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Managing Disks and Disk Drives
Formatting, naming, and copying disks in Windows 98 are done the same way
they were in Windows 95. The only difference between Windows 95 and Windows 98
is in the contents of the Startup Disk. In Windows 95 the Startup Disk did not
include any CD-ROM drivers, making it difficult to use the Startup Disk to
reinstall Windows from a CD-ROM. Windows 98 adds CD-ROM drivers to the Startup
Disk, so if you need to reinstall the entire operating system from scratch, you
can use the CD-ROM version of Windows 98 to do so.
If you have a new disk that is not preformatted, you must format it before
you can store any information on it. You also can erase all files from a disk by
formatting it; the formatting cleans the disk of all files and prepares it for
new information.
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Caution: Formatting
a previously formatted disk will destroy any files previously stored on
the disk. Be sure the floppy doesn't contain anything you need before you
format it. |
- Insert the disk into the
appropriate drive.
- Click the My Computer icon to
start My Computer.
- Right-click the applicable
drive and choose Format. When the Format dialog box appears, set the
desired options. The first time you format a disk, choose the Full
option; when you're reformatting a previously formatted disk, choose the Quick
Erase option.
- Click the Start button.
Windows 98 formats your floppy disk and displays the results in a dialog box
when complete.
A volume label is simply a name for a disk. You can change an existing label
or name a new disk by following these steps:
- Click the My Computer icon to
start My Computer. If you are changing the volume label for a removable
disk, be sure to insert the disk into the appropriate drive.
- Right-click the drive and
choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
- When the Properties dialog box
appears, select the General tab and type the desired volume name into the Label
box. Click the OK button.
You can copy the complete contents of a floppy disk onto another disk with a
few simple mouse clicks:
- Insert the disk you want to
copy into the floppy disk drive.
- Click the My Computer icon to
start My Computer.
- Right-click the floppy drive
icon and choose Copy Disk from the menu. Click the Start
button in the Copy Disk dialog box.
- When prompted, remove the
source disk and insert the destination disk. Click the OK button.
A Startup disk is vital in case you have to restart your computer in an
emergency, such as when corrupted system files are detected at normal Windows 98
startup or if your hard disk crashes. With a Startup disk, you essentially start
your system from a floppy disk instead of your hard disk.
The Windows 98 Installation Wizard prompts you to make a Startup disk during
installation. You can also create a Startup disk at any other time by following
these instructions:
- Click the Start button, select
Settings, and then select Control Panel to open the Control
Panel.
- Click the Add/Remove Programs
icon to open the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, and then click
the Startup Disk tab.
- Click the Create Disk
button to start the process. As Windows prepares to create the Startup disk,
it prompts you to label and insert a floppy disk in drive A:; do so, and
then click the OK button.
- You are returned to the
Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box (with no additional messages) when
the Startup Disk has been successfully created. Click OK to close the dialog
box and return to the desktop.
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Caution: If
an error occurs while creating your Startup disk, a Disk Initialization
Error information box will be displayed with a message describing the
problem, such as Error:
Disk sector was not found. Insert another disk and click OK. |
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Tip: Open
the write-protect notch of your Startup disk to minimize the possibility
of erasing or overwriting the disk. |
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