trying to format c drive . help needed.

i am trying to format my c drive and reinstall xp
i lost my original disc so i dled a copy(i still have my original product key).when i try the recovery console method i get as far as formatC: /fs:ntfs. then it tells me to enter the full path to autofmt.exe. i dont know what to type now.
when i try a new install method it tells me to insert sp2 cd(i have a copy of this to).when i do this nothing happens.
any help anybody could give me would be greatly appreciated

 

Provided you have a bootable copy of Xp, set your pc to boot from cd-rom is the bios settings, then place your copy of Xp in your drive and re-boot your pc.

Provided the copy of xp you have is bootable it will say "press any key to boot from cd", so just press and key and follow onscreen instructions and you shoud be good to go.

 

thanks for the reply. i have since burnt another boot disc this time using a poweriso guide and this seemed to work.but now itll only let me put a new install next to existing os on c drive or on my 2nd drive.my question now is can i put it on my 2nd drive then completely wipe my c drive.will my comp still function or is there anything else i need to do?thanks for your time

 

Once you have your bootable Xp disc do as I said, boot your pc with the disc in the drive, it should say "press any key to boot from cd", so press any key any you shoud enter the windows installation process.

If you have a working Xp bootable cd and you have your pc to boot from cd-rom, then normal windows shouldn't boot up and you should see the installation process starting up.

When you boot your pc into the windows installation, delete any partitions and format using the NTFS quick and install windows.

Now when you have Windows fully installed you can format a different hard drive through windows if you want to.

But the bottom line is, make sure the copy of Windows your using is bootable, make sure your pc is set to boot from Cd-rom (go into your bios settings and make sure) and delete all partitions during setup and format using NTFS quick and just install Windows.

Good luck

 

thanks i finally got it done now im spending the rest of the day downloading and updating programs.

 

Excellent!! Glad you got it working

I can be a bit confusing the first time you install Windows but once you do it the first time you'll always remember it and and the next time it'll be a piece of cake to you.