Format c:....can't get there from here in Windows XP...

  • Thread starter Thread starter ropeyarn
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ropeyarn

Question:

Under XP home, what is the trick to getting the C drive free of
background tasks/proceesses in order to format a hard drive?

After XP refused to proceed with the format due to activity on the
drive, I started ending proccesses via the Windows task manager

Eventually all that remained were processes that:

(a) could not be stopped via the task manager (and it told me
so...because they were critical...)
or
(b) initiated a restart due to ended RPC events.

Error trapping is good...but I'm stuck in an endless loop here:-)
 
Question:

Under XP home, what is the trick to getting the C drive free of
background tasks/proceesses in order to format a hard drive?

After XP refused to proceed with the format due to activity on the
drive, I started ending proccesses via the Windows task manager

Eventually all that remained were processes that:

(a) could not be stopped via the task manager (and it told me
so...because they were critical...)
or
(b) initiated a restart due to ended RPC events.

Error trapping is good...but I'm stuck in an endless loop here:-)
Click to expand...
When booting, press f8 when you see the white progress bar. Select the
option that gives you a console and do it from there.
 
When booting, press f8 when you see the white progress bar. Select the
option that gives you a console and do it from there.
Click to expand...
Heh! Yeah, one of the background processes you couldn't stop on the C drive
was called Windows...
Like Aaanold at the end of one of the movies,
"Here, you'll have to do it; I cannot self-terminate"

~~~~~~
Bait for spammers:
root@localhost
postmaster@localhost
admin@localhost
abuse@localhost
postmaster@[127.0.0.1]
(e-mail address removed)
~~~~~~
Remove "spamless" to email me.
 
Conor said:
When booting, press f8 when you see the white progress bar. Select the
option that gives you a console and do it from there.
Click to expand...

Boot into dos with a start up disk (such as win 98 or whatever for
that matter) off a floppy disk or CD (make sure your bios is set to
boot from your floppy first) then at the prompt type in format c: You
may need to delete non-dos partition first in the fdisk command as dos
doesn't know NTFS. then you will need to create a dos partition

You do realize this will wipe your drive clean?
 
Question:
Under XP home, what is the trick to getting the C drive free of
background tasks/proceesses in order to format a hard drive?
Click to expand...

Answer:

If you mean formatting the C drive, as you title indicates, the
trick is to boot from your Windows XP CD, and format the drive
when the option rolls around. You cannot format C from within C.
 
Gimmyagame said:
Boot into dos with a start up disk (such as win 98 or whatever for
that matter) off a floppy disk or CD (make sure your bios is set to
boot from your floppy first) then at the prompt type in format c: You
may need to delete non-dos partition first in the fdisk command as dos
doesn't know NTFS. then you will need to create a dos partition

You do realize this will wipe your drive clean?
Click to expand...

Indeed I do..and this is just fine:-)

Thanks
 
Al said:
Answer:

If you mean formatting the C drive, as you title indicates, the
trick is to boot from your Windows XP CD, and format the drive
when the option rolls around. You cannot format C from within C.
Click to expand...

Thanks to you and others...boot from the windows CD and select the
correct option..or boot from a floppy and egnage the command line..

Thanks...


Dean
 
If your going to reinstall xp (home or pro) just boot from the installation
cd and follow the instructions. xp will partition and format a drive as
part of the process.
 
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