Doug,

You haven't said what you plan to do with the PC's hard drive(s).  Do you
really need multiple partitions?  If not, then I suggest you rerun FDISK
and remove ALL partitions, then start over fresh with a brand new DOS
partition(s).  Don't forget that you need to make the partition ACTIVE
after you create it.

Novell does have it's own unique way of formatting a drive -- but by using
FDISK to delete and then REcreate the partitions should have removed the
old Novell information.

Unless the drives are VERY old (MFM, RLL era) you should not need to do a
low level format.  There are special programs that can do this on an
IDE/EIDE drive, but they are very brand specific.  You would need to get
the correct software from the drive manufacturer.

Last question, yes reformatting a drive will get rid of a virus --
PROVIDED -- you have taken the necessary precautions to prevent the virus
from migrating to your floppy disk (keep the diskette write protected).
In most cases, (I think) reformatting a drive to eliminate a virus is a
rather drastic last resort.  There are many shareware programs on the 'net
which can get rid of virii in non-destructive manners.

Jim Meagher
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-----Original Message-----
From: Doug & Sharon White <[log in to unmask]>



>        I am in the process of refurbishing a couple of old computers
that were
>previously used in a network running Netware.
>
>        What I am wondering is....... Does Netware format drives in such
a way as
>to make it difficult to undo?
>
>        Also.........does a format of a drive (low level or normal)
reformat the
>boot sector totally?  What I am asking is, can I get rid of a virus by
>reformating a drive?
>
>        Thanks..........
>
>        Doug...........
>
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