Diskpart a concurrent second call is made before the first is complete

[jiewmeng]

I was formating a partition using diskpart

diskpart > format

I canceled using ctrl+c as I wanted to do use the quick switch instead

diskpart > format fs=ntfs quick

but was told of the error "a concurrent second call is made before the first is completed" how can I fix this?

 

[gregrocker]

It didn't want to be canceled. Why do you suspect there is a problem? Did it complete the format?

Run Disk Check from the DVD or Repair CD command line if you suspect problems with the HD.

Then I would wipe the HD to remove any corruption (formatting erases nothing) using Diskpart Clean All command, partition and format using the installer or Disk Mgmt.

 

[SIW2]

Diskpart is just telling you it is in the middle of fulfilling the first command and you will have to wait before you give it another.

What is surprising about that?

No cause for concern at this stage.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Then I would wipe the HD to remove any corruption (formatting erases nothing) using Diskpart Clean All command, partition and format using the installer or Disk Mgmt.

Hello, here's some additional useful information; BTW a 'quick' format is totally useless.


After you have copied out or made back-ups of the data you need to save to external media, use Step One of this tutorial at the first link below to do a wipe (secure erase) to the entire Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive.

• Then if you do not want to create the new Windows 7 "System Reserved" partition use the outline in Step Two #2 to create, format and mark Active a single 100GB partition to do the installation to.
• If you do want to create the "System Reserved" partition use the outline in Step Two #3 to create, format and mark Active the System Reserved partition and then create and format the 100GB partition to do the installation to.

Either way, running the "clean all" then creating and formatting the partition(s) using diskpart will get you the best possible space to do a clean install of Windows 7 to; you can always extend the Windows partition to include the remaining unallocated space on the HDD / SSD or create additional Primary partitions or an Extended partition after the installation completes if you choose.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

DISKPART : At PC Startup

Do a Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

 

[SIW2]

Then I would wipe the HD to remove any corruption (formatting erases nothing) using Diskpart Clean All command, partition and format using the installer or Disk Mgmt.

Why would you do that Greg?

BTW a 'quick' format is totally useless

How do you mean, BFK ?

 

[gregrocker]

I suggested if he suspects there are problems with the HD resulting from aborting the full format that he run Disk Check from DVD Command Line, then wipe the HD of any resulting possible boot sector corruption, repartition and format using installer or Disk Mgmt.

Run Disk Check from the DVD or Repair CD command line if you suspect problems with the HD.

Then I would wipe the HD to remove any corruption (formatting erases nothing) using Diskpart Clean All command, partition and format using the installer or Disk Mgmt.

Si, we (Ted, Ray and I) have adopted a default position of wiping the HD on clean reinstalls to overwrite any possible boot sector corruption or infection remaining on the HD.

I think this is largely because wiping the HD is one of the top fixes which work with install failure.

Do you think this is overkill? If so, when would you advise it be offered?

I think this needs to have a full debate.

 

[SIW2]

Hiya Greg,

( I assume you are talking to me - never mind, I will answer to anything. )

Have you any respected/official links to suggest clean all is to be used as default?

Have you anything similar to show that MS default of quick format is somehow lacking?

Fafhrd may have something to add - I believe he has done alot of Windows/Linux multibooting.

 

[gregrocker]

As I said, this was arrived at more or less simultaneously by those of us who work in the trenches here for hours per day, helping with hundreds of complicated installation issues over the past year and a half. Those who drive by infrequently may not have noticed.

Wiping the HD solved so many of these issues up front that we have come to suggest it by default, unless the HD is brand new.

I assume it works because of boot sector corruption but it nevertheless works to solve thorny install issues in a large percentage of the install failures we help with.

I am wondering what reference we would look for that would be more authoritative than that, since we help with more of these installation failures here than perhaps all other forums on the web put together.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I will continue to suggest a complete wipe, clean all for most instances where there are issues with the installation completing as it does help, there are too many times in the past where it has resolved installation issues resulting in the install completing successfully to be ignored.

The clear fact that data can be successfully recovered after a full format, to say nothing of a 'quick' format attests to the fact that formats do not remove (for lack of a better term) any code at all, be it Windows, Linux or driver code, hence my earlier comment.

I have done perhaps close to 50 separate clean all (wipes) immediately followed by a full diskpart format, the format takes 1/3 the time of the clean all so there can be no doubt that the format does not over-write the HDD with zeroes as the clean all does.

As for the clean all being hard on a HDD/SSD, most people will do only a single wipe to the/a HDD/SSD over a life-time so that seems to be a moot point in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Brink]

Usually just deleting all partitions on a disk until the disk is unallocated during installation, then selecting the unallocated disk to install Windows 7 to works great and is less time consuming than using "clean all" before installing Windows 7.

"clean all" is more of a secure x1 pass erase of a disk. It may be ok to use in bad cases (ex: virus) where the above doesn't help though. Plus, you would want to use "clean all" as little as possible on a SSD due to all the writes the command does.

 

[theog]

I personally beleive in CLEAN ALL & Full FORMAT on all new installs & reinstalls.

On HD's that have linux as the old OS, CLEAN ALL & Full FORMAT will not delete all linux code.
NOTE: If you reboot before installing Windows, you will got a flash of Grub, this will be delete by the install of Windows.

Remove Linux the MS way:
How to Remove Linux and Install Windows XP

 

[SIW2]

Usually just deleting all partitions on a disk until the disk is unallocated during installation, then selecting the unallocated disk to install Windows 7 to works great and is less time consuming than using "clean all" before installing Windows 7.

"clean all" is more of a secure x1 pass erase of a disk. It may be ok to use in bad cases (ex: virus) where the above doesn't help though. Plus, you would want to use "clean all" as little as possible on a SSD due to all the writes the command does.

You will notice the ms way is simply to delete the partitions to using either fdisk ( included with Linux ), or:

When you install Windows XP, the Linux partitions can be removed and new partitions created and formatted with the appropriate file system type during the installation process.

There is no mention of Clean All or equivalent.

As BFK rightly says, although windows is not aware of it - data can be recovered from the drive after quick format by undelete apps.

You could use Clean All before disposing of a drive, or selling your pc.

 

[theog]

There is no mention of Clean All or equivalent.

Long time since using Fdisk.

The base equivalent of Clean all, would be Fdisk option 3, than option 1, than option 2.Restart & format.
1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed disk drive (if you have more than one HD)

How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk

 

[SIW2]

You can do a lot of things with fdisk - it is a very complete utility.

However, that is not what ms is telling you to do - they say simply delete the partitions - either with Linux own app. , or with XP partitioner during installation.

You could also do it with other 3rd party partitioning app. e.g. Paragon, Partition Wizard.

They have a wipe function of some kind as well - but you don't need to use it for this - simply delete the partitions and recreate as ntfs.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Why is XP_anything being discussed, no one is using XPired any longer?

 

[SIW2]

Because that is the link theog posted.

You can replace the word XP in the post above with the word Windows.

 

[Brink]

Usually just deleting all partitions on a disk until the disk is unallocated during installation, then selecting the unallocated disk to install Windows 7 to works great and is less time consuming than using "clean all" before installing Windows 7.

"clean all" is more of a secure x1 pass erase of a disk. It may be ok to use in bad cases (ex: virus) where the above doesn't help though. Plus, you would want to use "clean all" as little as possible on a SSD due to all the writes the command does.

You will notice the ms way is simply to delete the partitions to using either fdisk ( included with Linux ), or:

When you install Windows XP, the Linux partitions can be removed and new partitions created and formatted with the appropriate file system type during the installation process.

There is no mention of Clean All or equivalent.

As BFK rightly says, although windows is not aware of it - data can be recovered from the drive after quick format by undelete apps.

You could use Clean All before disposing of a drive, or selling your pc.

Agreed. If your main concern is to not be able to recover data from the HDD or to wipe out another OS (ex: Linux) installed on it, then using "Clean All" would be the best option.

If you just wanted to reinstall Windows 7 on your own computer and do not plan on selling the computer, then just deleting the partitions as above would usually be fine.

 

[gregrocker]

Si and Shawn: wiping the HD seems to overcome install failures sometimes where the boot sector is apparently corrupt. If it's not that, then something coinciding with Clean All being run will allow the install to proceed.

But there must be an easier way to wipe the boot sector by itself. Would a simple command run from DVD Command Line be sufficient?

Further, is it best practice to Clean All when serious infection is known or suspected to be on the disk? In not, what would suffice?

 

[SIW2]

Not entirely sure what you are getting at Greg, but the Clean command may be what you are looking for.

I think Shawn has that in the tut about creating bootable flash drive.

I don't know the answer to the Malware question. I am no expert on malware - I have heard some nasties can resurrect themselves - so maybe not a bad idea to do it then - if only for the peace of mind.

Perhaps Jacee will know about that.

 

[Layback Bear]

I don't have the wisdom that Jacee has but from my understanding without a completely clean hard drive a piece of a virus can hang around. When you install Windows again you could be opening a new path for this virus to do its thing. Before installing Windows 7 on my old hard drive that had XP-PRO that I just removed a virus the drive was wiped with Drive Scrubber 2. IMHO this will take less time than what it took to remove the virus.