How to format without a CD-RW?

[Bogus Fracture]

I'm pretty sure my problems are a result of lost or corrupted Windows
XP files, so I want to reformat my hard drive. However, since the
system does not believe that the D drive exists, I cannot format using
the XP disc. I tried to format from My Computer, but it says to close
everything, and I did, but it still says to close everytyhing. I
tried a format command in DOS prompt, and it says the volume is in use
by another process.

What could be running that is keeping it from formatting? Is there
another way to format without a disc?

Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming.

BF

 

[Shep©]

On 3 Aug 2004 15:15:39 -0700 Being sentient I replied to this then

I'm pretty sure my problems are a result of lost or corrupted Windows
XP files, so I want to reformat my hard drive. However, since the
system does not believe that the D drive exists, I cannot format using
the XP disc. I tried to format from My Computer, but it says to close
everything, and I did, but it still says to close everytyhing. I
tried a format command in DOS prompt, and it says the volume is in use
by another process.

What could be running that is keeping it from formatting? Is there
another way to format without a disc?

Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming.

BF

Your Cdrom drive is seen before any O/S.Is it shown in the boot
loading screens?
You can pause these using the keyboard's Pause key and then the Enter
key to continue.



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[yak]

I'm pretty sure my problems are a result of lost or corrupted Windows
XP files, so I want to reformat my hard drive. However, since the
system does not believe that the D drive exists, I cannot format using
the XP disc. I tried to format from My Computer, but it says to close
everything, and I did, but it still says to close everytyhing. I
tried a format command in DOS prompt, and it says the volume is in use
by another process.

What could be running that is keeping it from formatting? Is there
another way to format without a disc?

Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming.

BF

You can't format and keep stuff on the drive at the same time. If your
cd drive doesn't work in xp then boot from the cd and reinstall. You
could always go to bootdisk.com and download floppy disks images.

 

[Clint]

Typically, you can change the boot order of the devices in your computer at
the BIOS setup windows. You have to get it to recognize the CDROM before
the HDD. You also can't format your current system drive when in Windows.
So if you've only got one HDD partition (C, and a CDROM (D, you're
pretty much hooped unless you can get the computer to boot off either the
CDROM or a floppy.

Clint

 

[ProfGene]

If you have a startup floppy with format exe. on it you can boot to that.