formatting HD in XP pro

  • Thread starter Thread starter snikrep
  • Start date Start date
S

snikrep

I am trying to format my C: drive and reinstall XP Pro. I
open "My Computer", right click on the C: and select
format. It appears to start and the issues and error that
reads:

Windows cannot format this drive. Quit any disc utilities
or other programs that are using this drive, and make
sure that no other window is displaying the contents of
this drive. Then try formatting again.

Is there a better way to format this drive?
 
You can't format the drive that Windows is installed on while Windows is
running. (That is what the message is trying to tell you.)

1.) Go into your BIOS and set CD drive as the first boot device.
2.) Put your XP disk into your CD
3.) Reboot your computer
4.) When the message "Boot from CD" comes up, hit "enter"
5.) Partition and format to your heart's content

steve
 
Greetings --

You're trying to format the drive containing the system volume
from within WinXP. You can't. This would be the computer equivalent
of sawing off the tree limb you're sitting on, and WinXP is "too
smart" to allow this.

Simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of boot
devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:




You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Why do you want to format the C drive? If you want to do a fresh install
XP will let you do that when you reinstall it....
 
The O/S prevents you from committing "system suicide"!

--
Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
 
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