Had windows 98 installed under a fat 32 system. Then loaded my boot disk and it said the format.exe program could not be run under DOS.. i was like WTF?.. since when? (might be a diffrent 98 version of format), anyways.. i went to C:\windows\system\format.exe c: /q /v:ect then formatted the whole thing, it would not let me install XP from DOS or by starting the computer with the origanol XP disk in the CD-rom. So I figured mayb I had to install the 98 first then XP over the 98. So i installed 98 then XP over that right after. Then the computer would boot to just a all black screen then lock up. I have 2 O/S's installed on the same partition still I think. But the boot disk I have will not let me format it again. and I deleted the partition to try to create a new one for the NTFS file system but it didnt work and all it says now is Unknown instead of fat32 or NTFS for the file system. What should I do, and How do you format to a NTFS file system? or how to do switch back and forth from Fat32 and NTFS file systems??. help would be greatly appreicated!..

If you read the instructions, I think you'll see that once you convert to NTFS you can't go back to FAT32. Likewise when you converted to FAT32 you couldn't go back from there either. As far as your dual boot problem, I think you have a problem. As in RIGHT NOW. Find someone who REALLY knows what their doing and good luck. I'm not trying to diss you, I just feel that you're in over your head on this one at least judging from your comments. Windows, by and large, doesn't like DOS. I believe that DOS runs as a shell under Windows and not stand-alone like it used to be. You can try one of the old DOS system disks (v4.0??) but it's been so long I've forgotten 90% of what I used to know about DOS although that was my first operating system, way before Windows.

Try using Delpart to get rid of the NTFS partition then boot to your XP cd to partiton and format the HD.

boot into dos with a startup disk and at the c: prompt type fdisk. then change the partitian to a fat32 from there or ntfs if you want. then format

I went from windows 98 to Windows XP I used the NTFS and now I want to go back to windows 98. I have fdisk'd format my problem is when I boot with the boot disk for 98 it just asks if I want to use the maxium space available...isnt it supposed to ask about the fat32?