Can't format my backup drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gary Burton
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Gary Burton

I have XP Home, and I just updated it. Both my main drive and my backup drive are formated NTFS.

I would like to format my backup drive before I do another backup set, but I can't get it to work. I right-click on the drive, select Format, select Quick Format, then Start. I get the warning about losing data and I OK that, then I get the dialog that says "Windows cannot format this drive. Quit all disk utilities and programs that are using this drive and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of this drive. Then try formating again."

Problem is -- I've done all that. If I do Ctrl-Alt-Del, I see the application list as blank. I have shut down everything in my system tray, except Norton Antivirus and an ATI video adjust utility. Norton won't let me turn it off -- just disable it; so it's disabled. The video utility gives me no way to turn it off. I should be ok because neither the disabled Norton Antivirus or the video utility would have any reason to access the backup drive. I also closed out the Explorer window before I hit the "Start" button on the Format window. The drive was shared and mapped, but I disconnected the drive and disables sharing. Still I get no format action.

There must be a trick. How can I format this drive?
 
Have you tried doing the format from :

Close Windows Explorer.

Right Click on "My Computer" on your desktop, then click Manage. From Manage, select
Disk Managment, then right click on the drive an try a format from there.

You may also have a "service" that is somehow locking the drive. This could be difficult
to find but you should start with services that are clearly related to disk acess like the
Indexing service.

Good luck.

TDM
I have XP Home, and I just updated it. Both my main drive and my backup drive are formated NTFS.

I would like to format my backup drive before I do another backup set, but I can't get it to work. I right-click on the drive, select Format, select Quick Format, then Start. I get the warning about losing data and I OK that, then I get the dialog that says "Windows cannot format this drive. Quit all disk utilities and programs that are using this drive and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of this drive. Then try formating again."

Problem is -- I've done all that. If I do Ctrl-Alt-Del, I see the application list as blank. I have shut down everything in my system tray, except Norton Antivirus and an ATI video adjust utility. Norton won't let me turn it off -- just disable it; so it's disabled. The video utility gives me no way to turn it off. I should be ok because neither the disabled Norton Antivirus or the video utility would have any reason to access the backup drive. I also closed out the Explorer window before I hit the "Start" button on the Format window. The drive was shared and mapped, but I disconnected the drive and disables sharing. Still I get no format action.

There must be a trick. How can I format this drive?
 
If this method does not work you could also try entering Safe Mode when you boot your computer by pressing F8 or a function key. This should give you a list of boot options including Safe Mode. After entering safe mode try TMD's method of formatting. Yet another alternative would be to boot your computer using a startup disk and then using the "format D:\" command (D:\ being the backup drives letter). Good luck
 
That did it!!!! It gives me the option of overriding whatever is accessing the disk. Thanks!

I still have no clue as to what could be accessing the disk, but I guess I never will.
Have you tried doing the format from :

Close Windows Explorer.

Right Click on "My Computer" on your desktop, then click Manage. From Manage, select
Disk Managment, then right click on the drive an try a format from there.

You may also have a "service" that is somehow locking the drive. This could be difficult
to find but you should start with services that are clearly related to disk acess like the
Indexing service.

Good luck.

TDM
I have XP Home, and I just updated it. Both my main drive and my backup drive are formated NTFS.

I would like to format my backup drive before I do another backup set, but I can't get it to work. I right-click on the drive, select Format, select Quick Format, then Start. I get the warning about losing data and I OK that, then I get the dialog that says "Windows cannot format this drive. Quit all disk utilities and programs that are using this drive and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of this drive. Then try formating again."

Problem is -- I've done all that. If I do Ctrl-Alt-Del, I see the application list as blank. I have shut down everything in my system tray, except Norton Antivirus and an ATI video adjust utility. Norton won't let me turn it off -- just disable it; so it's disabled. The video utility gives me no way to turn it off. I should be ok because neither the disabled Norton Antivirus or the video utility would have any reason to access the backup drive. I also closed out the Explorer window before I hit the "Start" button on the Format window. The drive was shared and mapped, but I disconnected the drive and disables sharing. Still I get no format action.

There must be a trick. How can I format this drive?
 
Gary said:
I would like to format my backup drive before I do another backup set, but I can't get it to work. I right-click on the drive, select Format, select Quick Format, then Start. I get the warning about losing data and I OK that, then I get the dialog that says "Windows cannot format this drive. Quit all disk utilities and programs that are using this drive and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of this drive. Then try formating again."
Click to expand...


Have you by any chance set there to be a Virtual Memory Page file on it?
You cannot format if so. Check at Control Panel - System - Advanced -
Performance, click Settings - Advanced - Virtual Memory, click Change

Note that if you change the settings of any drive you need to click the
Set button before moving on

Then I would do the format from Control Panel - Admin Tools - Computer
Management, select Disk Management and look lower right for the graphic
of the drive. R-click in the partition and take Format there
 
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