Formating Problem ; Please Help

Well I finnaly decided that I should format the problem is my computer is so fucked up that for some reason task manager does not work anymore.. and it is not a uninstalled component problem.

I tried to format C:/ and it always comes up with the same error "make sure all files being used by this disk is closed and try again" or something similar to that , anyway.

I assume files are being used via background and my task manager is fucked. any ideas? thanks

 

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What OS are you using? Well, whatever it is. It's probably not as F-ed as you think. But if you really want to format, you don't actually use format anymore. Get the OS CD you use, and put it in the drive. Restart and it should boot (if you have a new enough computer and have your bios settings done properly.) Then simply follow the directions as if it were a new installation.

-AntonK

 

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I run winXP so all I need is the original cd?

 

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yeah pop it in like you were installing it for the first time. It will ask at some point if u wish to partition and format the drive...you'll simply select yes.

-AntonK

 

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/q313/3/48.asp&NoWebContent=1

might be of some assistance if you don't know what you're doing.

 

side note

the reason you format attempt is failing, is proberly because you are trying to format c: from windows, this can not be done as windows has active files there.
also the command is just format c:"
but anyway just do as already instructed

edit:
just for fun

bah W2K is so boring, i wonder what does linux say to rm / -rf

 

From what I remember although DOS got killed off by the newer windows variants, what you should do is create an "Emergency boot disk", they can be used to boot your system up into a lesser commandline OS that will allow you to FORMAT C:

What was mentioned about is true, you can't format something that is loaded, it's the same reason as to why some programs that are installed cause the OS to reboot. (since the files they update are Kernel's to your OS system and at the time are "running resident" in your RAM).

I know for a fact that during a re-installation of a system (NT4 to Win2000) that the Emergency disk method worked.

(Btw, you might have to call the FORMAT command from the path that FORMAT exists in, which was something like C:\WINNT\COMMAND)

 

start up floppy is all you need. Create in My Computer if you don't have one. Boot from floppy and enable CD rom support, follow instructions, easy peasy.............