I think you have several questions mixed together or are asking
the wrong<?> thing, or at least in the wrong way<?>... <grin>...

So, I will explain what I am answering and you see if it fits...

Fomatting a HD is when you get it "ready" to accept an installation of an OS...
First you partition a HD, and then you format it...  Some OSs will "do" this
for you (or at least lead you) during their install...

The format (if done manually) has to be in a form the OS will understand,
such as FAT 32 for WinME/Win98 or NTFS for Win-XP
(XP also works with FAT32, but is less secure and/or robust...)

I have always made it a HABIT (based on good practices) to always
partition and format an HD IN the computer it is meant to be used in...
This may be due to earlier days in computing when there were different
motherboard BIOSs that used slightly different forms of LBA "and such
technical stuff..."

In what seems to be the second part of your question, you must HAVE the
proper drivers install (or be ready to be installed) for the hardware you as using...

The last question seems to be easy, but ONLY if you have a FULL RETAIL
version of the OS Install CD. In that case the answer is YES...
If you are trying to use an OEM CD from a large manufacturer, then you
can (or will) have a variety of results, and some (many) will be quite poor...

Hope this helps... Keep all questions on list... (And legit...)

                                            Rick Glazier

From: CSThomas
Subject: [PCBUILD] Formatting HD on Different Computers 
> I would like to know if  there is a difference in formatting the HD for Win. 
> XP on a Dell, Compaq, or HP  ---- meaning the Chipset Drivers, Video Drivers 
> and Network Drivers.  On my  Dell, it has a check mark by the ones you are to 
> select and download, but some  of them might have 2 or 3 checked, but I have 
> always taken the first one  checked.   I suppose what I am asking is  ---- will 
> the Win XP CD  be the same?

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