formatting in MS-DOS

[name9902]

i know very little about DOS, but i do know that you can format and partition using MS-DOS. My question is...why can i not format my disks without partitioning first. Using an MS-DOS floppy i have tried to format HDDS on 3 separate comps, but i cannot do it unless i create some type of partition.

Any thoughts on this subject?

 

[bendixG15]

Yes I agree...you know very little about DOS

 

[MrChad]

Are there any file systems that can exist without a partition?

 

[BlueWeasel]

If you don't have a partition table, trying to format the disk won't do a thing. This doesn't change even if you have one single C:\ partitions or if you have a drive broken up into 10 partitions.

Also, the native DOS FDISK (partitioning) doesn't have support for large drives. If your drives exceed this limit, you'd be better off using a W2K/XP CD or 3rd party program to partition the drive.

 

[daveshel]

It's kind of like you have to draw the box before you can subdivide it into smaller boxes.

 

[name9902]

hmm...but i can format with dos a partition big enuff for windows and then use windows to partition the remaining drive space right?

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: name9902
hmm...but i can format with dos a partition big enuff for windows and then use windows to partition the remaining drive space right?

Why don't you describe exactly what you're trying to do? What version of Windows are you trying to create a partition for?

 

[name9902]

its not so much what i'm trying to do (windows xp, and im just trying to format a disk is all) i just wanted to know how it works

 

[Zolty]

If you are going windows xp, it has a built in formating utility on the installation cd.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Zolty
If you are going windows xp, it has a built in formating utility on the installation cd.

Yeah, your best bet is to boot with the XP CD, which will start Windows setup. Setup will allow you setup and format your partition with NTFS. This guide should help you walk through it.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: bendixG15
Yes I agree...you know very little about DOS

Yep.