Format my Hard Drive

[Shaun]

Hi,

I want to reinstall Windows XP Pro, but whenever I try this, I still have
some files remaining on my hard drive even when I boot with the Windows XP
and delete the partition, is there a way to completely erase my hard drive?

Thanks for your help

 

[purplehaz]

You must not have done it right then. If you delete the partitions, create
new partitions, have setup format, then install xp, nothing will be left
over. Make sure during setup you choose to delete the partition. It makes
you press a few keys before it actually does it(I think d, then L??). Just
follow the instructions exactly and read everything.
If for some reason you can't get the xp cd setup to delete everything then:
Boot to a win9x floppy boot disk, run Fdisk, delete partitions, create new
partitions, reboot to boot disk again, run format, (or reboot to xp cd,
format, install xp). Get boot disk here: www.bootdisk.com

 

[Crusty \(-: Old B@stard :-\)]

Then you DID NOT delete the partition!

 

[Michael Stevens]

Hi,

I want to reinstall Windows XP Pro, but whenever I try this, I still
have some files remaining on my hard drive even when I boot with the
Windows XP and delete the partition, is there a way to completely
erase my hard drive?

Thanks for your help

as the others said, you did something wrong. See th link below for other
options to format the hard drive.
Click on or copy and paste the link below into your web browser address bar.
Format XP using NTFS or FAT.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html#How1
--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Shaun]

Thank you for your replies

the strange thing that occurs is in C:\Documents and Settings\ I have some
strangely named folders. For example if I had a user called john on the
machine, then I reinstall and add the user john I get a folder named
John.John-XYKWGHFL

Any ideas?

Thanks for your help

 

[Alex Nichol]

I want to reinstall Windows XP Pro, but whenever I try this, I still have
some files remaining on my hard drive even when I boot with the Windows XP
and delete the partition, is there a way to completely erase my hard drive?

You do it as part of a reinstall of the system after booting the XP CD
direct. Enter Setup, and after the license agreement take New Install.
When it asks you to confirm where, hit ESC; select and delete the
current partition and make a new RAW one to be formatted at the next
stage

The important point is the delete. Without that it will just go ahead
and make a new install over the top of the old one