cannot format! help please.

[d0nk1ek0ng]

hey guys, i am trying to format my computer because i want it to start out fresh and i have my stuff backed up. and when i click format on my computer it said "windows was unable to complete format" whats the problem? and i put NTFS for file system, and allocation unit size 4096, format options, i checked "quick format" and "enable compression". and it is local (c:. i have a picture. and my computer is a desktop HP Pavillion a620n.

 

[LastKnownUser]

1. You can't format the entire drive while actually IN the windows operating system.

You must do it at boot up. If you own an HP or Compaq You can go into HP recovery and do a reinstall of windows from the recovery partition which is the easiest way with HP and Compaq.

2. If you do not have an HP or compaq, Then you must use your windows installation CD to be able to format/reinstall windows. (or various other Formating programs but if you have the windows disk that should be your first try. )

Hope this helps.

 

[H4x3r]

do as LastKnown said, and use the windows install disk...you can't format C: while you are running from it hahah

 

[Patiszerg]

lol... facepalm indeed. But hey don't worry it happens to the best of us!

 

[Lexluethar]

In order to 'start fresh' you will need a windows CD in order to install the operating system. Once you obtain that you will have to go into your BIOS and ensure CD/DVD is the first boot device. Then pop in the CD and when you get a message asking 'press any key to boot from CD' press a key. At that point you will need to delete the old drive, then format it as NTFS. After formating you can install the operating system on the newly formated drive.

As someone said if you have a computer from certain manufacturers you can boot into the recovery console and format from there (which will just put the computer in the 'out of the box' state).

So you have one, maybe two options:
1)format with a XP CD at startup
2)format withe the recovery partition if your computer came with one