Unable to Format C drive?

Question

Recently I wanted to install Window XP SP2 on my C drive but
some how it went to install on my D-drive .and run from there .
However I needed space and decided to format my C drive ( originally to have Window XP Home ) . However when I tried format C , my
computer said "Window was unable to complete the format " and then left my C drive intact.
Why unable ??
Since unable to format C, can someone tell me how to uninstall Window first so that I have some extra space in my c-drive to
run other files...
Appreciate some useful hints from friends around ?.
tks in anticipation.
andy

Answer 1

All of the above answers are WRONG, as is the one directly below mine. If you follow most of those instructions you will brick your machine and it will NOT run.

If Windows is on your D: drive, just delete the C:\Windows folder. If you haven't installed any programs to the C: drive since you installed Windows on the D: drive, you can also delete the C:\Program Files folder. Those two folders aren't needed now that Windows is running from D: and will free up a lot of space.

If you formatted your C: drive, Windows would not run because the startup files are still on the C: drive. That's why you couldn't format it.

In order for Windows to start, 3 files must be on the first drive that the BIOS sees when the machine is booted. That drive will show under Windows as the C: drive. Those files are:

Ntdetect.com
Ntldr
Boot.ini

Even if Windows runs from the D: drive, those files must be on the C: drive.

Answer 2

You don't need to format the C: drive to free up more space. Formatting the C: drive will remove the operating system, which will make the computer nearly worthless.

You can do to the Control Panel and use "Add or Remove Software" to remove unwanted programs to free up space.

You can also run Disk Cleanup from the Assessories, System Tools folder to have Windows attempt to free up some drive space.

If all else fails and you still want to reinstall Windows, boot from the Windows CDand it will format the C: drive for you, just follow the prompts.

Answer 3

If you tried to format the C Drive, you should have everything but the keyboard and mouse unhooked from your computer. If you are still booting up on the C drive, then you can't uninstall Windows or format it without the system disk. You can't format the disk or uninstall the OS while it is running the computer.

Ron

Answer 4

try sticking the hard drive as a slave in another computer that already has windows xp on it. try formatting the hard drive through windows xp on that computer. there is no way to uninstall windows correctly; unless you upgraded. normally u just format the hard drive.

Answer 5

Click on Start than Settings than Control panel.
Click on Administation tools
Click on Computer management
Select storage and find the C drive, you will be able to format it from there

Answer 6

If this is a seagate drive you can download a program from their site called seatools that should take care of this. Maxtor and the rest use a program called Disk Manager that you can also get to handle this. Hope this helps and Happy New Year

Answer 7

yer working homestead windows on the c stress (c:/homestead windows is the place the information are) in case you have been to format (and it enable you) then you definately'll lose homestead windows. use a homestead windows cd, lower back up yer stuff to a d stress or yet another stress (portable stress is approximately one hundred fifty greenbacks for 1500gb of area! plugs in usb) usb chips at wal-mart are 30-70 greenbacks). a million-64gb of area. the homestead windows cd has a format selection if yer reinstalling yer homestead windows. ubuntu linux will additionally format your stress after which you will never would desire to format lower back. has stay upload/get rid of courses /w 1000+ courses to place in /w one click. firefox and banshee for song and sturdy to bypass. ubuntu .iso from google burn the iso to cd positioned the cd in to format the stress and set up. :)