xp wont format my harddrive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rich
  • Start date Start date
R

Rich

alright everybody,
i have a western digital 80gb hdd with an 8mb cache,
geforce 4 ti 4600 128 mb ddr, soundblaster live card, zoom
v90 modem, azza mainboard (p4xa-bv).
i install using the drive as normal, it gets to the
partitioning screen and everything goes smoothly (76409
memory and 8 mb windows information) but when i try to
format the drive it goes to 100 percent and gives me a
screen where it says that it couldn't format the disk
right, it could be damaged but i dont think this is the
case. can anyone help me?
 
Rich;
Try it this way:
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

After you are finished, you will need to load the appropriate drivers.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.

If the above fails, go to Western Digitals website and download their
hard drive diagnostics.
 
Rich;
Hopefully you are not choosing the "Quick format", if you are, try the
regular format.

Open case and reseat hard drive power cable and IDE cable at both
ends.
Make sure cable is connected correctly, many can be installed
backwards.
Check the jumpers are correct.

Go here for the proper diagnostics:
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp
If the drive is new, a floppy with the tools may have been included
The drive may be new, but some new drives are defective out of the
box.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/setup.asp
Please respond to newsgroup only for everyone's benefit.
 
alright,
i've looked at the microsoft compadability website and my
hdd is perfectly certified by microsoft. although i was
wondering since my hdd is an ultra ata should i get
special cables to hook my hdd to my motherboard. also i
only use the regular formatting on the setup, it never
gives me the option to format in fat though is there a
problem then? here is the message that i wrote down when
trying to install xp again: Make sure the drive is
switched on and properly connected to your computer. If
the disk is an scsi disk, make sure your scsi devices are
properly terminated. consult your computer manual or scsi
adapter documentation for more information.
 
Rich said:
alright,
i've looked at the microsoft compadability website and my
hdd is perfectly certified by microsoft. although i was
wondering since my hdd is an ultra ata should i get
special cables to hook my hdd to my motherboard. also i
only use the regular formatting on the setup, it never
gives me the option to format in fat though is there a
problem then? here is the message that i wrote down when
trying to install xp again: Make sure the drive is
switched on and properly connected to your computer. If
the disk is an scsi disk, make sure your scsi devices are
properly terminated. consult your computer manual or scsi
adapter documentation for more information.
Click to expand...

Yes, change the cable and make sure you followed the hard drive setup
instructions on the hard drive web site. You do have the jumper settings
configured correctly?.
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com


 
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