ntfs to fat 32

[istruthfull]

Being new to computers I got past the fear of breaking mine by doing clean reinstalls. With the first try,about 8 months ago, I walked away to get a cup of coffee to return to find a count down 5,4,3,2,1 and now NTFS is being installed.
What I would like to do is reformat with FAT 32, I've tried using the recovery console tool in xp cd-rom and it didn't take. Boot floppies were missing files. Tried fdisk. I could by a new HD for a little more than the price of partion magic. I would like to do a dual intall of xp fat32 and mandrake. (And once I got mandrake down fairly well then windows goes out the window, said with glee) I have an  AMD 2100 XPOEM---80gb ATA-133 HD---1 GB ram  "A count down isn't much of a choice."     Visit Fuckmicrosoft....love it.. ha ha.

[Zombie9920]

The answer to your problem is simple.

Download a 98SE bootdisk and run the executable with a blank floppy in your floppy drive. It will write a disk that will boot to DOS. Download and copy FORMAT.COM to the boot floppy.

Boot from the newly created disk.
In DOS run FDISK from your floppy root(A:\).
Have FDISK treat your NTFS partation like FAT32. Delete the NTFS partation(select option #4...Delete Non-DOS partation from the delete partion option listing). When it is done go back to the main options listing and create a new partation.
Configure the partation size however you want it and have FDisk prepare the new partion. When it is finished exit FDISK then reset your computer(or press CTRL+ALT+DEL instead of the reset button). Boot back to DOS from that same floppy then run FORMAT C: .When it is done formatting you will have a fresh new FAT32 partation(no Partation Magic BS needed).


The Windows 98 Bootdisk is here.
http://koti.mbnet.fi/~nibz/bootdisks/boot98se.exe

Format.com for Windows 98SE's version of DOS is here.

http://www.ticz.com/homes/users/waltw/FORMAT.COM

[ September 05, 2003: Message edited by: Zombie9920 ]

[istruthfull]

Thank you. It worked like a charm. May something good happen to you.