Format Hard Drive

[Ken Baird]

Hi,

You will most likely need to do a low level format. This is a deeper format
then normal. This will completely clear the disk.

I think you will need to go to the hard drive's web site and look for their
utility for this as I believe each drive is different.

Had some problems on industrial PC’s with western digital drives and worked
every time. If you goto western digital's site and search "Low Level Format"
you can read up on it.


Good Luck

"Raby''s" <raby''s@discussions.microsoft.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B203ECB-1BC5-42BF-996D-46C07E6B0A58@microsoft.com...
> Thanks guys for trying BUT, I tried to uninstall vista, and was blocked.
> So I
> went to MichaelStevens' page and downloaded the XP setup disks, ran them
> and
> faffed around for an hour, only to be blocked by Vista. I could actually
> work
> in DOS to clear the HD but 5 more versions of Windows would be released by
> the time I had achieved anything meaningful. By which time...
>
> Oh for God's sake, hasn't anyone got a solution that works?
> I 'm supposed to have a life, that I could be getting on with.
> --
> Raby''s
>
>
> "Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Clean Install Windows XP
>> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
>>
>> --
>> Carey Frisch
>> Microsoft MVP
>> Windows Shell/User
>> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
>> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "vbnetdev" wrote:
>>
>> | I need to format the hard drive where Vista is on and install Windows
>> XP.
>> | Please help.
>>
>>
>>

[Malke]

Ken Baird wrote:
> Hi,
>
> You will most likely need to do a low level format. This is a deeper format
> then normal. This will completely clear the disk.
>
> I think you will need to go to the hard drive's web site and look for their
> utility for this as I believe each drive is different.
>
> Had some problems on industrial PC’s with western digital drives and
> worked
> every time. If you goto western digital's site and search "Low Level
> Format" you can read up on it.

It is completely unnecessary to do a low-level format when installing an
operating system, any operating system. I suspect that the OP was trying
to install XP from within Vista, but unless he comes back we'll never know.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[ray]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:30:01 -0700, Raby''s wrote:

> Thanks guys for trying BUT, I tried to uninstall vista, and was blocked. So I
> went to MichaelStevens' page and downloaded the XP setup disks, ran them and
> faffed around for an hour, only to be blocked by Vista. I could actually work
> in DOS to clear the HD but 5 more versions of Windows would be released by
> the time I had achieved anything meaningful. By which time...
>
> Oh for God's sake, hasn't anyone got a solution that works?
> I 'm supposed to have a life, that I could be getting on with.

Gparted Live CD.

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:49:59 -0400, "Ken Baird" <ken@baird.ca> wrote:


> You will most likely need to do a low level format. This is a deeper format
> then normal. This will completely clear the disk.


Three points:

1. A low-level format is not possible on modern hard drives. If you
were to do one, it would destroy the drive.

2. What many people mean when they say "low-level format" these days
is actually just a zero fill utility.

3. Although it *is* possible to use such a zero-fill utility, it is
*not* necessary to do this when installing Vista, or any operating
system. Whatever his problem is, this isn't it.



> I think you will need to go to the hard drive's web site and look for their
> utility for this as I believe each drive is different.
>
> Had some problems on industrial PC’s with western digital drives and worked
> every time. If you goto western digital's site and search "Low Level Format"
> you can read up on it.
>
>
> Good Luck
>
> "Raby''s" <raby''s@discussions.microsoft.com.au> wrote in message
> news:3B203ECB-1BC5-42BF-996D-46C07E6B0A58@microsoft.com...
> > Thanks guys for trying BUT, I tried to uninstall vista, and was blocked.
> > So I
> > went to MichaelStevens' page and downloaded the XP setup disks, ran them
> > and
> > faffed around for an hour, only to be blocked by Vista. I could actually
> > work
> > in DOS to clear the HD but 5 more versions of Windows would be released by
> > the time I had achieved anything meaningful. By which time...
> >
> > Oh for God's sake, hasn't anyone got a solution that works?
> > I 'm supposed to have a life, that I could be getting on with.
> > --
> > Raby''s
> >
> >
> > "Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:
> >
> >> Clean Install Windows XP
> >> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
> >>
> >> --
> >> Carey Frisch
> >> Microsoft MVP
> >> Windows Shell/User
> >> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
> >> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
> >>
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> "vbnetdev" wrote:
> >>
> >> | I need to format the hard drive where Vista is on and install Windows
> >> XP.
> >> | Please help.
> >>
> >>
> >>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Malke]

ray wrote:
> On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:30:01 -0700, Raby''s wrote:
>
>> Thanks guys for trying BUT, I tried to uninstall vista, and was blocked. So I
>> went to MichaelStevens' page and downloaded the XP setup disks, ran them and
>> faffed around for an hour, only to be blocked by Vista. I could actually work
>> in DOS to clear the HD but 5 more versions of Windows would be released by
>> the time I had achieved anything meaningful. By which time...
>>
>> Oh for God's sake, hasn't anyone got a solution that works?
>> I 'm supposed to have a life, that I could be getting on with.
>
> Gparted Live CD.
>

While Gparted is excellent, it is not necessary in the OP's instance.
Read the previous replies and you will see why.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[Raby''''s]

Thanks Malke, I WAS trying to setup XP from within Vista.
The other stuff about discs came from another well meaning person. but I
couldn't get it to work as my computer threw up differend dialogue windows
and messages so it took quite some time to sort it out.
I managed to shove Vista over and create another partition adn successfuly
install XP there giving me the option to choose which OS to use upon boot-up.
But that isn't what I really wanted.
That which I did discover in the process, is that if one has an earlier
version of Windows installed, the Vista OEM set-up procedure affords the
opportunity to keep the old version of windows and swallows it up. A Windows
Explorer tree search, will show alphabetically, Windows then Windows old.
This a curious thing for MS to allow.
Using this method, I am hoping that my XP progs can be run from within
Vista, which would be just the trick. Whether this is actually possible
remains to be seen.
--
Raby''''s


"Malke" wrote:

> Raby''s wrote:
> > Thanks guys for trying BUT, I tried to uninstall vista, and was blocked. So I
> > went to MichaelStevens' page and downloaded the XP setup disks, ran them and
> > faffed around for an hour, only to be blocked by Vista. I could actually work
> > in DOS to clear the HD but 5 more versions of Windows would be released by
> > the time I had achieved anything meaningful. By which time...
> >
> > Oh for God's sake, hasn't anyone got a solution that works?
> > I 'm supposed to have a life, that I could be getting on with.
>
> I don't really understand why you are having trouble and why you needed
> setup disks. Do you not have a CD drive that works? That's the only
> reason to use the setup disks. What do you mean "was blocked"? This
> makes no sense.
>
> Assuming you have a working optical drive:
>
> 1. Go into your BIOS and set your computer to boot from the optical
> drive first, hard drive second. Some computers have a keypress you can
> do to temporarily change the boot order. Either way, you want to boot
> from the optical drive first.
>
> 2. Put the XP install CD in your drive and start the computer. The XP CD
> is bootable. When you see the prompt "Press any key to boot from CD",
> press any key. The XP install will start. Delete all partitions and
> create new ones as desired. Once you have done that, the XP installer
> will ask where you want to install XP. Tell it and let it rip.
>
> Read over Michael Stevens' instructions (and look at mine for what you
> should have on hand) if you have any questions.
>
> http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
> http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...alling_Windows -
> What you will need on-hand
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>

[xCINDYx]

All You Have to do is go to BIOS and disable SATA ( disable) and insert your windows XP CD in and it will regconize the drives .