Full Version: Cannot format Hard Disk
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4]
19 May 2006
To: ALL
Ken and Harvey,
I thought I could do that from a CD but I am unable to "format d: /s" so I guess I should hunt down a floppy and my external drive.
It has been so long since I have worked in dos ( god how I miss it) I do not remember is the /s switch puts fdisk and format on the floppy or not. Do you?
Thanks
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#5]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4] 19 May 2006
/s installs the system files. This was in DOS and I do not know if it works with XP.
Is D: your boot disk? It is usually C: with XP making a partition of D: for some files.
I just looked on my system, no d: on the hard drive, D: is my ZIP drive. Could have sworn that on my other units D: was a system partition. But then again this computer came with ME and was upgraded, the others came with XP.
EDITED: 19 May 2006 by HARVEY-ONLY
From: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#6]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4] 19 May 2006
The system may be using it for temporary files when running.
Why are you trying to reformat the drive, what is on it, and what do you want to put on it? (some additional information may help.)
From: Shaddy [#7]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4] 19 May 2006
Usually your XP installation CD is bootable and has formatting options.
Also, you might look up on the site of your hard disk manuf. (Seagate, Western Digital, Maxtor...) and make a disk with their downloads. You should be able to FDisk and start over from there.
just make sure that's what you want to do first.
Shaddy
From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#8]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4] 19 May 2006
Try going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Then Click on Disk Management on the left.
I don't have XP home, but that's where you find it in XPpro and Win2k. If you can get there, that's the place to do all hard drive functions, like partitioning, formatting, etc...
From: Upacreek [#9]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#1] 19 May 2006
Is this a new hard disk for your laptop? Is it external? Are you just doing some housecleaning on a old drive already installed?
Are you running XP Home from the Dell install or did someone else install the software for you?
XP can be fussy with certain types of installs and instead of making the primary drive "C", it will make the XP install "D" or something else. It is possible you are trying to format your system drive. Kind of like standing on the same tree branch you're trying to saw off!
Michel
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#10]
19 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#6] 19 May 2006
Ken,
It is just generic maintainence mostly. My Outlook started behaving funny, and although I have done virus and spyware scans, that show nothing, SOMETHING is weird......so I just wanted a fresh start.
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#11]
19 May 2006
To: Upacreek [#9] 19 May 2006
Are you running XP Home from the Dell install or did someone else install the software for you?
Michel,
I'm just doing housecleaning on the old drive, ( it's a couple of years old) It was factory installed. I have done this successfully before, shop computer and it worked just fine......it's odd.
C is the primary partition...
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#12]
19 May 2006
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#8] 19 May 2006
I don't have XP home, but that's where you find it in XPpro and Win2k. If you can get there, that's the place to do all hard drive functions, like partitioning, formatting, etc...
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. ...... :-(
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#13]
19 May 2006
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#5] 19 May 2006
No, D is my cdrw.......I was hoping I could make a boot disk from that....if I can find a floppy, I'll just do that and fromat from the floppy......anyone got a spare 1.44 floppy disk?
From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#14]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#12] 19 May 2006
The error message implies some sort of driver or utility is using something on the drive. Do you have a swap file on that drive?
Maybe start in Safe Mode to minimize the drivers loaded?
From: Shaddy [#15]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#13] 19 May 2006
XP has a cool roll back feature, at least Pro does. You should do that, pick a date that was before your issues.
I think it's called System Restore. I'll let one of the pros here explain more, as i haven't done it before.
Shaddy
From: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#16]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#10] 19 May 2006
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#17]
19 May 2006
To: Ken D. (KDEVORY) [#16] 19 May 2006
Ken, my accounting computer, ( Compaq) came like that also.....my Dell notebook came with software pre installed and the disks as opposed to a back up partition etc. which is the way I prefer it......
I DO have windows installation disks......XP Professional, office standard, office professional 2003 upgrade...plus all the other......software I need.....
Thanks
From: Upacreek [#18]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#17] 19 May 2006
So basically, you just want to wipe out the entire drive, format it and start from scratch and install a clean copy of Windows?
You are not trying to format the drive and keep all of your programs installed, right?
Michel
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#19]
19 May 2006
To: Upacreek [#18] 19 May 2006
From: Bieb (HABIEB) [#20]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#19] 19 May 2006
Chuck, No need to format first. Drop the Windows XP disk in, and boot. During the first couple screens of the install, it will ask if you want to repair Windows or install a fresh copy. Select fresh install, then when the option to select the partition to install to you can selet and recreate/format the partition, and then just continue with the Windows install.
If you have any other questions or problems, email me directly.
Harold
southeastlaser(at)gmail(dot)com
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#21]
19 May 2006
To: Bieb (HABIEB) [#20] 19 May 2006
Sigh..Harold, you know, I think I knew that somewhere back in the clutter of my mind....I even started to DO that, but then bailed on it for some reason. I'll try it again tonight.......
Thanks
From: Upacreek [#22]
19 May 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#19] 19 May 2006
You can do a quick format and install of XP by inserting your XP CD into the CD drive and boot the laptop with the CD in the drive.
Depending upon your BIOS settings, the laptop will probably ask you if you want to boot from the CD. Depending upon how new your Dell is or if you have updated your BIOS, you can possibly hit F2 during the first few seconds of boot and select from a Boot Menu.
The CD will ask if you want to repair or reinstall Windows and you can proceed from there.
I personally do not run an install this way. I have found that even though XP formats the drive and installs a clean copy of Windows, it takes more hard drive space then formating the drive or wiping the drive without the XP CD. I use a utility to zap the drive and then install Windows.
IBM made two free utilities about 10 years ago that come in REALLY handy. One is called Wipe and the other is called Zap. Wipe writes 0's (zero's) over the ENTIRE drive and Zap writes over the first blocks of the drive and eliminates the boot record. What that means in simple terms, is after you Zap a drive, Windows Setup thinks it's a Brand New hard drive and asks if you'd like to format it.
You can find IBM's utilities at http://lists.suse.com/archive/suse-linux-e/2001-Jun/att-0780/01-welcome.htm
Michel
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#23]
19 May 2006
To: Upacreek [#22] 20 May 2006
Michel,
Thank you and EVERYONE for your help. Together ( ya gotta love this forum) we solved the problem.
The XP Professional cd also gives an option to run the recovery console ( Thank you Harold for your input which led me to this) which I did.... it took me to the dos prompt for the C drive and I was able to format from there.
I'm up and running and faster than ever for a notebook with 1gig of ram.
Thank you to all for your help.