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Thread: Hey

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    Hey

    Hey Im new to AO and I have a question for any of you who know about computers. I recently purchased a used IBM 760EL Laptop. I would like to format it because the guy that had it before me had alot of junk on it and it doesnt have that much memory so i woud like to format it. I was wondering if it is possible to format a computer without an internal floppy disk drive. If anybody knows anyting about the subject please reply. Iwuold greatly appreciate it. THANX.

  2. #2
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    I'm going to answer this assuming you have an OS in the Windows 9x series. Yes, you can format it without a boot disk, but it won't solve a low memory problem. I assume you were talking about hard drive space. When booting into Windows, hit the F8 key to open bring up the startup menu. Go into command prompt only. When in there, type 'format c:' when it asks for confirmation, say 'yes'.

    Now, let me stress that doing this will wipe out EVERYTHING. That includes Windows. Your computer will be little more than a paper weight until you install an operating system. Make sure you have a disk for your operating system, or a recovery disk. Without it, you're in trouble.

  3. #3
    Old-Fogey:Addicts founder Terr's Avatar
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    I was wondering if it is possible to format a computer without an internal floppy disk drive.
    Originally posted by stflook Your computer will be little more than a paper weight until you install an operating system. Make sure you have a disk for your operating system, or a recovery disk. Without it, you're in trouble.
    What if he has the disk... but doesn't have the drive? My suggestion was either A) Get a disk drive from the manufacturer, you'll probably need it anyway, or B) If it has a CD-rom drive burn a bootable CD.
    [HvC]Terr: L33T Technical Proficiency

  4. #4
    If it has a CD-rom drive burn a bootable CD.
    I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that you can boot off of a win 98 CD if you have one
    Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune

  5. #5
    If it doesn't have a floppy drive I doubt it has a cdrom.
    You could borrow and external one or if it has a NIC in boot it off a network.

  6. #6
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    A lot of old laptops used a method of the floppy or CD drive being a seperate device, which just plugged into the back...

    So you could have one without a floppy drive, and just a CD drive... although that would probably come around from the previous owner losing the drive, or wanting to keep it....

    my question: Why buy a laptop with no floppy?? so many uses for floppies..
    -Matty_Cross
    \"Isn\'t sanity just a one trick pony anyway? I mean, all you get is one trick. Rational Thinking.
    But when you\'re good and crazy, hehe, the skies the limit!!\"

  7. #7
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    you could format the hard drive without a floppy, but you will need a network interface card, and im guessing that if it doesnt have a floppy it doesnt have a nic. Go buy a floppy drive. They are cheap.
    Wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
    --Ecclesiastes 10:19

  8. #8
    You've got a couple of options

    1 get a NIC (I suppose u have a PCMCIA slot or two)
    2 get an external floppy/cdrom drive
    you could borrow one of these as soon as you finish installing the OS of your choice.

  9. #9
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    Originally posted by Evil Homer


    I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that you can boot off of a win 98 CD if you have one
    Actually Win98 and up are all bootable from CD.


    THA MAN: This is if you have a CD in the laptop. As for booting from the CD when the computer starts booting up it should pop up somewhere on the screen and tell you to "Press F2 for setup" or something along those lines. Go into CMOS and find where it ask you your boot preference. Tell it to boot from CD.

    When booting into Windows, hit the F8 key to open bring up the startup menu. Go into command prompt only. When in there, type 'format c:' when it asks for confirmation, say 'yes'.
    You should boot up in "Safe mode command prompt only". That way it will not load any of the drivers or anything for windows. It will only load the basics for DOS.
    Hope that helped.
    [gloworange]\"A hacker is someone who has a passion for technology, someone who is possessed by a desire to figure out how things work.\" [/gloworange]

  10. #10
    how about the "deltree" command for all directories you dont' use? also there is the add/remove programs icon. also, in 98, MSCONFIG... uncheck some startup files... this will help to make more HD space and to get more resources (without so many programs running at startup ), but perhaps i missundersatnd the question.
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