formatting a hard drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

How can I format my hard drive because I have a virus. I want to do a clean
install. I know I can take it out, put it into another PC as a back-up hard
drive and assign it a letter D, for ex., but I heard I can do it a much
easier way than having to take it out of my PC. Now this hard drive is all
one letter, C drive, and is all one primary drive. This hard drive has the
operating system on it also. That's where I'm running into the problem. When
I alternate click the drive, a message comes up saying there is essential
data for Windows and you cannot format it, or something to that nature of a
message. Like I said, someone told me that I didn't need to take out the hard
drive and put it into another PC as a back-up hard drive. Anotherwords, I
could format it and leave it right where it is now, even with the OS
running Windows XP right now. I'd like to know how to go about doing it.
Help would be greatly apprecitated.
Thanks, Daniel
 
Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

How can I format my hard drive because I have a virus. I want to do a clean
install. I know I can take it out, put it into another PC as a back-up hard
drive and assign it a letter D, for ex., but I heard I can do it a much
easier way than having to take it out of my PC. Now this hard drive is all
one letter, C drive, and is all one primary drive. This hard drive has the
operating system on it also. That's where I'm running into the problem. When
I alternate click the drive, a message comes up saying there is essential
data for Windows and you cannot format it, or something to that nature of a
message. Like I said, someone told me that I didn't need to take out the hard
drive and put it into another PC as a back-up hard drive. Anotherwords, I
could format it and leave it right where it is now, even with the OS
running Windows XP right now. I'd like to know how to go about doing it.
Help would be greatly apprecitated.
Thanks, Daniel
 
How can I format my hard drive because I have a virus. I want to do a
clean
install. I know I can take it out, put it into another PC as a back-up
hard
drive and assign it a letter D, for ex., but I heard I can do it a much
easier way than having to take it out of my PC. Now this hard drive is
all
one letter, C drive, and is all one primary drive. This hard drive has
the
operating system on it also. That's where I'm running into the problem.
When
I alternate click the drive, a message comes up saying there is essential
data for Windows and you cannot format it, or something to that nature
of a
message. Like I said, someone told me that I didn't need to take out the
hard
drive and put it into another PC as a back-up hard drive. Anotherwords, I
could format it and leave it right where it is now, even with the OS
running Windows XP right now. I'd like to know how to go about doing it.
Help would be greatly apprecitated.
Thanks, Daniel
Click to expand...

Hi Dan

To reformat your hdd, boot from a Windows XP installation CD and on the
first prompt hit R to go to recovery console... it will ask you for your
administrative password.

Then, once in the cli, simply change drive letter to anything other than
C: and type format c: /u .... that's an 'unconditional' format... so it
will take a while.

Alternatively you can use a bootable floppy... obtainable from
http://www.bootdisk.com/
 
attilathehun1 said:
How can I format my hard drive because I have a virus. I want to do a clean
install. I know I can take it out, put it into another PC as a back-up hard
drive and assign it a letter D, for ex., but I heard I can do it a much
easier way than having to take it out of my PC. Now this hard drive is all
one letter, C drive, and is all one primary drive. This hard drive has the
operating system on it also. That's where I'm running into the problem. When
I alternate click the drive, a message comes up saying there is essential
data for Windows and you cannot format it, or something to that nature of a
message. Like I said, someone told me that I didn't need to take out the hard
drive and put it into another PC as a back-up hard drive. Anotherwords, I
could format it and leave it right where it is now, even with the OS
running Windows XP right now. I'd like to know how to go about doing it.
Help would be greatly apprecitated.
Thanks, Daniel
Click to expand...



Formatting the hard drive to solve a virus or spyware problem is
rather like using an axe to trim one's fingernails. Sure, it'll
probably get the job done, but it's rather messy...., and almost always
unnecessary.

However, if that's what you want to do:

Simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of boot
devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

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

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
 
Back
Top