Formatting a useless HDD?

Question

After some fiddling about with the settings (for experimental purposes you understand!) and believing there would always be 'System Restore' to save me, of course it wasn't!

I have tried recovery disk and reinstall from original CD but zilch.

Using a floppy Boot Disk I can get to A:> but cannot format C from there so I guess the OS must be really unhappy with me.

I am hoping that there is a way to reformat that HDD and ask if any expert here can help me please?

It is possible I have been using the wrong syntax by the way and I have to admit that 13 years ago I was fairly happy with MSDOS, but age is catching up with me now (well into 70s) so maybe I was overconfident. Not maybe, of course I was.
I am seeing the Windows splash screen but quickly this becomes the blue screen with

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_ something

forgotten the rest, sorry, at some stages.
Help!
Regards
p

I should add that I use...when I can... Win XP Pro.
I was trying to determine what, and why, something was making computer VEERRRRY slow. Better slow than not at all, you say? Can't argue that!

Today I found a DELL diagnosis disk and that reported numerous errors mostly:

IDE Disk 0 - Confidence Test : Fail
Result Code: 0F00-1344
Msg: Block 42801716: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected.

As it is a HDD I imagine it is not write protected, and in view other erros I have decided that a new HDD is the answer.
Thanks for all the replies, especially I recognise how futile my MS DOS trickery was!
Oh well, we live and, sometimes, learn.
Regards
p

Answer 1

If your H DD is older than 3 yrs it could have corruptions on it and it will have to be changed for your computer to work properly. It's no use trying to fix it and you will have to see an engineer to have a new HDD which will only cost £50.

Answer 2

Sounds like you have a missing or corrupt boot sector. Of course it is also possible the hard drive is bad. They tend to last about 3-5 years depending on your running conditions. If it is just the Operating system you have a few options here, of course it depends on the version of windows you are using.

1. You can find a regular windows disk and try the repair option, which can be rather difficult and I don't recommend it. This option can be quite intense for normal users, but will occasionally work.

2. You may be using the incorrect syntax for the format like you said, which the link below should be the correct syntax for DOS. It also has some good basic info.

3. Also you could slave the hard drive to another PC and try to format it from windows on the other PC. You would also be able to pull off any files before you format at this point also. If are still having problems with your hard drive after this, most likely it is bad.

I would personally do number 3 but not everyone has a spare PC to throw another hard drive into. If not bring it to someones house that does.

Hope this helps, but if you still cannot get it to work and get a professional to look at it just don't bring it to the geek squad. They cost too much for what you get.

Answer 3

The recovery CD or the install CD should contain the MS-DOS info needed to initiate a Windows XP installation. You don't need (or want) to attempt to boot from the floppy drive. You should not need to format the HDD as this will be taken care of at the reinstall process (probably it uses Norton's Ghost program to restore the factory settings from the CD).

As long as you have the original disks a competent PC tech should be able to sort this easily if you are having problems.

Answer 4

Hello well sounds like to me you have tried to wip the HDD, and it has gone wrong.

May i sujest that in a time of need you re-wipe you hard drive using DOS ( Disk Operating System) you may ask how to i use or get DOS?

Well first you need to download of another pc BartPE !
http://www.nu2.nu/download.php?sFile=pebuilder3110a.exe
choose English

"BartPE allows a user to boot Windows XP/Windows Server 2003 from a CD-ROM regardless of the condition of the installed operating systems on the internal hard drive. This means that the user can, for instance, recover data from a failed operating system installation, or reset a lost administrator password."

But what we want is DOS and this is in the program and is easy to find the menus look like windows normal. The Program MUST BE BURNT TO A DISK. And then put intot the pc and hay presto were on.

To the DOS bit:
DOS will look like you have seen it before. You most probs have.]

it will be black and white and say microsoft xp.... and so on.

To wipe your hard drive type "format c:" or "format c:/" (without the inverted speech marks" then it will ask you are you sure say yes the it will delete the whole of your HDD

turn of pc when done and hay finished!

I am asuming that you have XP or Vista so now just insert the disk of windows and you will now re-install windows and be back on track!

if you need a copy of windows let me know and i will get you one... any one you wan't or infact any FILM program!

Email me [e-mail] for any more help

and i am only 16!

Answer 5

When you boot off a floppy disk MS-DOS you can only access hard drives formatted as FAT. Win 2k, XP and beyond use NTFS which a DOS cannot read.

Sounds like you have lost a couple of vital files from the boot sector (root) of your drive. Try booting from your install CD and when presented with the options go for REPAIR.

You may at least end up with a bootable system.

Good luck

Answer 6

Formatting the hard drive will remove all data stored on your computer,The easiest thing to do is go to www.seagate.com/support, and download their disc wizard.After using it you will be able to reinstall windows,Best of luck.