Formatting question!

[TheBull]

I have XP installed on my 2'nd hard drive but I want to format that hard drive now. How do I do that in Windows 7? Under Disk Management the option to format is grayed out!

Please help!

Thanks!!

 

[torrentg]

Just use your bios to boot to the Win7 DVD. Upon install, when you choose which drive it wil be installed to, you can also format then and there. Be careful you choose the right HDD. That's assuming you want a clean install placed, of course.

Windows will not let you format a drive if it's being used for page file, temp files etc..so move any references away from that drive, reboot and try again. That's if you aren't planning to install 7 on it.

Also, just using "computer" i.e. windows explorer, you can right click on the drive and choose format.

 

[TheBull]

Hi torrentg, I don't want to install any OS on that hard drive, just for all my files. I tried to do the right click thing in windows explorer, but it won't do the format. Can you please tell me how to move references away from that drive?

Thank you!

 

[Romulinx2]

This should help you
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3741-hard-disk-partition-letter-missing-windows-7-fix.html

 

[torrentg]

What is the exact error that happens when you right click on the drive and try to format? Does it just say, "Windows was unable to complete this format?"

Start menu | right-click computer | properties | advanced system setting (left side) | advanced tab |

Now you can click environment variables. Make sure the two listed directories for temp and tmp and not on the XP drive. If they are, move them away.

Then in the bottom part, in system variables section at the bottom, do the same for them (tmp and temp.)

Click ok. Then under performance, click settings, then advanced, then change. If "automatically manage page file for all drives" is checked, leave it alone. If not, make sure the XP drive is not being used here. Exit all of this.

Reboot.

Make sure that there are no open programs that are running from your XP drive. If there are, kill them using the task manager.

Now try to format again.

Any probs, post back. Good luck.

 

[TheBull]

This is the error I get.



Thanks so far!

 

[garysgold]

Hello Bull,

I believe that the reason you cannot format that partition is that you had XP installed first. This means that the partition may contain the boot files for all the OS's you have installed. Formatting it would make your system unbootable. I have the same problem with my Vista partition. I seem to be able to format the drive from windows explorer, but have not hit the last ok button to be sure that no warning ect. comes up. If you are planning on installing the RC when it comes up, I would just wait until then. You could then unplug the harddrive and install the RC which would create a boot record on the other drive. After that was done, you could plug the 2nd drive in and format with no worries. Another possibility would be to unplug the drive from the Mobo and see if it boots. If not you should be able to use the W7 install disk to do a repair install to the boot record. Make sure the DVD is bootable. If you can't get things working you can simply plug the HD back in and boot and we'll look for something else. Maybe someone else can confirm this or has a better idea as I haven't actually tried it.

Gary

I see that you did try to format. That post wasn't there when I started to answer. sorry

 

[TheBull]

Sorry, I am not sure what to do here!!

 

[torrentg]

That's fine, TheBull. You can leave that as is.

You can copy the "boot" folder and "bootmgr" file from the XP drive straight to your windows 7 drive. Both to root.

Inside the boot folder, windows will not let you copy the important file "BCD" though. You can use VistaBootPro to backup this file. After doing so, you can then cut and paste the copied backup into the new Windows 7 drive boot folder. You may have to also rename it to bcd instead of bcd.backup or whatnot.

Now make sure the boot folder on both drives are identical.

Restart computer, then go into bios. Change the boot drive to the Windows 7 drive, instead of the XP one.

Restart and boot into Windows 7. Now you should be able to format the XP drive if all went well.

 

[SIW2]

Hi,

Just to expand on torrentg's post.

Boot into 7. Go to folder options, Unhide protected operating system files.

Then copy and paste bootmgr and the Boot folder from the XP drive directly onto the root of your 7 drive ( skip copying bcd as it won't let you ).

Open an elevated cmd prompt, and assuming C is the 7 drive letter,type:

bcdedit /export C:\Boot\bcd {enter}

Then change the boot drive as Torrentg described.

Hope it helps.

 

[torrentg]

Very cool SIW2!

In case it is unclear to others, SIW2's method replaces all the steps using VistaBootPro. That app is not needed.

 

[TheBull]

Guys, sorry, I went and did what torrentg suggested initially and took the hard drive out and did a system startup repair. Everything went fine. But after I put the XP hard drive back, I can still not format the damn thing!!

Oops, sorry that was Garysgold's suggestion!

 

[torrentg]

Well, now that your booting is all contained within your 7 drive, here's a fail proof way to format since you can't.

Boot from the 7 DVD. Make pretend you are going to clean install to the XP drive. Format the XP drive as part of the install. Be careful to choose the right one. After formatting, go back to bios and choose your 7 drive as the boot drive.

There's probably an easier way now, but since I'm not there, kind of hard to say. So this should do well...considering that you really do boot from your 7 now.

 

[TheBull]

So do I then have to install 7 on that hard drive, or is there an option during installation to just format before installing?

Sorry if I am a pain!!

Is it not perhaps because it is still a system partition? Should I not change this, and if I must, how?

 

[torrentg]

No, it's no pain. We're all glad to help.

Yeah, you can format as part of the install. But once formatting is done, you can reboot, then bios (change drive to 7 again), then boot normal.

 

[TheBull]

Where do I get the option to just format?

 

[torrentg]

After booted from the 7 DVD, the screen pops up to say "install now." Click that. Then choose to do a clean install. Then it will present you with places to install. Here, on the screen it will tell you to hit a button for advanced options. In the advanced oiptions, you can choose to format here.

 

[garysgold]

when starting the install, click on custom, should be an option to format the xp partition in there. After formatting just cancel the install. May have to select where you want to install before you get the option.

Gary

Sorry torrentg. your to fast for me.

 

[TheBull]

Gentleman, thank you so much for your help! Formatted and sorted! I really appreciate your help, as well as this Windows 7 Forum!

 

[garysgold]

Your welcome Bull. Glad to hear you got it sorted.

Gary