PC Techies: HELP! I can't format my laptop's hard drive!!

OK, a virus hit my laptop and made Windows unusable. I couldn't do anything I could think of to save it, so I'm gonna format it.

I booted from my Windows 98 Disc to get to the command prompt, and typed "format C:\". AAUGH! NOTHING! I get "bad command or file name".

OK, perhaps I know why. See, I got this PC used, and it was partitioned into two drives, C: and D: (IIRC, D: was only like 100 mb ). Perhaps is this causing an error??


If anyone knows what I can try within DOS, I'd appreciate advice! Thank you!

JawaGuy500: http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=85176 :-(
sonic1687: hmm
sonic1687: boot the cd
sonic1687: run fdisk
sonic1687: delete all the partitions
sonic1687: make a new one
sonic1687: and boot the install from the cd
JawaGuy500: post that
sonic1687: ok
JawaGuy500: I won't remember it

Did you reboot with the Win98 DISKETTE?

You need to restart with the right Win98 diskette in order for the right drivers to load an so get your drive recognized... Well I think...

use something like the gateway or seagate drive format cdrom, you can format using the cdrom in dos, doesnt matter how many partitions there are, the win 98 diskettes suck btw....

i use the seagate disk on all my pcs.

NO!


STOP!


PM me before you do ANYTHING.. there's probably nothing that can be fixed.


Let me know what virus nailed you too.

get me on AIM, but I can't get one minute into Windows without getting endless IE and Explorer errors. I'm sitting here with the laptop on my lap in front of the big computer, please help me out VT...

take a magnet to the HDD, lol, that will kill the virus.

I end up formatting my hard drive every 3 months as a regular practise. If the viruses don't get you then the Windows system registry will, which is just as bad as a virus.

DashK said:

take a magnet to the HDD, lol, that will kill the virus.

Click to expand...

Very true. Cyanide also works well as an antibiotic if you've got, say, a sinus infection or something.

Go to a PC that works. Put a floppy disk in the drive. Double click "my computer". Right click the A: (or whatever your floppy drive is) and click Format. In the options, do a quick format and put "add system files to disk" or whatever that option is. When you are finished, you have a boot disk. You can also put a floppy disk in the drive, go to a command (DOS) prompt and type SYS A:. This puts the system files on the floppy without formatting.

Once you've got a system disc, search the system for fdisk and format. Copy BOTH to the floppy disk.

Boot the laptop with the disk.

Run FDISK C: /MBR to delete the Master Boot Record. If it's a boot sector virus, it's now gone. Then just run FDISK C: and delete the partition. Put the Windows 98 CD in and boot it, and allow it to create the partition and format the drive. Let the setup run and you are on your way.

This is all you need to destroy any virus, though it is a pain in the ass.

And with all the virus that hit your PCs, why don't you invest $50 in some sort of virus protection? This is the second time in the last 6 months I believe you have been hit with a virus and asked a similar question...