Need help with a couple things...deleting NTFS partition & P&P OS questions

[Wolfchild]

Setting up a machine from used parts...I have a 60 gig WD that has one NTFS partition. What I want is two
partitions but fdisk isn't erasing the NTFS partition...someone told me there is a low level format utility I can use
but I'm having trouble finding one. Don't have Partition Magic at this point so I'd like to just find that utility.

Also, it hasn't made much difference it seems in the past but should I have Plug & Play OS enabled or disabled in
BIOS? This is an Epox 8K7A and I'll be installing Win2KPro.

 

[Lord Evermore]

The fdisk that comes with Win9x can't delete NTFS partitions. The low level format utility is available from the drive manufacturers. Western Digital calls theirs "Data Lifeguard". Download it, and one of the utilities allows you to write all zeros to the drive, which erases all data and partitions. Optionally, the "DLG Diagnostics" is the individual component of Data Lifequard Tools which handles the tests and the zeroing of the drive, so you can download just that part.

However, during the Windows install, you're given the option to delete any existing partitions and create new ones, so there's really no need to erase the drive with a separate utility.

PnP OS option defines whether the operating system or the BIOS is given control of assignment of IRQs, memory addresses, et cetera. But this only makes a difference if the OS isn't an ACPI-compliant OS (which is only older OSes and maybe some UNIX versions or something). With ACPI OSes, the OS will control most of the IRQs and other resources no matter what you make the setting.

Adrian's BIOS guide is pretty useful.

 

[Wolfchild]

Thanks for your help! Guess I should have just started the Windows install. Thanks again though,
I'll download the utility if the 2K installation doesn't give me what I want

 

[jjyiz28]

actually its if you don't have a PnP OS such as NT, then you need to set it at no for PnP OS setting. if you have PnP OS, doesn't matter what you set it at since the OS will take control regardless.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Actually no you're wrong. A PnP OS and an ACPI-aware OS aren't the same thing. If you have an ACPI-aware OS and ACPI is enabled, then the setting does nothing. If your OS is PnP but not ACPI-aware, then the setting makes a difference. Win95 (and earlier) is not ACPI-aware, but is a PnP OS (using an add-on utility for Win3.x and DOS). It can be used to control the resources, but the BIOS can take control if you have the option set to No PnP OS. The BIOS can't take control from Win98, 2k or XP. It's basically a compatibility thing now for mainstream users, they still include the option just in case someone is using an older operating system for some reason. However I don't think Linux is ACPI-aware, so it's there for them as well.

NT 4.0 by the way is also PnP capable but not ACPI-aware.

 

[jjyiz28]

interesting. maybe you're right. about NT though, i thought it isn't PnP since it also doesn't support firewire and usb or i'm i wrong on that too??

 

[Lord Evermore]

It doesn't support those, but that has nothing to do with it being PnP. PnP means it's able to dynamically configure installed devices, such as PCI cards. It can assign them IRQs and I/O addresses based on the available pool. With a non-PnP operating system, the BIOS has to do the configuration during boot time, or the devices have to have jumpers to manually set the resources (which old ISA cards often had). Before the PnP BIOS, all devices had jumpers. The PnP BIOS allowed the dynamic configuration, regardless of the operating system. NT3.x wasn't PnP, and Win3.x wasn't originally, nor DOS.

 

[oldfart]

If you want to low level format the drive, search for a utility called Killdisk. It will write all 0's to the drive no matter what is on it.