If you have no floppy drive then the only other option is to make a bootable CD (if you can ask someone else with a CD-writer to make the CD for you). This is only necessary if you want to install Win98 or WinMe.

If you install WinXP, you need to boot with the CD and the formating and basic partitioning functions are in the first few question in the installation process so at this point it's certain that the CD will be readable. As a side note, if you are able to boot from a CD, then any issue with your hard drive or the former operating system doesn't really affect this since it's the Bios that handle everything at that point.

As for the Cd key, if it's WinXP Professional, then pretty much any key can be used. They only check when upgrading with a service pack (but they allow nearly all known illegal key) and when you go on Windows Update (they are more restrcitive there but there is an easy way to get around their "security").

However, if it's a WinXP Home edition, then problems can arise since this version is far more restrictive. I can't tell more about it since I never really worked with this version.


@AngelofDeath5: Everyone are welcome to help around on such topic, it's not exactly an Admin-only problem :wink:

The CD key is only for install and microsoft does not check it what they do check is the registration number in which case you can get a new one by callin a number provided after it is installed to register it. I never called myself cause I was lucky enough to get around the need to register my version by a glitch in my comp that let it pass(thank god for small miracles). I had bootleg of XP once and I cant for the life of me remember how i got around registering it though...>.>...well not bootleg so much as the same one my aunt used on her comp....but yeah. As for the boot disk itself it WILL read it and start to use it on the start up of your comp, or should. If not start your comp then put in the XP disk when windows is loaded. Then it should start the process. Of course you can simply update instead of overwrite all your files using the XP boot if you want, tis what I did on my laptop before my brother messed it up. Sorry for answering the question for a mod or admin, but having just gone through this same thing within the past few months, I wanted to try and explain as best I could.

What I meant by saying "[i]I realized that I had A drive, preventing me form making a boot disk[/i]" is that I have an A drive, however it is not functional any more. It currently resides at an angle, set two inches farther back than it should be. And even if it was set correctly, it lacks the proper button to eject the floppy, as the tower has its own floppy disk design.

You mentioned that I could use Nero to create a CD boot disk. I take it this is some option in Nero. Regardless, I think Nero is one of the many programs that will crash on start up, crash from being used, or crash for no reason at all. Hell, even Opera (Firefox refuses to even acknowledge its own existence now) crashes randomly, and did so when I started typing this message.

As for XP, say I reformatted this computer. Then I start it up and throw in the XP CD. Will it be able to read a CD and install XP? Also, how good is Microsoft at detecting that one of its XP registration keys is being used twice (I plan to use the CD that came with my dad's computer).

Getting the internet up and running will be easy. I'm on a wireless internet, and the adapter is USB. The software is kinda tricky though. Anyway, hope you can respond to this soon so I can risk it and see if this hunk of silicon bursts into flames or not.

Sorry for the delay in my reply, RL kept me a bit busy lately.

If it's not too late, you do not absolutely need a boot disk to install an OS. For example, WinXP and Win2000 have bootable CD which allow you to format a drive at the beginning of the installation process (they won't allow you to manage partitions however).

So a boot disk is usually something very handy, but you can also make bootable CD with Nero and then copy all the necessary files to make it usable (fdisk, format, etc...).

For the motherboard, the older the computer is, the least likely there is a need for drivers and no drivers are essential to make your computer work (AGP Speed, USB ports and the network can always be setup later). Usually motherboard manufacturers provide such drivers on their website, so you will need to download them and burn them on a CD.

However, since you are running Win98, you will need a boot disk or a bootable CD to start the installation. I am not sure if it is a typo in the [i]"I realized that I had A drive, preventing me form making a boot disk."[/i] But, if you do have a A drive (floppy) then I can provide you with a link to a program making complete boot disk (with every program you will ever need for such disk), if you do not have a floppy drive, then you will an access to a CD-Writer.

Either way, if you want to reformat a drive and plan to install Win98, you need an alternate boot location. And you need to make sure you have all the drivers to allow you to access the internet; it can be tricky to make a network card working if you can't access the internet to download the required drivers.

This isn't really about the board it's self, but rather about a personal issue I am having, and more specifically I'm asking it to Tempest, hence why it is in this forum (read the description of this forum). Anyway.

Tempest, I had planned to reformat my computer this weekend as its been running horribly lately. However, when I went to go do it I realized that I had A drive, preventing me form making a boot disk. My question is this, do I really need a boot disk to reformat my hard drive? I'm worried that I'll lose the drivers to the motherboard (of which I do not possess) if I don't, effectively preventing me from getting this back up and running. I'm running 98 if that affects anything.