Format question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Hyndman
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike Hyndman

I've just finished formatting (full) a pre installed 120 Gig HD, from
the CD, prior to installing WXP Pro to be told that there was already a
windows directory on the drive and that installing to it could lead to
data loss. How can any directory still exist after a full format? I
don't mean directories etc., that can be recovered by data recovery
utilities.
TIA
Mike H
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Mike;
Did you format each partition?
Each partition needs to be formatted separately.
Click to expand...
J,
Only 1 partition. I've even deleted the partition, recreated it, and it
still sees an old Windows folder!
This drive has been a nightmare, it's a 160 Gig Samsung but the
motherboard does not support 48bit addressing so it is only being seen
as 131 or 127 Gig depending where you look at it. It has worked from new
at this reduced size but started acting up a few weeks ago, hence the
reinstallation. Somebody had tried to format the drive at 32 Gig (jumper
setting) but this didn't solve the problem. I put it back to its full
size, reformatted it at the maximum size seen and tried to reinstall. It
goes through the installation routine but hangs after a reboot due
missing or corrupt Hal.dll. I've deleted this file from within recovery
console and expanded it from the CD but the result is always the same.
Looks like a candidate for the bin!
Many thanks for your reply,
Mike H
Windows XP can do it all, there is no need to format or partition prior to
inserting the Windows XP CD.
Follow this link for a Clean Installation:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/cleanxp.htm
Click to expand...

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Mike;
If the file is still seen, it is not being deleted.
Furthermore, if the partition is deleted, all data is gone so there seems to
be something you may be doing incorrectly.
Have you checked for a later BIOS for the motherboard?
If available, that may solve your detection problems.
Check with the motherboard/computer manufacturer for BIOS update
information.
Also see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=303013
 
Mike;
If the file is still seen, it is not being deleted.
Click to expand...
J,
Many thanks
I navigate to Hal.dll in c:\windows\system32. I then delete it (del
hal.dll) and look for it again (dir hal.dl l) and it isn't there so I
assume it's gone but hey, who knows?;-) I then expand it from the CD
(where it was installed from a few minutes earlier) only to have it hang
again at the next reboot.
Furthermore, if the partition is deleted, all data is gone so there seems to
be something you may be doing incorrectly.
Click to expand...
I promise you, I am deleting the the partition, or the system is going
through the motions of deleting the partition. I have been doing similar
since 1993 and have never come across anything as mystifying as this
before.
Have you checked for a later BIOS for the motherboard?
Click to expand...
Yes, and no there isn't an upgrade which will correct this.
If available, that may solve your detection problems.
Check with the motherboard/computer manufacturer for BIOS update
information.
Also see:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=303013
Click to expand...
My Atapi.sys is a later version than the one in the download.

I'm wondering if there is some sort of drive overlay utility on the
drive I cannot see causing the problem. Yet the drive has worked ok in
the past. I've tried a scan with an Ontrack diagnostic utility which
sees it as a 149 Gig drive, I've put it into a another PC as a slave
which sees it as a 127 Gig drive. I have also deleted the Windows
directory from it through Wexplorer and reformatted it through My
Computer. I then reset it as a master, supposedly empty, and the
installation routine still finds a Windows directory.
It's going in the bin, life's too short ;-)
Many thanks
Mike H
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which sees it as a 127 Gig drive. I have also deleted the Windows
directory from it through Wexplorer and reformatted it through My
Computer. I then reset it as a master, supposedly empty, and the
installation routine still finds a Windows directory.
Click to expand...

My first thought was to use FDISK.
That doesn't seem to exist anymore on my machine.
2nd thought use the setup from the install disk. It identifies all partitions
at setup. I'd say start with the offending partition and install to it.

3rd thought, use the command prompt and the Format command helps below.
I would start with a quick format. If that works, you're done.
OS : Formats a disk for use with Windows XP.
OS :
OS : FORMAT volume [/FS:file-system] [/V:label] [/Q] [/A:size] [/C] [/X]
OS : FORMAT volume [/V:label] [/Q] [/F:size]
OS : FORMAT volume [/V:label] [/Q] [/T:tracks /N:sectors]
OS : FORMAT volume [/V:label] [/Q]
OS : FORMAT volume [/Q]
OS :
OS : volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
OS : mount point, or volume name.
OS : /FS:filesystem Specifies the type of the file system (FAT, FAT32, or NTFS).
OS : /V:label Specifies the volume label.
OS : /Q Performs a quick format.
OS : /C NTFS only: Files created on the new volume will be compressed
OS : by default.
OS : /X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary. All opened
OS : handles to the volume would no longer be valid.
OS : /A:size Overrides the default allocation unit size. Default settings
OS : are strongly recommended for general use.
OS : NTFS supports 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K.
OS : FAT supports 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K,
OS : (128K, 256K for sector size > 512 bytes).
OS : FAT32 supports 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K,
OS : (128K, 256K for sector size > 512 bytes).
OS :
OS : Note that the FAT and FAT32 files systems impose the
OS : following restrictions on the number of clusters on a volume:
OS :
OS : FAT: Number of clusters <= 65526
OS : FAT32: 65526 < Number of clusters < 4177918
OS :
OS : Format will immediately stop processing if it decides that
OS : the above requirements cannot be met using the specified
OS : cluster size.
OS :
OS : NTFS compression is not supported for allocation unit sizes
OS : above 4096.
OS :
OS : /F:size Specifies the size of the floppy disk to format (1.44)
OS : /T:tracks Specifies the number of tracks per disk side.
OS : /N:sectors Specifies the number of sectors per track.
Click to expand...
 
My first thought was to use FDISK.
Click to expand...
My last thought was to f***disc!
That doesn't seem to exist anymore on my machine.
Click to expand...
aahhh..those were the days, 42Meg hard drives and 4 meg of ram, soothing
black screen and a winking C:\ prompt :-)
2nd thought use the setup from the install disk. It identifies all partitions
at setup. I'd say start with the offending partition and install to it.
Click to expand...
I did that, more than once. Onto a supposedly formatted drive (one
partition) It still saw a previous Windows installation each time (eyes
popping out followed by hair tearing out). I deleted the partition and
recreated it then reformatted it...... it still saw a previous Windows
installation. I loaded the new installation into a Windoze directory,
which then proceeds to hang at the hal.dll prob. Reloading this file
makes no difference.
I'm going to leave it alone for a while (give hair a chance to recover)
and then fit it into a PC that supports 48bit hd addressing and see if I
have any more luck. The annoying thing is though is the drive has
performed on this PC in the past.
Many thanks for your reply, especially the switches.

Mike H


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