How do i format a hard drive properly

[Elmo]

There are a few problems with my other computer (pentium 100).

1. will not run in DOS
2. will not shut down correctly

since i dont have anything important on its tiny 800mb hard drive - i figured the best thing to do is format it. but honestly i dont know how to format a hard drive! what i would have done is go into dos and type "format c:" but i cant get into DOS!

So how do I do it?

Thanks.

[i12bina3]

make a boot disk ... like in win98
configuration/software/bootdisk
then restart your pc with the disk
then type format c:
thats it
you may have to run fdisk as well but tha

[i12bina3]

make a boot disk ... like in win98
configuration/software/bootdisk
then restart your pc with the disk
then type format c:
thats it
you may have to run fdisk as well but that wont be necessairy if you had a partition on it

[Wa11y]

Get a really big magnet. Swipe it across the drive a few times. While your at it, grab your credit cards, and swipe them across the magnet. It'll double your spending limit!*

*note: Wally lies. DO NOT try ANY of what he just said!

Bomb that sucker. Just make a boot disk, like i12bina3 said, and run the command "format @:" where @=the drive letter. A boot disk can be made in W98 by going to control panel --> add/remove programs. There should be a "Startup Disk" tab. Click on that, pop in a floppy disk, preferably one that is blank, or has no important info, and click "Create disk." Then go take a few minutes and grab something to drink. I suggest Dr. Pepper.

If it's a non-OS drive, such as an extra drive you have, you can format it in Windows. Right click on it in explorer or My computer (DO NOT OPEN IT!), and select "Format" then follow the bouncing prompts!

Easy as eating pancakes.

[Thelemac]

*Moved to "Software and Operating Systems"*