk. Run Fdisk. Answer yes to both Q's it asks. Delete the Non-DOS partition. Create a Primary DOS partition. Reboot and format.

check this info:

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q103049

John,

I can boot from the WIN98 boot disk but when system comes up, it cannot see the HardDrive. When I run Format C: /s it says invalid drive specification. I can't do a DIR C: either. I believe this is due to the Hard Drive being of type NTFS rather than FAT. Win98 nor Win95 can see that Harddrive. That is why I used the NT4 boot disks - but then it said to insert the NT system disk which I do not have. I thought maybe someone might know how to run FDISK (if that will covert disk back to FAT) from the NT boot disk with out have the NT System disk.

download a utility called disk manager!
it is avilable in a floppy format!use it to format ur harddisk!

when it asks win98 insert ur boot floppy of win98!

Even with a corrupt MBR (master boot record) you should be able to replace the current OS. Try booting again from the Win98 boot disk and at the prompt type Sys A: C.

Also, try downloading delpart.exe from the MS web site. That utility should help you remove the NTFS partition. Let us know how things go.

DOS/'9x version Fdisk will only remove ntfs from a Primary partition location - not from an Extended partition location. ntfs shows up as non-DOS.

You 'should' be able to remove ntfs areas using only the three NT4 setup floppies; afterwhich you use a '98 boot-disk to reconfigure the drive for '98. You need the three NT4 setup floppies; and they can be downloaded as self-extracting images from www.bootdisk.com

Or you can use the delpart util as already suggested; and it may be an easier route to go?

delpart.exe is at:

http://hercules.lss.ksu.edu/download/MSSTUFF/index.htm

Fits on a floppy easily.

Boot up with DOS/'9x bootdisk; at the a:>\ prompt change floppies and run the util - follow on-screen prompt etc. You can also add the util to the DOS/'9x boot-floppy and thus avoid a disk change?

Afterwards run ('98 boot-disk version of) Fdisk/format to reconfigure/format the drive for '98 and then install '98.

Thank you everyone for all the info!
I ended up finding a copy of the NT 4.0 System Disk to borrow. I booted from the NT boot disk and then ran FDISK (from the CD NT 4.0 system disk). I deleted the NTFS primary partition. I shut down computer and rebooted with the Win 98 boot disk. I ran FDISK to creat DOS partion and then ran Format and installed Win 98.

My friend has an XP OS and was trying to wipe out his hard drive to install Win 98 OS and is having the same problem (can't see Hard drive when boot from Win 98 disk. (He can't use XP due to some CAD software program he uses for work) I figure the XP must have NTFS hard drive. I have downloaded the DelPart.exe and will see if we can use that method on his computer to fdisk his hard drive.

Thanks again,
Patty