Can't format my second hard drive - help!

Cris_L

Cris_L

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I have 2 hard drives in my PC machine, both had copies of windows XP on them (the second was used as a back up drive incase the main drive went down, I could use norton ghost to start over - i never successfully did this!).

I want to just format the second harddrive as it seems the copy of windows that is on it has gotten corrupt. I want the drive to just be used as a storage drive.

when i try to format from 'my computer' it says the harddrive is not accessible, tried formatting it from DOS promp and i get the same message.

Can anyone help??

:shrug:
 
I presume the drive is seen in BIOS

If so then ...................


Go to

Start
control panel
Administrative tools
Computer management
Storage
Disc management

Can you see the drive in there ?

If you can then right click the drive, and choose delete partition

Apply that and then choose create partition

Just click next to each question.

The drive should then show as formating until it shows healthy.

You should then see it in explorer as an empty drive.
 
I can see the drive in disc management but when i right click the delete partition is grayed out? I cant select it.

in disc management it says:
volume Layout type file system status capacity etc etc
C partition basic NTFS healthy (system)

I very much appreciate your help
 
You could try swapping the drives over temporarily, i.e.

  1. Shut down machine.
  2. Disconnect drive 1 (the one you don't want to reformat) and leave it disconnected for a bit.
  3. Connect drive 1's power & signal cables to drive 2 (the one you do want to format).
  4. Insert your Windows CD and reformat drive 2.
  5. Create a partition on drive 2 but don't install windows.
  6. Shut down machine and reconnect drive 1 using its original cables.
  7. Reconnect drive 2 using its original cables.
  8. Start machine and see if drive 2 appears in Windows Explorer.

HTH.
 
BandyQuill said:
it looks and sounds like the 2nd drive has booted from that one (the only reason it would be C:)

might be worth making sure its booted from the correct drive, if you have booted from the correct drive, it might be worth downloading a hirens disk so you can format it from a mini operating system....
Click to expand...

I'd second this. Are you sure that you're looking at and administering the right drive?
Being unable to delete a partition sounds like it's the current drive, C is almost always the boot drive.
Please don't go right outside your comfort zone to wreck this drive before you're absolutely certain it's the faulty one.
 
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