Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.sys.laptops > #779

Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP)

Show all headers | View raw

In news:Xns9F91770AE4A35zzzzzz@130.133.4.11,
AL_n typed:
> My laptop is an HP 6710b. When I acquired it, I found that the only
> way I could insatall XP was to disable SATA in the BIOS. Since then,
> I have been trying to re-format the 160 GB har drive so that I can
> re-install XP using a an installation disc (created with the nLite
> program) that has the SATA driver files on it.
>
> Unfortunately, Win XP professional is unable to format the drive
> during the setup process. It gives me a message saying something
> like: "Unable to format the drive because it contains essential setup
> files" (or something to that effect).

Wow! I never heard of that error before. Unless you copy the setup files 
to the hard drive or something. In that case, you should make a second 
partition to hold them.

And formatting the drive should wipe all files out and not some of them. 
If some of them are still there, something is seriously wrong. I dunno, 
bad hard drive, bad controller, loose cable, or something.

> I tried going into XP recovery mode. That cave me a DOS-like
> C:/windows prompt. So I typed in "format c:" and hit enter. I thought
> I was in luck, because it said "Are you sure you want to format C:?
> All data on the drive will be lost" (or words to that efffect). I hit
> "yes". However, I found that the C: was not formatted at all. All
> that apparently happened was that most of the files thereon had ben
> erased.
>
> I reinstalled Win XP, but found that SATA mode was still inoperable. I
> guess this is because the drive was not really re-formatted.
>
> If that sounds likely, how do I genuinely reformat the drive in such
> a way that the SATA will work when I reinstall XP using the nLite
> installation disc?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Al

It should work without any problems. Unless something is wrong like I 
mentioned above. Or the wrong SATA driver or something. The BIOS doesn't 
support RAID mode, does it? If it does, turn it off.

-- 
Bill
Asus EEE PC 702G8 ~ 2GB RAM ~ 16GB-SDHC
Windows XP SP2 

Back to comp.sys.laptops | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-02 11:45 +0000
  Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) Bob_Villa <pheeh.zero@gmail.com> - 2011-11-02 05:03 -0700
    Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-02 12:38 +0000
      Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) Tazz <dmswaine@gmail.com> - 2011-11-02 11:51 -0300
  Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "BillW50" <BillW50@aol.kom> - 2011-11-02 07:18 -0500
    Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-02 12:36 +0000
  Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) mike <spamme9@gmail.com> - 2011-11-02 11:45 -0700
    Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) none <dgoodnow@gmail.com> - 2011-11-02 13:28 -0700
    Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-03 15:18 +0000
      Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) mike <spamme9@gmail.com> - 2011-11-03 12:09 -0700
        Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-03 22:27 +0000
          Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-03 22:39 +0000
          Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) mike <spamme9@gmail.com> - 2011-11-03 18:09 -0700
          Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) dg1261 <dgREMOVE-THIS1261@cs.com> - 2011-11-04 22:04 +0000
            Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) mike <spamme9@gmail.com> - 2011-11-04 15:28 -0700
              Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) dg1261 <dgREMOVE-THIS1261@cs.com> - 2011-11-05 08:06 +0000
            Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) Bob_Villa <pheeh.zero@gmail.com> - 2011-11-04 16:09 -0700
              Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "~misfit~" <sore_n_happy@nospamyahoo.com.au> - 2011-11-06 11:36 +1300
            Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) "AL_n" <fgdfgdfg@fghfghfg.com> - 2011-11-05 11:39 +0000
        Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) wrat@panix.com (the wharf rat) - 2011-11-12 09:36 +0000
      Re: Cannot format hard drive (Win XP) Bob_Villa <pheeh.zero@gmail.com> - 2011-11-03 16:28 -0700

csiph-web