i'm having trouble installing windows vista. i have a form of linux and i want to get it off. i keep getting a message that my hard drive needs windows to install it because its NTFS formatted. i need help. please. i'm desperate!!!
2007-09-30 07:06:32 · 2 answers · asked by Andrew L 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
just go into your bios by pressing the 'del' key or F2, and set your boot priority to the cd/dvd drive. from there windows vista will boot from the cd and you will be able format your hard drive and you'll also be able to install. this is the recommended way to do a fresh install on computers. hope it helps!
2007-09-30 07:15:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use an old Win98 boot floppy to start your computer. If you don't have one you can download one at "Bootdisk.com". Start your computer and enter the bios. Set the boot sequence so that the floppy boots first, then the cd-rom, and then the hard drive.
Next, insert the floppy boot disk and restart your system. When you get to the "choice" screen, choose "Start Computer Without CD-ROM Support" and hit enter. This will bring up the "A" prompt. At the prompt, type "fdisk" without the quotes. Now follow the instruction for removing the primary dos partition. It will probably tell you that there is no primary, so click "remove the nondos partition. This will removel all data access on this drive.
Now put the Vista disk back in and it should format your drive and then load.
Fdisking is a destructive activity. It will, in essence, destroy all data on the drive because when you remove the primary partition it removes the memory map and windows can do longer detect any data. If you are at all nervious about any of this, find a "geek" buddy to help you.
2007-09-30 07:19:48 · answer #2 · answered by Ron M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋