I'm trying to format my c drive but it wont let me because its saying that I'm using files thats on the c drive. I closed out of everything that would let me and I even tried to go through sofe mode to do it. am I doing it wrong. Please help me format my c drive!!
2006-10-07 07:47:13 · 11 answers · asked by ? 3 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
If you format the C drive, you will wipe out everything that is on your computer, including the operating system. I don't think that is what you want to do.
2006-10-07 07:55:24 · answer #1 · answered by DanE 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your C drive is where your operating system and all your software runs from. This means Windows and the program you're trying to use to reformat your drive are on the drive you are trying to reformat. So that's clearly not going to work.
If you have Windows, you can reformat by inserting the Windows CD and restarting. You should get a prompt that says Press Any Key to boot from CD or something like that. Do that and boot to the CD and walk through a few setup screens. Read each one carefully and eventually you'll come across one that will allow you to repartition and reformat your drive.
2006-10-07 14:53:25 · answer #2 · answered by GrayTheory 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No matter how many things you close down, you are still running certain system-level files.
To avoid this problem, you MUST boot from either a CD or from a floppy disk. Then you will not be using any files on your C: Drive, and the format should progress normally.
2006-10-07 14:52:17 · answer #3 · answered by Dan C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't format the c drive from windows. You have to use your windows xp install disc. Put the disc in, and restart the computer. Set the boot drive to your cd-rom drive in the BIOS so your computer will boot up into the cd-rom. Otherwise windows will start, and you will have the same problem. You can't boot into windows, or you won't be able to format the c drive.
2006-10-07 14:59:15 · answer #4 · answered by martin h 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You won't be able to format C in windows itself (as windows uses C drive). You either have to insert your Windows CD and format from there. If you're using Windows 98, you should be able to boot to dos and do "format c:/" but.... you better make sure you have your CD and remember that microsoft is not support 98 anymore.
2006-10-07 14:52:08 · answer #5 · answered by longhats 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You cant just format the c drive... you have to first boot from a windows cd and then format it from there
2006-10-07 14:51:18 · answer #6 · answered by VzjrZ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
put the win xp in the cd drive then restart the pc when it start up it will ask you to hit any key to boot from cd just hit enter then hit enter again then format the pc and set windows xp back up this way
http://www.geekgirls.com/windowsxp_install.htm#filesystem
HP computers no1 they have the verry best recover system of all
click on start /all programs
in the list go to pc help & tool
then click on
hp-pc- recovery tools-cd
noW click on
creat the recovery tools cd
use a cd(r) disk ...to creater the pc tools cd
then click next
and wait for it to creat a
system tool recovery cd
do not stop it at all
when the system tools
cd is created your have
a system recovery tools
cd- this cd will reinstall
all the software that came with the pc and
now coz we have reset the software it will
restall the software that is on the pc and
reinstall windows xp home and set it back up
windows xp will be reinstalled and set back up
the
hp-pc-tools cd
this just reinstall's the software that was on the
the hard drive at the time you buy the pc it will also
install windows xp. os .with out asking for the windows xp cd
creat multiple partitioins
2006-10-07 14:51:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
you boot from cd whe nyour computer starts up and then reformat the computer because trying to format when on windows dont work
ps: my computer is custom build so i set some of the motherboard settings different from the default settings on computer
2006-10-07 14:55:57 · answer #8 · answered by Ben 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are running an HP there is a seperate part of your HD set aside for reformatting, open My Computer and look in there for the recovery.
If not then you can use your PC's disks to do it.
2006-10-07 14:51:32 · answer #9 · answered by rktavi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You do not have to boot windows to do that, you boot up from a floppy when you see
a:\ format c:/s press enter
and follow.
2006-10-07 14:55:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋