Help!!! can't delete xp pro x64, repartion, reformat...

[Guest]

Please, I probably need assistance that's specific to x64, as I've been
trying all day, non-stop, to use various methods to completely get rid of
this OS, and NOTHING I've been finding is working.

I finally gave up on the OS, and wanted to install a spare & trusty old W2K
copy onto a dual boot; half the day was spent troubleshooting/trying various
methods to fix Partition Magic 8 (nothing on the net applies), and I can't
get their ftp site for that xmnt2002 utility (XP Pro x64 puts it in wow64 so
PM can't find it; I tried copying the PM's exe file into C:\ and
windows\system32\). I really need to get the W2K on first, anyway, but for
that I need to reformat somehow so I can start from a clean HDD.

Then I tried a re-install, hoping that would allow me to delete partitions
and start from scratch. That didn't work, either, even with the advanced
methods I'd used on my son's XP Pro machine 2 years ago.

God darn it! I wish I could exit to Dos, but this isn't allowed. Then I'd
use diskpart, but of course you can only go to DOS within safe mode or
command prompt, from within Windows, so the final actions aren't allowed
either because of course Windows is still runniing...

All the instructions (I must have looked at dozens) assume it's a brand new
HDD (it is, but...) and you already have more than one partition. I only have
the one C drive. I want more, but without being able to use PM, Dos, or
anything else...

Help!!! I'm at my wit's end..Can't rest....

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Please, I probably need assistance that's specific to x64, as I've been
trying all day, non-stop, to use various methods to completely get rid of
this OS, and NOTHING I've been finding is working.

I finally gave up on the OS, and wanted to install a spare & trusty old
W2K
copy onto a dual boot; half the day was spent troubleshooting/trying
various
methods to fix Partition Magic 8 (nothing on the net applies), and I can't
get their ftp site for that xmnt2002 utility (XP Pro x64 puts it in wow64
so
PM can't find it; I tried copying the PM's exe file into C:\ and
windows\system32\). I really need to get the W2K on first, anyway, but for
that I need to reformat somehow so I can start from a clean HDD.

Then I tried a re-install, hoping that would allow me to delete partitions
and start from scratch. That didn't work, either, even with the advanced
methods I'd used on my son's XP Pro machine 2 years ago.

God darn it! I wish I could exit to Dos, but this isn't allowed. Then I'd
use diskpart, but of course you can only go to DOS within safe mode or
command prompt, from within Windows, so the final actions aren't allowed
either because of course Windows is still runniing...

All the instructions (I must have looked at dozens) assume it's a brand
new
HDD (it is, but...) and you already have more than one partition. I only
have
the one C drive. I want more, but without being able to use PM, Dos, or
anything else...

Help!!! I'm at my wit's end..Can't rest....

Boot with your Windows XP CD, when it asks where to install, choose to
DELETE the partition(s) and confirm..
Then reboot.

Install whatever OS you want as you have no partitions defined on that drive
if you erased them all.

 

[Guest]

Boot with your Windows XP CD, when it asks where to install, choose to
DELETE the partition(s) and confirm..
Then reboot.

Tried that; it wouldn't let me delete any partitions.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Boot with your Windows XP CD, when it asks where to install,
choose to DELETE the partition(s) and confirm..
Then reboot.

Tried that; it wouldn't let me delete any partitions.

You booted with the same Windows XP CD as you did when you installed its
current OS (or the one you are trying to get rid of) and *it* won't let you
delete the partition?

 

[Guest]

That's exactly right: It's the only x64 disk I have, and "it" (the setup
process) first asks you if you want to use recovery console. A: No. 2nd
question: Repair existing installation or new installation? A: new
installation. This is where (if I remember correctly) it gives you a chance
for some advanced processes, and I chose to delete partition, despite the
warnings that's exactly what I wanted to do because I knew this was supposed
to lose all the drive's data. Then I got another message saying this was not
possible, or something to that effect. Certainly it was a big fat "no, we
won't let you" with "we" referring to the software's setup processes. I then
tried to escape the setup process and I got more dire warnings not to at this
point. So I let it go ahead.

All this happened a few hours ago; before the first post of this thread.

Since then, being so exhausted, I made a stupid error that may have saved my
hide--or will demand some emergency tech visit/tech support calls for stuff
that is totally beyond me (or dropping another $150 into this $ pit with
buying another HDD) I tried to reboot again from the x64 disk, and it seems
the W2K disk was iin there instead. THAT setup process let me delete the main
partitions, and create a couple of smaller ones. I thought, hurray!, by the
time it was almost finished formatting a 40 G partition with Fat (which I
wanted for the Partition Magic's later resizng) Then it stopped and I had to
exit. Interim result: wouldn't even boot to safe mode or from the CD. "errors
on disk'

I didn't think I could open the CD drive because of the Mozart's case
(usually you open it from inside My Computer or the remote). Then I could,
and the system state CD wouldn't recover it, either. So I tried again with
the x64 disk, and lo and behold, the new partitions were still there. So
while the 40G C drive is too small for the x64, I'm now at 40% formatting of
the 246G D drive with NTFS. We'll see if it finishes formatting...Whether it
does or it doesn't, it seems I now have a 40G partition (C), the
aforementioned 246G Partition, a 25G unallocated, and the original 8G
unallocated I'm sure is the master boot partition.

Crossing my fingers...(Remember I'm physically exhausted and aching, as well
as mentally stressed out by now) Not thinking too straight...

 

[Guest]

Partition Magic certainly doesn't like x64. Weeks later, after ruining MBR
and then having to go into the box to install a floppy drive, then having a
ram failure, I finally got my dual boot system going. It's working, sort-of,
but I can't seem to find a driver for the CD-Rom drive that will enable DMA.
So I can't even watch a legal, purchased copy of a dvd.