[XTCNAGT]

Ok...Im attempting to reformat my computer. I've gone through any online tutorials I could find, and none of them are working. It tells me to just boot from the Windows XP disc. When I do, it doesn't give me any partitioning options and doesn't come up with the screen that says "To boot from disc, hit any key"

I've also created a 3.5 disc to boot in MS DOS mode, and when I try the command that I was given...it says bad command or file name. Someone please tell me how to just erase everything on this hunk of shit before I kill the neighbors cat with it.

Thanks.

[tsp_2177]

you have to go into the bios and tell it to try and boot from a cd before the harddrive, then it should work. and to do that depending on the brand it's usually like f8 or f12 or whichever it says at start up.

[zers]

to boot from a CD you have to tell your bios to boot to it before it looks to the hard drive.

You get to the bios by when you boot it'll say something along the lines of 'Hit f4 to enter setup' and you change the boot options to cd first. then the rest of that tutorial is probably right.,

[tsp_2177]

i win!!

[XTCNAGT]

I've done that...and it just....boots. I just did that again for like the 12th time and restarted, and im looking at the login page with my little picture. It doesn't give me any screens that say "press any key to boot from disc"

[tsp_2177]

what brand of computer do you have?

[tsp_2177]

hp's have a partition for their so called "boot" disk on their hard drives so there probably wont be an option like that on a hp

[XTCNAGT]

I have a dell. Im probably going to do the "chat with a dell chump online" thing tomorrow...im not calling them, cause I can't understand those idiots

[tsp_2177]

why do you need to reformat it just try and go under system tools under accesories and do a system restore, and restore it from an earlier date, that might fix the problem.

[XTCNAGT]

Tried that too. I've just been having a lot of problems since I got back from California. It was off for a week, and when I turn it on, everything gives me errors, and it freezes up non-stop. I'm just tired of screwing with it. I have everything backed up, so I was gonna just wipe it clean and start again. Either that or just get a new computer

[tsp_2177]

i wouldn't reccomend new comp, vista is still kinda crappy. coming from a guy that has to deal with angry customers bringing them back at officemax like everyday.

[XTCNAGT]

Yeah....I don't want anything to do with vista. I was looking at Macs

[tsp_2177]

i would go with a mac if i could afford it, slight learning curve but once you get use to it there's no going back... so i here, i'm to broke to own one

[XTCNAGT]

Yeah, and I've heard like... 80% less problems

[tsp_2177]

more secure, faster on less hardware, more inovative stuff, and yes i've also heard less problems.

[XTCNAGT]

Sold! Screw dell...



anyone want a computer?

[tsp_2177]

not a dell i've heard they use used parts on computers that aren't like the xps ones, lol but some companies are dong that now
and mac's laptops don't have fans, and you can't even hear anything when their running how bad ass is that

[XTCNAGT]

Thats my next dilemma...desktop or notebook

[tsp_2177]

can't help you there lol only advice is that if you don't want or have to have something portable usually desktops are cheaper and come with more hardware to boost performance. but from what i've heard macs don't need ton's of hardware to blow pc's away lol

[Fox2102]

You might be able to go to the website and see if they have a tutorial or reformat files for your hard drive. If not there isnt much you can do. You could make another partion of your harddrive and maybe try to load windows or linux on it and then boot from that partion and then reformat the partion that has windows on it.