• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Hard drive formatting problems...

G

GreycoyoteLP

Junior Member
Hey, My system got SNAFUed the yesterday and I attempted a reformat and clean install. I have 2 HDs, a 60 gig 6500 rpm Western Digital, and an 80 gig 7200 rpm 8 meg cache Maxtor (both of which are IDE). I attempted to install to my primary (Maxtor) and it refused, so I settled for my secondary drive for the time being. I figured that once I got my 80 reformatted I could swich over.

Lo and behold, when I tried to format the drive within XP it said the volume coud not be formatted. I tried in the command prompt and it proceded to go through the format process, only to stop right at the end and give me the same message, something to the affect of "This volume could not be formatted by Windows."

Anybody have a freakin clue what's going on? Help Please. Thanks.
 
Maxtor has a lousy track record with many.Maybe it's fried.I'm sure your ocerclocking doesn't help it much either 🙂
First suspect,always doublecheck your connections.Are they master/slaved properly?
Both detected in bios correctly?
If yes too all the above,I'd wager the overclocking is causing problems.If not that maybe it's just fried,like my Maxtors became during their short lived life.
Oh,did you try formatting from the command prompt via Windows or from command prompt by selecting F8 prior to OS bootup or via floppy disk?
 
Download the maxtor diagnostic program and run some tests on it. You can also enable SMART in your BIOS (if it has the option), that's supposed to record errors that occur on the disk.
 
Originally posted by: redbeard1
Are you formatting fat32 or ntfs? Win2k/xp can only create fat32 partitions up to 32 gig.
Click to expand...
Unpatched, there is a limit to the command line format from DOS 7 that is used by W9x and WinMe, but it's more than just 32 Gb, I thought, for FAT32. Microsoft does offer a Format Program that bypasses the old limit. But however you get it formatted, all Windows versions from 98 to XP recognize up to 137 Gb.

I have two (all FAT32) 80 Gb drives in a dual-booting AMD XP 2100 PC here, each of which has a 57 Gb partition and three smaller partitions. Neither Win98se nor W2K has stumbled in any manner with that largish partition size.



🙂
 
Well, I wouldn't think it's fried, I've had it for under a year. Do you think a low level format could solve it?

Thanks again for all your input.
 
A low level format may solve the problem actually. You want to run the Maxtor diagnostic program and make sure that there aren't any other issues with the drive first. Then you should be able to do the format from the diagnostic program.
 
First, set the CPU to stock. Then download the Maxtor utility to check it out. If it passes, then try to boot from the XP install CD, and delete the partion during the install, and then create a new partition and format it ntfs.
 
My CPU is running at stock, and as far as deleting the parting from withing the setup utility, it says there's system files and it won't delete it. I don't know why it's doing that, it should remove it no problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top