Using diskpart to detect hidden files

Hi everyone.still attempting to manage my computer issues.previously posted about losing my firewall,and learnt some very useful stuff.reinstalling windows 7 got me back firewall but also the same probably hijacked,weird hybrid of XP and 7,with all the system files,and drivers frozen at 14th July 2009.Windows updates won't instal.
Previous thread I was advised to scrub the harddisk using diskpart,which I am not confident doing,however I have been trying to learn about disks,and partition cos that is an area I do not really understand(one of the many!)
I have been using a partion management tool,not to change anything,just to find out more
It raises more questions than it answers
My current and only disk listed is disk 1 partition 2.the boot is part of this
So where and what is partition 1?
Needlesss to say I have not been creating,and messing around with anything like this.no one else
access to my computer except my hard to detect hijacker
Don't know if it is relevant but a surface test for bad sectors would only go to 75percent
Hope you can help

Thanks for replying.at this stage I am just trying to find where partition 1 is and what partition1 might contain.

Download Partition Wizard Free, get it here Best Free Partition Manager Freeware and free partition magic for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition.

Install and open Partition Wizard and you will see all the partitions on your drive.

To see the contents of a partition click once on the partition, then on the left side, under Operations click on Explore Partition. You will be able to see all folders and files.

Be careful about making any changes to a partition without getting advice from a expert on SevenForums!

Thanks for your advice.currently can't download anything from the internet.but the disk tool I do have does not show partition 1 an I would guess it is well hidden.
However on looking thru the registry,I did find a reference under HKLM/system/setup
The right hand panels show following

Clone tag Jul 13 2009
OS loader. \
System drive letter DWord. (1)
System partition. \device\harddisk volume 1
Working directory. C:\windows\panther

The date is significant because that's when all these issues started,and even now after several reinstall the system files are frozen at that date,creating a weird hybrid of XP and windows 7
Can anyone exlain that setup reference,and does it indicate the presence of a hidden drive,which is what I suspect

In the search box of the start menu, enter Disk Management. Click on "Create and format hard disk partitions".

You will see all partitions on every drive. Right click on a partition and select "Explore".

But... with only one drive, it should be listed as Disk 0. Partitions are not numbered, but use letters beginning with "C". Hidden partitions do not have a letter assigned.

You are right,disk management shows disk 0 with an unallocated 101mb which I believe is normal,and the only primary partition
Is my c drive(not counting removables)
Disk 1 is missing from the list entirely
So does this or above registry entry point to existence of hidden partition,or other area.
And if so any other ideas on how to actually find out what and where it is
Thanks

Disk Management shows all partitions on your drive. There are no hidden partitions or disks. If the unallocated space is to the right of the C partition you could extend C to use that space.

Sorry, but I keep away from exploring around the registry. Hopefully someone will come along and explain what you are seeing in the registry.

Back to your original problem: Where did you get your install disk? Did you download it or is it from MS or a computer maker. Can you borrow a disk of the same version and do another clean install?