Low Level Format Prior to Installation

I finally got a bootable DVD using CDBurnerXP, but it GParted was scary. I had to guess at the options that it displayed while loading, and when it finally ran the interface, I selected the partitions and then selected the apply button, and after a few seconds, it displayed an error dialog, which it said that I could find the details of in a log, but I have no idea of where that could be. When I closed the error dialog, the drive as well as the partitions disappeared from the interface.

I decide to try the W7 installation again, but when I got to the window to choose the partition, the same old two partitions remained exactly as before. I'm fighting a losing battle.

Hello?

Boot into the Windows 7 DVD Repair console, open a Command Line and type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK # (for Windows 7 disk)
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

Now boot back into DVD to install to completely clean, formatted, active HD. Easy.


The only reason a partition will not delete this way is if it is an EISA partition which requires special override commands.

When I tried again to delete one of the partitons with the W7 setup, it gave an error saing that it "Failed to delete the selected partition. [Error: 0x8007045d]". When I Googled this, all that I found was about an error on backup. A couple of the returns said that it involved an I/O Error, so maybe it is just something wrong with the hardware on the rig. As I said before, I will try moving the HD to my primary rig and keep my fingers crossed.

gregrocker said:

Hello?

Boot into the Windows 7 DVD Repair console, open a Command Line and type:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK # (for Windows 7 disk)
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

Now boot back into DVD to install to completely clean, formatted, active HD. Easy.


The only reason a partition will not delete this way is if it is an EISA partition which requires special override commands.

I didn't get very far. Only to a Wndow entitled System Recovery Options, which has two choices. The first to use tools on an item that should be listed under Operating System (There is none), Partition Size (Blank) and location (Blank). Below that, it has an option to restore from a system image, but that isn't applicable. And a button to load drivers, but I have no idea of what drivers that would be. This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

seekermeister said:

I didn't get very far. Only to a Wndow entitled System Recovery Options, which has two choices. The first to use tools on an item that should be listed under Operating System (There is none), Partition Size (Blank) and location (Blank). Below that, it has an option to restore from a system image, but that isn't applicable. And a button to load drivers, but I have no idea of what drivers that would be. This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

Can you click through on the first option to use Recovery Tools?

Command line is there.

The other option is to download and burn to CD free Partition Wizard. It works great to delete, repartition as desired, format.

I went ahead and selected the Next button, and from the list given, selected to open the DOS Prompt. While Diskpart and List does show disk (disk 0, size=465GB, Free 100GB, dyn = blank and Gpt = blank), when I input clean, it said that no disk was selected. I'm assuming that is because I couldn't select a disk in the previous window that I mentioned, so this seems to be a deadend.

seekermeister said:

I went ahead and selected the Next button, and from the list given, selected to open the DOS Prompt. While Diskpart and List does show disk (disk 0, size=465GB, Free 100GB, dyn = blank and Gpt = blank), when I input clean, it said that no disk was selected. I'm assuming that is because I couldn't select a disk in the previous window that I mentioned, so this seems to be a deadend.

You need to Select Disk 0 before typing Clean:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK 0
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

Now I'm really getting confused. At first Partition Wizard appeared to be working fine. It loaded fast and easy, I selected a partition, clicked on delete, and then apply. Both partitions disappeared. I closed PW inserted the W7 disk and when I got to the window to choose or creat the installation partiton, the same to partitions still remained, like they were written in stone.

gregrocker said:

seekermeister said:

I went ahead and selected the Next button, and from the list given, selected to open the DOS Prompt. While Diskpart and List does show disk (disk 0, size=465GB, Free 100GB, dyn = blank and Gpt = blank), when I input clean, it said that no disk was selected. I'm assuming that is because I couldn't select a disk in the previous window that I mentioned, so this seems to be a deadend.

You need to Select Disk 0 before typing Clean:

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK 0
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
assign letter=c:
active
format
exit

I see that I omitted a step, but it still didn't accomplish anything. It said that "...The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error." It referred to a system event log again, but obviously that doesn't exist.

seekermeister said:

Now I'm really getting confused. At first Partition Wizard appeared to be working fine. It loaded fast and easy, I selected a partition, clicked on delete, and then apply. Both partitions disappeared. I closed PW inserted the W7 disk and when I got to the window to choose or creat the installation partiton, the same to partitions still remained, like they were written in stone.

You need to apply all of the Steps you took, after clicking OK on each separate one.

First rightclick on each partition then delete, OK each - one by one.

Then right click Create new partition(s), OK. Now format primary NTFS, OK.

If at any point you make a mistake, you can Undo the steps in reverse order.

If it all looks correct, Apply all steps at bottom left.