Tried to install WinXP again after power went out, but not success

[Guest]

Hello,
I'm trying to install WinXP again after the Power went out and messed up the
install process. When I tried to continue, it kept saying there was an error
on the HD.

So I like to just do a clean wipe of the HD and do a clean install again.
But when I try to format the HD with a bootable floppy, it says that is has
completed the format . But when I check the directory, the contents are still
there. And so when I run the WinXP CD again, the computer trys to continue
where if left off before the power outage, but it doesn't work of course.

No matter how I try to format the drive, it never becomes ereased, even when
I used the drive in another machine with Partition Magic and tried to delete
the parition. Even when I used FDisk, it still acted as if deleted
everything, but it was still there when I checked the directory. Somehow it
looks as if there a protection on the HD to prevent me from erasing anything.

Is there something special I need to use to erase the HD completely ? All I
want is to start over again for something that didn't get a chance to finish
in the first place.

thanks,
Dan

 

[Galen]

In Ragooman <[email protected]> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

Hello,
I'm trying to install WinXP again after the Power went out and messed
up the install process. When I tried to continue, it kept saying
there was an error on the HD.

So I like to just do a clean wipe of the HD and do a clean install
again. But when I try to format the HD with a bootable floppy, it
says that is has completed the format . But when I check the
directory, the contents are still there. And so when I run the WinXP
CD again, the computer trys to continue where if left off before the
power outage, but it doesn't work of course.

No matter how I try to format the drive, it never becomes ereased,
even when I used the drive in another machine with Partition Magic
and tried to delete the parition. Even when I used FDisk, it still
acted as if deleted everything, but it was still there when I checked
the directory. Somehow it looks as if there a protection on the HD to
prevent me from erasing anything.

Is there something special I need to use to erase the HD completely ?
All I want is to start over again for something that didn't get a
chance to finish in the first place.

thanks,
Dan

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

How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=313348

Galen