Two "Windows" HDD's and won't let me delete the dupe. How do I fix this?

[Noya21]

Okay, so I made this PC back in 2008/9 and maybe did a Vista64 re-install in 2011.

It has four separate HDDs.

0 for Windows C: Vista / i: Storage
1 for E: Page File / H: Storage
2 for F: Storage
3 for D Games / G: Storage

Apparently, my Games partition had an install of Windows on it (taking up 30gb). Vista will not let me reformat it..."Window was unable to complete the format" is what comes up. I faintly recall this problem from 2011 when I made this drive into my game partition. As you can see in the pic of Disk Management, Vista 64 on C: is allowing D Games to show as the System drive/Page File/Active/Primary...whatever the hell this means.

I want to reformat disk 3 and repartition it. How do I achieve this? I tried with EaseUS Partition Manager and it was the same as Vista's Disk Management, not allowing change to D.

Any ideas?

 

[inachu]

take second hard drive out and use a USB to IDE/SATA connector to your hard drive.

Slaving it will now let you delete it.
If that still does not work then you can search for SYSINTERNAL now bought out by Microsoft and you can download their tool to delete locked files and folders.

 

[Noya21]

I don't have a USB-to-Sata connector.

I'm looking at the SYSINTERNAL files, which tool will do this for me?

Thanks for the reply 🙂

 

[postmortemIA]

404 image not found
System - means bootloader is on that partition. #1 reason won't let you remove the partition: it is like cutting tree branch you sit on.
Page File - swap file is found on that partition
Primary- type of partition, does not matter much
Active- it is bootable partition of that drive

So yeah, without image can't tell you much. Is C: showing as Boot? that's where OS is.

Looks like your bootloader lies on the wrong partition, removing that disk will require that you repair C: installation

 

[master_shake_]

Use diskpart.

List disk and the selecef whatever disk it is then clean.

Go to manage and create a partition and format it.

 

[denis280]

removing that disk will require that you repair C: installation

+1

 

[xgsound]

Proceed with caution! It appears (YMMV) that the D drive has required boot/ system information on it. If you delete or change that info vista may not boot until repaired. If you leave it alone it will definitely still work.

Sorry to be so imprecise, but that is as much as I know. Since XP, windows responds to repair installs in undefinable manners across hard drives for me with any extra hard drives. My fix has been to disconnect any extra hard drives during the repair install and for two "insurance" reboots after install. Then I connect extra hard drives. This has worked without issue.

Jim

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Easiest way is to rename first. That will isolate which is redundant and keep you from making an unintended mistake.

 

[JackMDS]

Download the Bootable ISO version of this free program (last entry on this page - http://www.partitionwizard.com/download.html

Make from it a Bootable CD/DVD or flash Drive by burning the ISO to it.

Boot from the Partition Wizard Boot Disk and delete with it the partitons on the HD.

Then create new Partitions and format as a logical Drive.

Make sure that you know what the real status of the HD is before the erasing so you would not end up that after the process the computer would boot anymore.




😎

 

[Noya21]

Make sure that you know what the real status of the HD is before the erasing so you would not end up that after the process the computer would boot anymore.

Thanks for all the replies everyone...unfortunately I was impatient and accidentally wiped it.

Luckily, I had a spare PC to use and was able to save personal data off C: after it wouldn't boot.

Learned my lesson lol.

 

[xgsound]

Thanks for all the replies everyone...unfortunately I was impatient and accidentally wiped it.

Luckily, I had a spare PC to use and was able to save personal data off C: after it wouldn't boot.

Learned my lesson lol.

That's how I learned too!

Jim