Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

[jotan]

Situation:
Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP
trying to format C drive and reinstall XP


from Dos prompt and i type:

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

then:

"Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format
may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME
WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?
Y/N"

when I type Y, I get the message

"Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

help anyone please?

 

[Alias]

Situation:
Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP
trying to format C drive and reinstall XP


from Dos prompt and i type:

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

then:

"Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format
may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME
WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?
Y/N"

when I type Y, I get the message

"Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

help anyone please?

Buy a CD drive. They're cheap. You can't format XP within XP. That would
be like sawing off the limb of the tree you're sitting on.

Alias

 

[Alec S.]

jotan wrote (in

Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP
trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

from Dos prompt and i type:

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

That’s not a DOS prompt, it’s a command prompt. You can’t format the drive that
Windows is on while running Windows. That’s like trying to perform surgery on
your own hands (or brain).

You need to make a boot disk. Put in a floppy disk and format it using the
Create MS-DOS Startup Disk option. If you don’t have a floppy drive, you need to
create a bootable CD or other drive. You need to boot from something other than
Windows to format Windows’ drive.

 

[Bill Sharpe]

Situation:
Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP
trying to format C drive and reinstall XP


from Dos prompt and i type:

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

then:

"Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format
may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME
WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?
Y/N"

when I type Y, I get the message

"Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

help anyone please?

How are you planning to reinstall XP if the CD drive isn't working?

As others have pointed out you need an external drive of some kind in
order to format drive C.

How old is the laptop? Perhaps it's time to replace it.

Bill

 

[Muzafar Ganie]

Hi,

If u want to install the windows as format clean install
you can follow the link to format as well as install the windows xp using
the windows xp disk


http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/sp2installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

Muzafar

 

[Bill Sharpe]

Hi,

If u want to install the windows as format clean install
you can follow the link to format as well as install the windows xp using
the windows xp disk


http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/sp2installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

Muzafar

Didn't you read the original message? Poster has a non-working CD drive.

Bill

 

[HeyBub]

Situation:
Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP
trying to format C drive and reinstall XP


from Dos prompt and i type:

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

then:

"Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.
Format may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES
TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a
dismount on this volume? Y/N"

when I type Y, I get the message

"Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

help anyone please?

There are several rules by which one can achieve the goal of "Logical
Thought Processes." One of these rules is "Then what?"

Suppose you managed to format your C: drive. Then what?

Another rule is "Why?"

Why do you want to format your C: drive? XP installation does not depend on
a formatted drive.

The rule set above, formulated in the early 11th century, has been amended
to account for modern technology. One of the new rules is: "When in doubt,
ask a 12-year old male."

 

[RobertVA]

How are you planning to reinstall XP if the CD drive isn't working?

As others have pointed out you need an external drive of some kind in
order to format drive C.

How old is the laptop? Perhaps it's time to replace it.

Bill

As far as reinstalling the OS, maybe the manufacturer included a hidden
recovery partition on the hard drive.

The goal might be cleaning data files off the HD prior to selling it or
giving it to someone without exposing things like saved passwords and
tax preparation software's data files. Unfortunately formating doesn't
really erase such data, as it only resets the directory structure.
Privacy concerns could normally be addressed by a drive cleansing
utility, which you might find at a retailer similar to the major office
supply chains, but their use would require a CD reader. I'm not sure if
any such utilities could be downloaded through the internet and run from
a bootable flash drive.