Does anyone know how to format a hard drive??

[DisJosh]

My computer is in serious need of help. As a last resort I'm just going to format the hard drive now. I've got all the disks that came with my computer including the windows re-install but I just don't know how to go about doing it. Could anyone give me a step by step? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[Lovecraft]

Formatting is pretty serious. I can help though.

But tell me what it is doing/not doing that makes you want to format it?

 

[DisJosh]

Have you heard of homepage hijacking? It's when a program installs it self on your computer and changes your explorer settings and will not let you change it back. There are various types of these programs some more serious than others. This one is more serious. That's what has happened. I've tried Ad-Aware, anti virus programs etc and nothing has worked. I went so far as to play around with things in the registry to try and disable the program that installed it self on my computer. And that's where I should have stopped. I'm pretty sure I did something in the registry I shouldnt have. I've already lost any important files by accident. So a format is sounding good aright about now. I know to some extent what is involved but I dont know if I will be able to install XP with the re-install disc Dell gavve me with the PC and I don't have a boot disk at this point either.

 

[tigsmom]

That happened to me yesterday!!!!!! I got hijacked. I ran Ad-Aware & it found 273 different things, three of which hijacked my homepage. I quarantined all 273 hits & then removed them. I was able to change back to my desired homepage. ( got that help from strobe who works with computers for a living...my hero!)

 

[Lovecraft]

Ok.

I was going to suggest a registry fix for the hijacking, but sounds like you messed the registry up.

AND it sounds like you are intent on reformatting your hard drive and re-installing your OS.

The easiest way to do it is to just boot from your operating system CD. And choose to install Windows.

From that point you should be prompted about already having an operating system and should be given the opportunity to format the hard drive instead of just "repairing" the installation.

To manually format your hard drive, restart to a command prompt.

Then, at the C:\> or C:\WINDOWS> prompt

type FORMAT C:

That's it. After that completes, put your Windows XP cd into the drive and reboot.

With a dell computer, you might have to load your video and other drivers after you install windows using the Dell Drivers CD.

Let me know if you need any help. I had to do this to 6 systems this week all on Dell pc's (Running windows 2000 pro) this week.

You can email me: lovecraft@wraithnet.org or, if you prefer I can start up AIM and walk you through it (if you have 2 pc's going--I am assuming you do)

 

[DisJosh]

Ok sounds simple enough. I guess my biggest question though is will the RE-INSTALL disk for windows work after all this? I dont know how diferent it is from a normal XP install disk.

 

[no2apprentice]

Are you running Windows XP now? If you are, have you thought about trying to do a System Restore?

 

[strobe]

Originally posted by DisJosh
Have you heard of homepage hijacking? It's when a program installs it self on your computer and changes your explorer settings and will not let you change it back. There are various types of these programs some more serious than others. This one is more serious. That's what has happened. I've tried Ad-Aware, anti virus programs etc and nothing has worked. I went so far as to play around with things in the registry to try and disable the program that installed it self on my computer. And that's where I should have stopped. I'm pretty sure I did something in the registry I shouldnt have. I've already lost any important files by accident. So a format is sounding good aright about now. I know to some extent what is involved but I dont know if I will be able to install XP with the re-install disc Dell gavve me with the PC and I don't have a boot disk at this point either.

You shouldn't need a boot disk, or to reformat your hard drive. Reformatting won't clear out the boot sector completely anyway, so there isn't really a whole lot of point to it.

All you have to do is insert the Dell system recovery disk (if you have one) into your CD-ROM, reboot the machine and follow the steps to 'BOOT FROM CD-ROM' when asked. Wait about 25 minutes and your machine will be reimaged to its out of the box state.

This will reimage the hard drive sector by sector, it's more effective than a format would be.

If you don't have a Dell system recovery disk, you will have to FDISK the drive. If you just reformat it, the OEM install of Windows will insist that an O/S is already installed and won't work. Plus, you will want NTFS anyway, so don't format it to FAT, which has a lot of limitations.

Good Luck to you.

Craig

 

[DisJosh]

Ok...took me all day but I formated and reinstalled the necessary programs and drivers and I'm good as new.

Lovecraft....you mentioned in your PM to me that I should have been able to do a system restore. I attempted to but they kept saying the restore was incomplete and to try I diferent date. Whatever it was that was giving me explorer problems was fidling with that too. After I tried several methods from several people and web sites I resorted to the registry...an idea I got from another site. This is where I clicked and changed things I shouldnt have and made the problem worse than it needed to be even though I was pretty bad off from the start.

So everythings back to new. I didn't lose anything terribly important and I'm happy lol. Sounds like a success to me.

Thanks to everyone for the help...espescially Lovecraft.

I've learned my lesson and will be sure to keep up with my windows updates in the future lol. One of the most recent patches from microsoft was something that prevents things like this. :brick: lol

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by strobe
You shouldn't need a boot disk, or to reformat your hard drive. Reformatting won't clear out the boot sector completely anyway, so there isn't really a whole lot of point to it.

All you have to do is insert the Dell system recovery disk (if you have one) into your CD-ROM, reboot the machine and follow the steps to 'BOOT FROM CD-ROM' when asked. Wait about 25 minutes and your machine will be reimaged to its out of the box state.

This will reimage the hard drive sector by sector, it's more effective than a format would be.

If you don't have a Dell system recovery disk, you will have to FDISK the drive. If you just reformat it, the OEM install of Windows will insist that an O/S is already installed and won't work. Plus, you will want NTFS anyway, so don't format it to FAT, which has a lot of limitations.

Good Luck to you.

Craig

Yeah I didn't have a recovery disk so I did it through the windows install disk like Lovecraft said. It was slow and I thought with my luck it wouldnt work right lol. But it did.

 

[NashvilleMouse]

The FDISK command will clear things out pretty thoroughly. Look me up on AIM if you need any help.

 

[Lovecraft]

Glad I was able to help and that your system seems to be good now

 

[DMC-12]

Originally posted by DisJosh
Does anyone know how to format a hard drive??

Yeah.... Get a really big magnet, or a bulk tape eraser (used to wipe out broadcast tape /reel to reel...etc)

Not that I have ever wiped out a computer hard drive with one :lookaroun :lol:

 

[strobe]

Originally posted by DisJosh
Yeah I didn't have a recovery disk so I did it through the windows install disk like Lovecraft said. It was slow and I thought with my luck it wouldnt work right lol. But it did.

Glad to hear that you're back online!!