Format an Unformatted Partition

[greasytony]

As we know the left over space after installing windows xp, the unpartitioned space is not visible from Disk Managment "DISKMGMT.MSC". There for we cannot format it.
From the Win XP boot menu we know we can install a second windows on the left over space which is then re-partitioned and formatted for us but windows is installed.
We do not have to install windows here OR format anything.
There is a point in the process, very early, when we are asked to choose which partition to install windows on.
We choose the left over space and then the screen asks us to choose whether to install windows on this space or to quit/go back.
If we go back at this point, we return to the menu where we are asked to choose where to install windows. Here we see that the previousely unpartitioned space has now been partitioned(RAW). Which i assume means allocated but not formatted, because it is not formatted.
About 8gb were left spare, I know space left is required so i wasn't bothered!
From here we reboot the PC into our already installed windows installation, run disk management and now the RAW partition is visible to us. All we need do now is right click on it and chose to format. I left the volume label blank as it is optional and left the other two options as they were ( ntfs and default, respectively)!

EG:

I have an 80gb hdu and win xp home. I partitioned about 15gb as drive C and installed windows and mcafee security suite on C. I then wanted to install everything else on the 60gb left but I could not access it because it was unpartitioned and unformatted. So I then followed the steps defined above and I now have a 15gb drive C and a 61.6gb drive F.

I hope this is useful! I have been looking every where for a walk through on how to do this and after reading this thread and discovering disk management I sort of stumbled on the RAW partitioning in the XP boot. This may be the only walk through of this kind! if it is tell your friends

 

[biglebowski]

when you first install xp it will ask where to install there is an option to delete the partition, you can then create as many partions as you like and define the sizes (even do a quick format ntfs/fat). This is the method I've always used and doesn't require any configuring in disk management.

That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

 

[smah]

As we know the left over space after installing windows xp, the unpartitioned space is not visible from Disk Managment "DISKMGMT.MSC". There for we cannot format it.

I have to disagree...unpartitioned space shows in the graphic in the lower half of the disk managment window.

 

[gx3]

I strongly urge that you "read up" on partitioning in general. Most of what you said is in error. I'll let the rest of the forum members lead you in the correct direction.