I can't format a partition from within Windows.

[Stinkfinger]

Like I said, it goes through the entire process (the progress bar fills all the way up) and at the very end I get a message saying the format couldn't be completed. The drive I'm trying to format has an XP Pro installation on it if that helps. Any idea why this might be happening?

 

[Dahak]

If it is the partition that you are booting from and are in windows, it will not let you format it. You will have to boot from the cd to format that partition. If it is on another drive, you should try to do a full instead of a quick (dont have the check mark beside quick)

 

[Stinkfinger]

Here's how my pc is set up. There's one 200GB hd in my pc which has 2 partitions, one is c: and the other is d: and each have an XP Pro installation on them. I want to format the c:, so I boot to d: and try to format c:. That's when it tells me it can't finish the format.

 

[TGS]

Is the (C) drive marked as active? What is the exact error message?

 

[Stinkfinger]

Originally posted by: TGS
Is the (C) drive marked as active? What is the exact error message?

Yes, its active. It just tells me that the format couldn't be completed. No other message.

 

[Stinkfinger]

Ok, I found a DOS utility that will let me remove the 'active' status from the drive I want to erase. After I remove the 'active' status do I assign another drive 'active' status. Will that allow me to reformat the drive that I want to, which is the one that I removed the active status from?

 

[NogginBoink]

Check the system event log and see if there's a more detailed error message.

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: Stinkfinger
Ok, I found a DOS utility that will let me remove the 'active' status from the drive I want to erase. After I remove the 'active' status do I assign another drive 'active' status. Will that allow me to reformat the drive that I want to, which is the one that I removed the active status from?

It's unlikely that it's due to the active status of the partition, although remember that you must have one active partition to be able to boot an operating system.

It's possible that the pagefile resides on your C: drive, and that's what's stopping the format, although it's a big shot in the dark

Try downloading "UBCD4Win" (Ultimate Boot CD For Windows), which will give you a Windows-style environment, booting from a CD. You should then be able to format the partition.

Failing that, get a Windows 98 bootdisk (http://www.bootdisk.com), and remove the partition manually using FDISK.