How do I Format my hard drive?

[m8E]

I am using Windows XP Pro OS on an ordinary internal hard drive, how do I do a simple format on my hard drive? B)

[N1K]

Right click on drive/partition and then

"format" or if you want to format your whole disk, run the windows xp bootable cd where you'll get option to create partitions or format a whole disk...

[m8E]

Thanks ninnox there are no partitions on my hard drive so I tried doing a right-click on the hard drive icon but it wouldn't format because after right-clicking and after choosing format and confirming I wanted to format a message box came up saying:

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

Should this message box have appeared? If not what does it mean and should I try to do anything so that it doesn't come up again?

There were no other windows open and I wasn't aware of any utilities being in use at the time, mainly because I have completely un-installed absolutely everything off the computer and there is now only the Windows XP Pro OS on it.

I will run the xp cd if I have to, but I would really like to know why I had this message box appear!

Thanx

[jaclaz]

You can format all drives/partitions EXCEPT FOR THE ONE WHERE THE OS RESIDES!

For that one you must boot with another system, i.e. the boot cd.

jaclaz

[N1K]

This message shouldn't be appearing..

some process is hanging on your disks so you can't format them...

Try formating from disk administrator

[m8E]

thanks jaclaz thanks ninnox I'll try formatting from Administrator.

Is there a way of using DOS to format the hard drive? If so would doing something like that wipe the hard drive so clean that it would be as though it were like new with no OS on it at all?

[jaclaz]

Yes, actually it is the most common way to prepare a hard disk.

Just boot from a DOS/WIN98 bootdisk and use FDISK AND FORMAT as you wish.

Please note that there are limits depending on the size of the HD, the DOS 7.1 (the one that comes with Win98) works up to 64GB size, if I recall correctly.

There is an updated version that works up to 128 Gb, I think.

Get here the bootdisk and the new fdisk:

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

You won't be able to format any partition as NTFS from the bootdisk, if you need that you must boot off the XP cd.

Read here a how-to:

http://www.perfectdrivers.com/howto/fdisk-format.html

If you want/need to make sure all old data is gone, you will need a "WIPING" utility.

Most probably there is one on your HD manufacturer website, or you could use these FREEWARE ones:

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/sdelete.shtml

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

http://staff.washington.edu/jdlarios/autoclave/

jaclaz

[Astalavista]

Get your Windows XP cd out.

put it into your cdrom drive.

Run Setup it will ask u if you want to repair your operating system.

say no.

It will ask u do you want to delete your partition

say yes

that is it