Operating system reinstall questions

[Filo]

So I have a Inspiron B130 that should be used as a door stop. However, my son's Lego robotics team needs a laptop, so I want to give it to them. I want to completely wipe and reinstall the OS(s).

It has a Linux partition and an XP partition, with the Linux partition being the biggest. It has a boot manager that lets you choose Linux or XP. I figured I would run fdisk, kill the linux partition and repartition, put in the install disk and away I go.

I have no fdisk. Hmmmm. When I put in the XP disk and configure the BIOS to boot off the DVD drive first, it goes to the boot manager and completely bypasses the CD, so it just boots to the installed XP.

What is the quickest point from where I am to where I want to be (which is on a beach in Costa Rica - no, wait, it is installing the new OS).

Opinions and options? Free is good...

[Aracheon]

Does that XP CD boot on another machine?

Fdisk isn't a manual process anymore. The XP installer has a partition manager built into it that will let you axe the existing ones and create new.

[Devaclis]

In your BIOS, completely remove the HDD from the boot device selection list. Don't put it second, or third, deselect it.

http://www.bootdisk.com/

Here you can make a boot floppy or boot CD.


You will want to run FDISK /MBR

The MBR switch resets the Master Boot Record

[birchyboy]

So I have a Inspiron B130 that should be used as a door stop. However, my son's Lego robotics team needs a laptop, so I want to give it to them. I want to completely wipe and reinstall the OS(s).

It has a Linux partition and an XP partition, with the Linux partition being the biggest. It has a boot manager that lets you choose Linux or XP. I figured I would run fdisk, kill the linux partition and repartition, put in the install disk and away I go.

I have no fdisk. Hmmmm. When I put in the XP disk and configure the BIOS to boot off the DVD drive first, it goes to the boot manager and completely bypasses the CD, so it just boots to the installed XP.

What is the quickest point from where I am to where I want to be (which is on a beach in Costa Rica - no, wait, it is installing the new OS).

Opinions and options? Free is good...

Even if you tell the BIOS to boot to the CD first there should still be a prompt for a few seconds (after the CD spins up) that says to hit any key to boot from the CD. Take a look for that once the BIOS finishes loading. If you don't hit the key it will assume you forgot the disk was in and boot up normally.

Once in the setup you can create a Windows partition and leave space for the Linux partition.

[Violator]

You certanly need fdsisk /mbr. I always using this boot cd for all partitions and fdsik features. http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd.

Or you can remove hddd connect to any other pc and run format or partition erase.

[Nick_Ninja]

All you need is this:

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Wipe the HD using Darik's Boot and Nuke (http://dban.sourceforge.net/) and then boot to your OS CD.

[Matt]

One other thing that you may need is all the drivers.

They're available here:

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx

I just went through a reformat and reinstall of an Insporon 9300.

[Filo]

I figured it out. Thanks for the inputs.