Uninstalling windows and System registry problem

[Chunk 0]

Ive got a problem with a computer I'm trying to fix. Ill try and describe it.

 

The machine is running windows 98. For some reason I keep getting an error with the system registry upon startup. Windows tries to fix the problem, but always halts and gives the message that it can not fix the problem.

 

Due to the fact that the machine has very little on it, I thought it would be best to uninstall windows 98, format the hard drive (if necessary) and then install Windows XP.

 

However, I can't manage to do it. Windows XP will not install properlly, so I need to try and uninstall windows 98 to get the machine working again before I can install XP. How can I do this? I have tried to find a way to uninstall windows 98, but I have been unsuccesful.

 

Could someone please give me instructions on how I can get rid of windows 98 and put XP on the machine?

 

In addition, if anyone knows how I can fix the system registry or if it would be better to format the hard drive, that would be good to.

 

The machine is not connected to the internet.

 

Thanks in advance

[Dr. Tom 0]

If you have an XP CD, it should be bootable. Boot the PC with the XP CD in your CD drive. Go into your BIOS (it will tell you to press a key, usually DEL or one of the Function keys, to enter Setup) and poke around until you see something similar to "Boot Device Priority." (What it's actually called varies based on your BIOS maker.) Set the CD to boot before the hard drive. Save the settings and reboot. You will be prompted to boot from the XP CD. Do so. It will give you the chance to format the drive before installing.

[Chunk 0]

If you have an XP CD, it should be bootable. Boot the PC with the XP CD in your CD drive. Go into your BIOS (it will tell you to press a key, usually DEL or one of the Function keys, to enter Setup) and poke around until you see something similar to "Boot Device Priority." (What it's actually called varies based on your BIOS maker.) Set the CD to boot before the hard drive. Save the settings and reboot. You will be prompted to boot from the XP CD. Do so. It will give you the chance to format the drive before installing.

Ive tried doing that. I get the same error message as when I try to install XP. Plus it only enters setup and doesnt give me a choice to format the HDD.

 

Do I need to boot using a Win 98 CD? The only thing is, I dont have one.

 

Will botting with a Windows 98 boot floppy work? I tried it, but it said the config.sys file is too large for memory, and I need to remove some drivers and try again.

 

What is going on?

[MrRant 0]

If you have a friend with Win98 make a boot floppy and boot to a command prompt and try formatting from there. At the command prompt fdisk c: should do it.