Puzzle about formatting a partion: NTFS or FAT32

[avidcyclist]

I am on Windows 10 obviously. I have read articles on creating and formatting a partition. I've seen examples for both NTFS (which is what all my other partitions are) or FAT32. (isn't that way too old?). Which should I do
Quick background: After opening my computer to replace the fan, I discovered that 1) the new an was too big and 2) the existing CPU fan was clogged with dust, which is no a surprise. After cleaning the fan, which included moving wires for the hard drive/motheboard out of the way, I closed the computer up and tried to start it. Failure. It gave me an error about not being able to start up properly. I went through all the advanced options like Startup repair. Checked all the connections inside the computer again and tried again, with the same result. I don't know what an EFI is or what it does but apparently, somehow cleaning the fan caused the computer to "lose" it. I created a new partition in Diskpart but now I don't know how to farmat or. I've run startup repair several times in this whole process; but my computer has been down for two days and it's driving me crazy. I am using my work laptop at home but because of my visual impairment, I am having to bend way over to be close to the screen all day. I usually use my home computer when working from home because it is easier to read and use on a larger screen. Also bootrec /fixboot doesn't think I have access to my own computer on wihc I'm administrator. Once I got around that but fixboot and fixmbr didn't help. scanos said that there are no Windows installations. Thanks.

 

[john steadman]

no Windows installations you need to download windows media creation tool so you can down load latest copy of win10 iso
burn it to disc or make a bootable usb stick at least 8gig in size is required with rufus. then reinstall windows. partition for win10 is ntfs

menu "Articles" has how to tutorials

 

[bassfisher6522]

I would double check "ALL" the hardware connections to the mobo as well as "ALL" the cabling. Unplug everything and plug back in and make sure that they are firmly seated. Then boot up.

NOTE: make sure you're PSU power chord is unplug from the PC, press and hold down the power button for 20 seconds to remove residual power. Then perform the above actions.

 

[Wolfie]

Also, for people with visual/audio problems, open Settings > Ease of access and you can change text size etc there!.

 

[avidcyclist]

no Windows installations you need to download windows media creation tool so you can down load latest copy of win10 iso
burn it to disc or make a bootable usb stick at least 8gig in size is required with rufus. then reinstall windows. partition for win10 is ntfs

menu "Articles" has how to tutorials

Thanks, John. I got a different opinion that my situation won't be solved by an iso disk. I may try it anyway.

I tried the advanced option to "reset Windows." That seemed to complete correctly, but when I restarted my computer, it said, "Preparing" and then "Undoing changes." What good is reset if Windows throws a way the changes?

 

[Wolfie]

See also:

Re-install W10 and keep your files/app data intact | Windows 10 Forums

 

[NyxsDreamz]

Ok so first let me say I FELL YOUR PAIN. Here's my 2 cents.. If your computer can start up enough for you to try to reset it, I would make sure I copied all of my important files (docs, pics, ect.) off the hard drive before trying to do anything. Speaking from experience I found it easier to do that first instead of trying to recover deleted files later. Next I would startup with a copy of windows install usb or disk, when install menu comes up hit shift + F10 (takes you to CMD prompt); type

SFC /scannow
if this works and no error message next type

DISM /ONLINE /CLEANUP-IMAGE /RESTOREHEALTH
if this works and no error messages try restarting to see if that helped.

If not: I found this recently and it helped me..

BCDEdit – Guide for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10​

NeoSmart Knowledgebase

Wiki of Windows recovery and repair, system errors, guides, and more.

neosmart.net

bcdedit

Watch a video or two about this (program is free just need to put in email and you can download for free). This will help you rebuild your boot configuration.

At any point and there's an error message just reinstall windows. Will save you time, trust me. I'm not an expert obviously, but I hope this might help.