formatting a HDD with XP installed on it.?

Piemuncher · 4 Sep 2008 at 17:04

Installed a second hard drive in my PC a few weeks ago and installed Vista on it. I am now happy with vista and have moved all my files ect across. I now want to use the drive for storage. If try to format the old HDD from within vista it tells me can't. Normally I would take it out and do it externally but it is a SATA and have not got the correct bits to do it.

So how do I format it.?

Cheers.

celliott · 4 Sep 2008 at 17:10

Whats the exact error? As long as it's not your boot drive it should format fine.

swinnie · 4 Sep 2008 at 20:10

A few things that come to mind here...

NOTE: Transfer and/or backup files before doing any of the following...

1. Download gparted. Burn to CD, boot from CD, format.

2. Boot with your XP or Vista disk and format the old hard drive.

Either one will work I believe.

thepigf@rmer · 4 Sep 2008 at 20:54

swinnie said:
2. Boot with your XP or Vista disk and format the old hard drive.

There's most probably a quicker/easier way, but this is the method I've always used. Once you've formatted (quick option is enough) you will then be able to format it again in Vista/XP if required.

The reason you can't do it now in Vista/XP is down to windows protection.