Disk formatting and Windows Install problem

[beverage]

After building me newest computer (Here), I decided to use my old motherboard/processor and random spare parts to keep a second machine running, mostly for SETI, and who knows what else..

This old/parts machine (Here), has an old 2 gig hard drive that I want to use in it.

This hard drive has been passed around between two of my friends and I and the most recent operating system installed on it was Linux. I want to put Windows98SE on it. I put it in my current computer as slave, and used the admin tools, to format the drive FAT32, pulled the drive, put it in the old computer as the master and booted...

Well the start of Linux still boots up. I've rebooted with my Windows 98SE CD in, I've rebooted with a WIN98SE startup disk in the floppy drive...every time it goes into the Linux Boot-up.

So I tried putting it in my new system as the master and ONLY hard drive...same problem, I can't boot from floppy or CD, and the BIOS is setup to boot : Floppy>CDROM>HDD

My friend who put Linux on the drive said he thinks that when you do a quick format in windows it doesn't format the boot sector of the drive.

What would be the best way for me to get rid of these last remnents of Linux, and get Windows running.

I'm seriously stumped, and help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[TheOmegaCode]

You need to wipe your Master Boot Record. Type fdisk /mbr from command line after booting up to Win98...

 

[beverage]

I'm not able to even get to WIN 98...

It boots part of Linux, and it won't boot from a floppy, or the CDROM...

 

[beverage]

what's the equivalent of "fdisk" in windowsXP?

 

[woodie1]

Boot to that drive with a Win98 start up floppy. At the prompt type "fdisk /mbr"

That should restore the drive.

 

[woodie1]

After rereading your post I guess you tried the Win98 floppy and failed.

You can format and do other things to the drive while in XP.

Go to Adminstrative Tools>Computer Management>Storage>Disk Management(Local)

Right click on the drive and format it.

 

[beverage]

Originally posted by: woodie1
After rereading your post I guess you tried the Win98 floppy and failed.

You can format and do other things to the drive while in XP.

Go to Adminstrative Tools>Computer Management>Storage>Disk Management(Local)

Right click on the drive and format it.

I've done that...twice, but it didnt' affect the MBR, so when I use this HDD in a comp as the master, it still tries to Load Linux

 

[beverage]

Originally posted by: woodie1
Boot to that drive with a Win98 start up floppy. At the prompt type "fdisk /mbr"

That should restore the drive.

OK!..i was finally able to do this...turns out my 98 startup disk was bad...

SO, now that' I've done this...guess what, it still tries to boot Linux when put as the master in the old computer.

 

[woodie1]

Next thing I would try is set the drive alone as master, set the BIOS to boot from CD-ROM and with the XP CD try to install XP. If this gets past lunux let XP examine the drive and prepare it for XP. This should return it to a state where 98 can be installed.

 

[beverage]

Originally posted by: woodie1
Next thing I would try is set the drive alone as master, set the BIOS to boot from CD-ROM and with the XP CD try to install XP. If this gets past lunux let XP examine the drive and prepare it for XP. This should return it to a state where 98 can be installed.

Did this, then turned off PC, put in win98 boot disk, restartd, got the win98 dospromts, said the disk was not formatted properly even thou i formatted it FAT32 in the XP setup process.

Any more ideas?