Format/s option with XP

If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my XP
info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and processor,
I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
my drive?

Perplexed Don wrote:
> If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my XP
> info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and processor,
> I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
> Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
> my drive?

First worth mentioning is that the /s option isn't available on the XP
format command. That is only available on older versions of format
included with DOS and Windows 98 (and earlier). If your partition is
NTFS (the default in XP) such a boot disk will not be able to format
that partition.

That being said, no matter how you choose to format the partition, the
end result will be that all data, all files, all everything will be
removed from the partition. After the partition is formatted you can
reinstall XP on that partition. Once the install is finished you will
need to re-activate your XP install. But since the install will be on
the same hardware as the last activation, it should activate
automatically over the internet without problems.
--
Tom Porterfield

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll giver it a try.

Don

"Tom Porterfield" wrote:

> Perplexed Don wrote:
> > If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my XP
> > info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and processor,
> > I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
> > Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
> > my drive?
>
> First worth mentioning is that the /s option isn't available on the XP
> format command. That is only available on older versions of format
> included with DOS and Windows 98 (and earlier). If your partition is
> NTFS (the default in XP) such a boot disk will not be able to format
> that partition.
>
> That being said, no matter how you choose to format the partition, the
> end result will be that all data, all files, all everything will be
> removed from the partition. After the partition is formatted you can
> reinstall XP on that partition. Once the install is finished you will
> need to re-activate your XP install. But since the install will be on
> the same hardware as the last activation, it should activate
> automatically over the internet without problems.
> --
> Tom Porterfield
>

Perplexed Don <Perplexed Don@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my XP
>info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and processor,
>I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
>Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
>my drive?

I can't find an /s option for format. Regardless, the result of
formatting a partition is that there is *no* data of any kind on it.
If you format your system boot partition, thgen you'll have to insert
a CD and install an operating system from scratch. I don't know
whether you can use the same activation code, odds are the OS will do
the activation over the network and you won't have to worry about
anything.

--
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(DTS)
Slattery_T@bls.gov
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

Thanks Tim,

Don

"Tim Slattery" wrote:

> Perplexed Don <Perplexed Don@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> >If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my XP
> >info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and processor,
> >I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
> >Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
> >my drive?
>
> I can't find an /s option for format. Regardless, the result of
> formatting a partition is that there is *no* data of any kind on it.
> If you format your system boot partition, thgen you'll have to insert
> a CD and install an operating system from scratch. I don't know
> whether you can use the same activation code, odds are the OS will do
> the activation over the network and you won't have to worry about
> anything.
>
> --
> Tim Slattery
> MS MVP(DTS)
> Slattery_T@bls.gov
> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
>

>"Perplexed Don" <Perplexed Don@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>message >news:1726AFDC-95B4-4CFB-9298-A55547E48635@microsoft.com...
> If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of
> my XP
> info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and
> processor,
> I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat
> using
> Format /s option?

Formatting erases "everything"
off a disk.


> If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off of
> my drive?

Cleaning the junk off the disk can be done
via windows and with the use of specialized utilities
that are designed to target and remove Junk Files.


- db

You realize that an XP installation will have the option to format the drive
....you just need to watch the messages that come up.
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_sg_clean.asp
peter
"Perplexed Don" <PerplexedDon@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:23EED553-E4FD-41B5-BA87-D210D1F103C6@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Tim,
>
> Don
>
> "Tim Slattery" wrote:
>
>> Perplexed Don <Perplexed Don@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>
>> >If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my
>> >XP
>> >info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and
>> >processor,
>> >I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat
>> >using
>> >Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk
>> >off of
>> >my drive?
>>
>> I can't find an /s option for format. Regardless, the result of
>> formatting a partition is that there is *no* data of any kind on it.
>> If you format your system boot partition, thgen you'll have to insert
>> a CD and install an operating system from scratch. I don't know
>> whether you can use the same activation code, odds are the OS will do
>> the activation over the network and you won't have to worry about
>> anything.
>>
>> --
>> Tim Slattery
>> MS MVP(DTS)
>> Slattery_T@bls.gov
>> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
>>

"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@bls.gov> wrote in message
news:jiuq63psl589mdanu4q9lrp2jpkvtht6en@4ax.com...
> Perplexed Don <Perplexed Don@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>>If I reformat my drive using the format /s option, will I lose all of my
>>XP
>>info including the installation code? When I changed my MOBO and
>>processor,
>>I had to get a new activation code. Will this be true if I reformat using
>>Format /s option? If so, is there a better way to clean all the junk off
>>of
>>my drive?
>
> I can't find an /s option for format. Regardless, the result of
> formatting a partition is that there is *no* data of any kind on it.
> If you format your system boot partition, thgen you'll have to insert
> a CD and install an operating system from scratch. I don't know
> whether you can use the same activation code, odds are the OS will do
> the activation over the network and you won't have to worry about
> anything.
>
> --
> Tim Slattery
> MS MVP(DTS)
> Slattery_T@bls.gov
> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

If I remember correctly, the /s adds the boot files in the proper location
to the partition for booting with the older format.com in msdos 7.0

Kinda odd since Gary T. has started visiting here, that 98 variant questions
have started to surface as well... Not a circumstantial thing from where I
sit. This post isn't the only one this date. Very unusual this newsgroup.
Dave