How do i get command prompt on a windows 2k?

[qwertyboy]

I have tried to format my drive, but after swiching to win 2k i cant figuure out how to run command prompt without runnig windows. basically i just need to find out how to run dos before booting the system up. I need to do this becouse you cant format the drive with the OS while running it.

 

[mechBgon]

The closest you'll get to a command prompt with Win2000 is the Recovery Console (boot from the Win2000 CD, pick Recovery, and pick the Recovery Console option). But Win2000 Setup can do a dandy job of formatting your drive during installation, or simply delete all the partitions and then press F3 to exit Setup. Is that helping or am I missing your goal?

(welcome to the Forums, by the way )

 

[lobadobadingdong]

you still can't format the active partition, but if you need to get to a "dos" prompt within 2k or xp, go to: Start, Run, CMD <enter>

 

[HumbleFish]

boot up > hold [ctrl] key down > it should bring you to a menu where you can select Safe Mode, and at the bottom of the screen there will be some instructions for command prompt... I think it's [Shift]+[F5] or something.

 

[HumbleFish]

Also, You can get there with a boot disk... You can download one here for free at http://download.com.com/.

 

[qwertyboy]

THank you! i have the upgrade so i can't just format with the W2k disk but thanks for your lep

 

[HumbleFish]

Originally posted by: HumbleFish
boot up > hold [ctrl] key down > it should bring you to a menu where you can select Safe Mode, and at the bottom of the screen there will be some instructions for command prompt... I think it's [Shift]+[F5] or something.

Well, I guess that if You tried the above, You already know that I was wrong that is doesn't quite work that way... Sorry about that... Please forgive.

However when You try the above it will bring You to a screen that will give You several options and one of them is "Command Prompt in Safe Mode"... Maybe that will work?

Anyways, glad You got it, and Love You!
HumbleFish

 

[NHHokie]

Easiest thing to do is get a sort of "every day" boot disk with Win98 and a CDROM driver (the Toshiba driver seems to work on every IDE CDROM drive I've come across). Have format and fdisk on that boot disk. Run boot disk, fdisk and clear partition and create new one. Then reboot with installation disk for your operating system. If it's Win2K, it will format drive properly (even recognize large size drives when the original Win98 formatted it wrong!).

I had to clean out a Win2K server install that way and it worked like a charm.


Good luck

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: NHHokie
Easiest thing to do is get a sort of "every day" boot disk with Win98 and a CDROM driver (the Toshiba driver seems to work on every IDE CDROM drive I've come across). Have format and fdisk on that boot disk. Run boot disk, fdisk and clear partition and create new one. Then reboot with installation disk for your operating system. If it's Win2K, it will format drive properly (even recognize large size drives when the original Win98 formatted it wrong!).

I had to clean out a Win2K server install that way and it worked like a charm.


Good luck

That will leave it formatted as FAT32 though; it should be left behind in favor of NTFS.

This Win2k upgrade CD - it isn't a bootable CD?

 

[qwertyboy]

win 2k upgrade shoud be bootable but its not. ive got the cmios or whatever to boot from the cd but its not booting off of it.

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: qwertyboy
win 2k upgrade shoud be bootable but its not. ive got the cmios or whatever to boot from the cd but its not booting off of it.

Indeed it should be, something may not be set up quite right.