How to I format hard drive?

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Guest

Here is a newbie question:

I was wondering how I can just wipe out the hard drive, including Windows
XP. When I tried the old fashioned "format C:" it says something like it
can't format because the OS is running. Same thing in safe mode. How does
one do this?

Thanks
 
You can't while Windows is running. You have the opportunity to format the
hard drive while installing XP. Are you trying to re-install XP?
 
Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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:

| Here is a newbie question:
|
| I was wondering how I can just wipe out the hard drive, including Windows
| XP. When I tried the old fashioned "format C:" it says something like it
| can't format because the OS is running. Same thing in safe mode. How does
| one do this?
|
| Thanks
 
Actually, this pc is going to somebody else I want everything, even the OS
gone. I am definitely NOT interested in reinstalling XP. Do I still do a
format using your method below?
 
Yes that will work, just delete all the partitions then abort the install.
That doesn't erase the disk if that is what you are concerned about. Someone
with the right utilities could recover the data. You need a special program
to erase the disk. You can download a free program here.

http://www.killdisk.com/

You will need to boot from a floppy disk with an older version of Windows.
If you don't have one you can get one here.

http://www.bootdisk.com/
 
Cecelia said:
Here is a newbie question:

I was wondering how I can just wipe out the hard drive, including Windows
XP. When I tried the old fashioned "format C:" it says something like it
can't format because the OS is running. Same thing in safe mode. How does
one do this?

Thanks
Click to expand...



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

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.)



--

Bruce Chambers

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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Cecelia said:
Here is a newbie question:

I was wondering how I can just wipe out the hard drive, including
Windows
XP. When I tried the old fashioned "format C:" it says something
like it
can't format because the OS is running. Same thing in safe mode.
How does
one do this?
Click to expand...


Stand on one foot. Now clean underneath your foot without using your
other foot. Pretty tough. So how are you going to run a program that
loads from a file on the disk where the file resides along with the OS
that loads it into memory to run it if you are going to wipe the drive
of that file and OS?

Use a bootable floppy or CD/DVD to load an OS under which you can run
its disk formatter. bootdisk.com has images of bootable floppies.
You can use bootable CDs, like for Knoppix, and use the tools there to
handle the drives. You can use killdisk from Active@ to create a
bootable floppy that will wipe your drive. You can use the bootable
Windows XP install CD to use it to delete, create, and format
partitions. I'm sure there are more ways than these.
 
Cecelia said:
Actually, this pc is going to somebody else I want everything, even
the OS
gone. I am definitely NOT interested in reinstalling XP. Do I
still do a
format using your method below?
Click to expand...


Then, as mentioned in my other post, use Active@'s KillDisk utility to
completely wipe the drive. Formatting doesn't overwrite the sectors
on the drive in whch you files were stored. It just lays down a new
file table that doesn't have any pointers to those "pre-owned" sectors
that are still full of data.

http://www.killdisk.com
 
Probably the best way is to write zeroes to the entire hard drive. The hard
drive manufacturer usually provides such tools as bootable floppy disk, or
downloadable as a bootable floppy or bootable CD image. This is free of
course.
Then use the restore CD that may have come with the PC or laptop if its OEM
specific. This restore CD should go with the computer in the sale.
 
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