Unable to format hard drive

[Marckas]

Hello Good People, IF anyone can help me with what steps or what exactly I should do cause when I try to format my C: hard drive (I have 2 hard drives), the C: drive has a old version of windows - this is the exact error message: "Windows cannot format this drive. Quit any disck utilities or other programs that are using this driver, and make sure that no window is displaying the content of the drive. Then try formatting again." Thanks!! Munaf

 

[electronicsfreak]

Go here and make a windows 98 bootdisk. boot from it, delete partition, create new one, then format. Should work without any problems. Let us know if you have any problems doing it.

http://www.bootdisk.com/

There is a point in wisdom and knowledge that when you reach it, you exceed what is considered possible - Jason Schoon

 

[edfair]

I would urge some small amount of caution.

The reason you can't format is because the hard drive is active with something, probably tied in with whatever operating system you are running on the other drive.

If you format your C: you may lose whatever links you have and your old drive may become ususable.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[ArizonaGeek]

If you arent concerned about your data you can use Darik's Boot and Nuke it'll kill anything on any drive. Just make sure you get the correct drive and understand what Ed said about your drives. If you are going to reload Windows anyway ... no big deal.

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!

 

[firewolfrl]

your C: drive is an old Windows so what drive is the other hard drive?
if you wipe the c: drive and you are loading the other drive from the MBR of the C: drive you may make the windows unbootable