Formatting Hard Drive from Windows XP.

[Michael Stevens]

In

Christ, are you ever so stupid. Run in the family?

LOL, this is the best yet.
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Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
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[Michael Stevens]

In

Hi,

I am currently running Windows XP Home Edition and need to format my
hard drive.

Upon entering the CMOS Setup Utility and setting the CDROM as the
primary boot device I cannot see an menu option to select to carry
out the format operation. I would be so grateful if someone could
offer me a step by step guide to format my hard drive using Windows
XP Home Edition.

Many thanks in advance.

Click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into the address box
if using the web based newsgroup.
Format XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/format_XP.htm
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[Richard Urban]

All I hear is ***SILENCE***!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I would be silent too if I had painted myself into this type of corner . . .

 

[Richard Urban]

I like tactical retreat. Isn't that run like hell?

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi,

I am currently running Windows XP Home Edition and need to format my hard
drive.

Upon entering the CMOS Setup Utility and setting the CDROM as the primary
boot device I cannot see an menu option to select to carry out the format
operation. I would be so grateful if someone could offer me a step by step
guide to format my hard drive using Windows XP Home Edition.

Many thanks in advance.

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

However, if you only have an OEM Recovery/Restore CD, you may not be
given any choice; only true installation CDs offer the capability.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Xp doesn't really allow formatting! It's fussy that way!

Since when? Is this a new "feature" to be introduced in some future
service pack?



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Maybe I'm not understanding what HD you want to format, but if it's your root
"C" drive and you are booted into XP already, just right click on the "C"
drive after opening up MY COMPUTER and when the drop down menu appears, click
on "FORMAT".

Redwagon...

You can't format the drive containing the system volume from within
WinXP. This would be the computer equivalent of sawing off the tree
limb you're sitting on, and WinXP is "too smart" to allow this.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Plato]

Older bios may have provided a format user option. This is not formatting
at the file level, rather, its a low-level format. When used on many ide
hard drives, it may destroy usability of the hard drive. Only the hard
drive manufacturers low-level formatting is correct in this day and age.

Ahh, that's what it was, a zero fill utility....Misnamed, of course.

 

[Plato]

You don't format from the BIOS/CMOS.

Actually there was a few years where a hard drive format option was
included in the bios/cmos for certain motherboards, big brands too. I
never used it but it was there.

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

All I hear is ***SILENCE***!

And still there is silence, guess he took his redwagon and ran home. Too
bad, as he was such a "respected" critic of the MVP's that try to answer the
thousands of posts with sometimes a crystal ball being their guide.
LOL
It happens this time of the year when the kids get out of school and
discover the newsgroups.
God love 'em.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
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[Richard Urban]

He was asking in another thread on how he could become an MVP. He has a long
way to go! (-:

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Lil' Dave]

Ahh, that's what it was, a zero fill utility....Misnamed, of course.

A zero-write utility, zero/one, or combinations, or multiple passes of same
is NOT the same as a low-level HD format. This zero fill utility is
commonly available at HD mfrs websties.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Richard did not participate in this part of the thread at the time of your
reply. Who are you in relation to the OP which is whom I replied to?
I adamantly said not to use bios available formatting, can you read and
interpret?
Did you read the weblink information?
If you are the OP, was the mention of bios format a troll?
If you are the OP, why did you change your name?

 

[Lil' Dave]

If you're referring to formatting the OS boot partition on your current XP
installation, it can't be done within the XP environment. You need the
setup CD, delete the partition, then reinstate the same afterwards. It will
format the new partition. Use NTFS format when selecting the partition type
if you want the entire HD one partition.

Nor can you format a partition that contains the swapfile within the XP
environment. This can be a separate partition, other than the OS boot
partition.

XP will only create a 32GB FAT32 partition maximum size. 3rd party
partitioning and formatting app is needed for anythng in excess of 128GB
formatted. Win 95 ver B, C, and Win98/SE's fdisk will create up to 64GB
FAT32 partitions. An updated fdisk available from MS will create up to
128GB FAT32 partitions. This may be appropriate information depending if
you desire FAT32, and the capacity of your HD, and if you want multiple
partitions.

To my knowledge, no windows or dos formatting application will allow
formatting of a partition that contains the source formatting application.
This is usually the boot partition, or C: drive if located on the hard
drive.

If I missed anything, am sure a certain respondent will tell me so. AKA -
Redwagon or whatever handle he/she chooses this time.

 

[Lil' Dave]

The formatting application will not format its source, usually the boot
partition, or OS boot partition. XP will not allow formatting of a
partition containing the swapfile as well, whatever the location of the
swapfile..

The best msdos 6.x will do is 2GB capacity with its fdisk. This is FAT16.
The format.com application of msdos 6.x is not compatible with formatting a
FAT32 partition. What you're referring to is a boot diskette containing the
required fdisk.exe and format.com files in either the startup diskettes of
Win98/98SE, Win 95 ver B or C for FAT 32/FAT16 2nd version, or Win95 and ver
A, msdos version 4, 5, and 6 for FAT16 only.

Most HD mfr websites offer website software tools to partition and format a
partition in FAT32 format in any size including the capacity of today's HDs.
None do XP NTFS format.

Most current 3rd party partition creation and formatting software are
capable of both XP's NTFS, and prior versions of NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and
FAT12 (never recommended). And other partition formats not compatible with
MS OS products. This software may be also packaged with boot manager
products.

 

[VWWall]

Ahh, that's what it was, a zero fill utility....Misnamed, of course.

Actually there was a true low-level program, but it was in the HD
controller. To access it required a call to it, (G=C800:5), from
"debug". Some BIOS would make that call. I've never seen it hurt a
modern IDE drive--it just doesn't execute.

You can still do a partial "zero-fill" from debug, but it won't write to
all the sectors of large drives. Still useful for some viruses in the
first part of a drive. There are other programs easier to use.

 

[NobodyMan]



Don't post binaries into a text newsgroup. I didn't want your crappy
picture on my hard drive.

 

[NobodyMan]

Christ, are you ever so stupid. Run in the family?

And again, Richard:

Don't post binaries to this text newsgoup. I didn't want your crappy
picture on my hard drive!

 

[Michael Stevens]

And again, Richard:

Don't post binaries to this text newsgoup. I didn't want your crappy
picture on my hard drive!

Then delete it. No rule against posting binaries in the msnews.microsoft.com
newsgroups. If it is so important to you subscribe to a newsserver that
strips binaries. You can also set a rule in Agent.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
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