# Format C without startup disk



## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

I recently saw someone format their C drive from DOS without a startup disc in Win98. I presume Win98 makes a RAM disk to do that without needing the ramdisk utility on the startup disk. I dont think you could do that in Win95. How about ME  DOS is restricted so Im guessing you cant do that. Anyone know about Win2k and XP?

I wasnt aware it could be done at all. I would appreciate any insights.


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## brushmaster1 (Jun 15, 2002)

The key point here is that you can't format a drive if you are logged on to it. If you have more than one drive, you could start in DOS mode, log on to another drive, and format C:


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## SexyTech (Mar 27, 2002)

Or...

With Win98/ME, you can boot to the CD-Rom...
choose "Start the computer with CD-Rom Support"
then it will bring you to a DOS Prompt where you can FDISK, format, or whatever else you want to do!


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

Maybe there was Windows CD already in the drive and I didnt know it. I checked that there was no floppy and also checked fdisk (using a boot floppy) that there was only one drive and partition.

Ive never formatted using the CD-ROM and just didnt think of it.

Thanks for the input.


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## pvc9 (Jul 7, 2002)

No offense guys.

You can as well format C drive from C: and D from D: 

Please check these links -

Thread -

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101363

Post -

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?postid=588449#post588449



> _Originally posted by 13buddy:_
> *I was able to format C: while I was in the C drive. Thanks for the help. *


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

I just had a thought. You can create a ramdrive using DOS commands with Windows installed. Would it not be possible to load the required utilities into the ramdrive and then format the drive from the ramdisk? You would need no CD or floppy in the drive if the ramdrive remains when you format.

Ive never fooled with ramdrives except the one on the boot floppy. But if the ramdrive the boot floppy creates survives the format then perhaps one you create without the floppy or CD would work as well.


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

*pvc9* I didnt see your post before I posted. What I am talking about is formatting the C drive when the C drive is the only drive on the computer. And doing it without either a floppy or CD in the drive.

I dont think it is possible to format C from the C drive as *13buddy* says. The instructions for the format have to be somewhere and you are formatting the drive. I think you need a ramdrive. Either the boot floppy or the Windows CD has to make a temporary ramdrive and use the system RAM to provide the information to the computer to format the drive.

I just dont know enough about ramdrives to know whether one you create yourself from DOS can then be loaded with the utilities normally found in the boot disk or Windows CD and used to format the drive and load Windows.


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

I talked with my friend and he said he watched his son a second time format the C drive from DOS with no floppy or CD in the drive. There is only one hard drive and it is not partitioned. He said he then went on to install Windows but it failed during the install  but he obviously had CD-ROM drivers somewhere after he formatted the drive. He said the CD-ROM drive shifted from D to E indicating it had made a ramdrive on its own. The computer had Win95 and he was upgrading.

So I ghosted my boot drive in case I screwed something up on my Win98 machine. I booted to DOS and typed in the format command (format c: /s) at the *C* prompt. It gave the normal dialog that I would lose all of the information on my C drive if I continued and I stopped there. But I have no doubt it would have formatted the HD with no floppy or CD in the computer.

I tried the format command on the C drive from Windows and it said it couldnt format the drive because it had files in use by Windows  which makes sense. But it will evidently format the C drive from DOS, and to the best of my knowledge DOS is only on C.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

What does the autoexec.bat and config.sys files look like? Sometimes people copy the boot floppy to the hard drive.........

I didn't think it would be possible to format c: from c: either.....


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

I didnt think it could be done and told the kid as much  shows how much I know!

But he did it twice on Win95 and I went as far as I was willing to go in Win98SE. I guess I could just go ahead and format the thing to be sure, but of course this would be the first time ghost ever failed me. It doesnt do to tempt Murphy.

But it sure gave all indications of being willing to format the C drive in DOS from a C prompt. It could only be making a ramdrive and loading at least some of the utilities normally found on the boot disk. The kid could access the CD-ROM after the format and the only explanation would be a ramdrive.

Not sure what copying the boot floppy to the hard drive would do with only one drive that you are going to format. I think *brushmaster1* was suggesting something like that with multiple drives or partitions.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Copying the boot disk floppy to the hard drive would in essence create a ram drive every time the computer was booted........

But........hehe, I have an extra hard drive laying around......format c: won't hurt me......gotta run and cook dinner right now, but will give it a shot in the morning and see what happens


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

if its a format /s
then dont the system files remain?

that might be how it can be done.
(i may try it later)


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

It seems if you created a boot floppy on the hard disk and the computer made a remdrive from it when you booted you would end up in DOS with a C prompt. All this is obviously over my head. Curious to see what happens with yours.

Enjoy dinner.


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## slipe (Jun 27, 2000)

*john1* Just saw your post. I did use the S switch, but do the system files have generic CD-ROM drivers?

This is what I get when I copy the system files to a floppy:










The zero bytes for the DOS is a problem with many Win98 systems BTW. To get the DOS over to my ghost floppy I had to download a boot floppy from the web as both the system files and the boot floppy my computer makes the zero filesize where it should be 1k.


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## kilowatt1 (Oct 27, 2001)

I'm not sure how it works but it does. I have formatted both Win95 and Win98 from within Windows. I think that it has to do with Format.com which is a DOS program located in C:\Windows\Command. I assume that this program is also the target of some virus authors as I seem to recall some virus' that would wipe a hard drive clean. By the way, FDISK is also tucked away in the same location.

Just my 4 cents (inflation ) worth. I'll leave it to someone far more intelligent than me to figure out how it works.

Kilowatt


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## brindle (Jun 14, 2002)

okay heres my 4 cents worth.... at the C:\ prompt type format c:\ then enter and let it run. when c has been formatted put your BOOT DISK in "a" drive and reboot. that will take you to a menu where you can chose to enable cd rom support, do so. put your 98 full version in the cd rom and reboot. this will take you to 98 setup, follow the instructions and your good to go.


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

I take it the Win95 is using Dos6.22 ?


(Maggie has problems with staff ... )


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## brindle (Jun 14, 2002)

thats funny John1


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

The bytes on my files seem quite different


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

i dont think that dos carries any generic CD drivers,
but it does allow for drivers to be included,
using MSCDEX in conjunction with CONFIG.SYS which
directs to the driver.

At least that how i read the info on this page:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/rhwatson/dos7/z-mscdex.html
which is for Dos7 but i think this bit is the same
on Dos 6


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Well, for what's it's worth....I finally put my other computer back together and format c: from a c: prompt works.......really good


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

MMmm..
So, whats left on C drive after you've formatted it?
And what do you use
to see whats on it?

The question arose where there is only one drive,
and its called C drive.

No other drives.

I see two possibilities, firstly maybe the format is
not wiping system files, secondly maybe a ramdrive has
been created to hold system files.

If there is any other way,
i would be interested to hear of it. 

John


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

It seems that Bob Watson is no longer keeping up
the famous DOS-7 commands pages.

I hope he's OK.

Now Showing At:
http://purl.oclc.org/net/msdos7

John

Address wrong, Should be:
http://home7.inet.tele.dk/batfiles/msdos7/


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## pvc9 (Jul 7, 2002)

> _Originally posted by AcaCandy:_
> *Well, for what's it's worth....I finally put my other computer back together and format c: from a c: prompt works.......really good  *


So now you agree  

john1,
I've already posted it...I did format C drive when there was only one drive and its called C drive 

I'm not sure how a ramdrive will be created if there is no bootdisk or any other program running except format.


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

I will have to try this for myself.
And i will, when the next occasion arises.

If C is the only drive on the PC,
and its just been formatted,
then what do you use
to tell? ....how do you know?


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## pvc9 (Jul 7, 2002)

I'm sorry but I don't understand the q. Are you asking me how I know C can be formatted from C when its the only drive or ?


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

Hi pvc9,

I wasnt really asking,
just wondering.
Sorry i was a bit vague,
i'll try to say it better:

If C is the only drive on the PC,
and its just been formatted,
how can you tell?

(that its formatted)


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## pvc9 (Jul 7, 2002)

Hi John,
Well...

there will be nothing on the disk...you've to use the bootdisk ofcourse to know that.

Another thing...I never suggest only format c: if there is only C drive in the HDD, I would certainly go for the format c:*/s* command to be on the safe side...

Next step would be to use a Windows CD and install the OS. Hope this is clear.


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## brushmaster1 (Jun 15, 2002)

I didn't think it was possible to format a drive when yuo are logged on to it, but since it obviously IS possible, here's my take on how it works:

When you use a DOS command, the command is loaded into memory. Therefore, even though you're wiping the hard drive where the FORMAT command is stored, the command (resident in memory) is still available to complete the task.


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## john1 (Nov 25, 2000)

Hi brushmaster1,

yes, that sounds about right.
ive been thinking that too.

I went and looked some stuff up,
the format command is a little bit different to
some of the others, its a dot-com.

Now im not too well up on all this, but i think
that .com programs are complete in themselves.

So such a program would, as you say, be resident
in the system memory while its being used, and
therefore could function independant of the hard
drive.

With a lot of dos programs, they need the other
dos stuff to be there for them to work.

I feel that this is the case, but
if this speculation is wrong,
i hope someone will come back and explain
it properly.

Cheers, John


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