can't format HD to instal win xp

Hi.
I have a WESTERN DIGITAL 80GB 7200 8MB CACHE HARD DRIVE.
I had win xp pro on it but I deleted using the WIn xp cd it because I want to install it again. Right now I have no OS. I have only one big partition of the whole HD ( Also I saw that it said besides the "C" NEW and RAW. when I am trying to instal win xp. what is that?)
So when I put my win xp cd to install it again,it can not format the hard drive, it goes up to 99% and then it said that "it can not format the hard drive, maybe is damaged or to check if is plugged properly".
I know is not damage because is brand new and I only used it for 2 days with win xp and I know is properly connected because I was using it.
(I do not know if is help but I uninstalled win xp because I got a virus that my antivirus colud not remove, so as I did not have anything important to save I decided that I better instal win xp again).
What should I do to solve my problem? if possible step by step please.
Thank you

 

Try a boot floppy. See the thread "ignorance" by imgnf here for details on getting and using a boot floppy if you need help. Everything here will take you 30 minutes plus XP installation time, total.

After you use FDISK to 1) delete the primary partition, then 2) create a primary partition of 50%, 60%. 70%, 3) create an extended partition of the rest of the useable space, 4) create a logical partition of 100% of the available space in the extended partition, and 5) go back and make the primary partition Active,

Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot TO THE FLOPPY again, and format partition 1 (C), format partition 2 (D), scandisk partition 1, and scandisk partition 2, and THEN

Reboot to the BIOS and set the computer to boot to the CD first. Put in the XP CD, and when you reboot to the CD, run XP Setup. Do NOT re-partition or re-format at this point.

All should go well unless the disk is in fact faulty.

 

No problem. As I was reading your answer, I kept thinking there was an AWFUL echo in here! Then I saw the Yikes! and understood.

 

Hi, yes I'll try with a win 98 bootdisc and see, but is it good for a 80 gb hard drive, I think I read somewhere that it will not work with a HD that big.
Thank you for your help.

 

It's fine, or we wouldn't have recommended it. Good luck, and follow the instructions carefully unless you know what you're doing without them.

 

My experience

I have the same drive which I bought cheaper as an OEM, that means no software. I went to the Western Digital site, http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp and downloaded the new Data Life Guard sw. I got both the windows and dos versions. The dos version prompts you though making a dos disk that you can boot from. I used that and was able to get through the same error message after wasting my time thinking that the XP install program was formatting.

Boot with the WD DLG disk and follow the instructions. First I erased the entire disk with the WD DLG program then restarted the XP install program and it did the format for the total drive however I was not able to force XP to partition the drive for a boot partition. I should have gone back and partitioned with the WD DLG program but didn't think of it at the time. I looked at the windows version and it seemed like a slick program with a graphic presentation for partitioning. Just drag the Pie Chart around to the size you want. I'm not sure how to run that however unless you are already in Windows. Do the boot from the WD DLG dos disk and see if you can lick it like I did. Have no idea why XP Install had a problem except that I guess what they call Fdisk is different for XP.

Try it, you may like it! And it is made by your disk manufacturer. Good luck, a lot of us share the same frustrations with the "intuitive easy to use programs". Maybe a MacIntosh in the next life? They have their ration of BS too!

 

We see this problem occasionally. It only seems to happen with certain drive/,motherboard combos.

As mentioned with this thread, you will be able to format as fat32, but you will not be able to format as ntfs, at least with XP setup.

A BIOS update could help here.

BTW, I have that same drive (Sounds like the special edition drive w/ the 8mb cache) and XP formats ntfs fine on my computer.


So Im thinking less hard drive, more BIOS as the culprit.

 

Re: My experience

Uh, Nope.

All FDISK does is partition HDs, delete partitions, and optionally make a partition active. That's it. Nada else. (There are several parameters that can be run with the FDISK command, such as /MBR, but those are not the topic here.) Once you start FDISK, you're gonna partition and/or delete partitions and/or make a partition active. Period. And it couldn't care LESS what system you're GOING TO install to the partitioned HD. It just does its thing.

 

RE: My experience

As I recall XP install was supposed to do the partioning of the drive so I assume it is using some form of Fdisk integrated with the install program. I could have run Fdisk from ME before reconfiguring and starting the install program but everyone says not to partition and format before running the XP install program. So we tried that and were able on the first run to partition but XP install would not format the partition or the remaining second partition. Had to use the WD DLG program to clean the disk off, write 0's to everything, then XP install would format but not partition the drive. Next time I have to do a clean reinsall of XPP, and I'm sure that is coming, I will use the WD DLG program to clean the disk and create partitions then run XP install to do the formatting and see how that works.

By the way, what is the recommended size for the boot partition, I was trying 15 gb. Is it recommended to format all partitions with NTSF format or should part of the drive be FAT32?

 

FDISK died with 9x.


Windows 2000/XP use DISKPART. Much more powerful, especially within the OS.

 

Hi, about DISKPART, can I use it to solve my problem?.
thank you