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Posted on Sep 11, 2012
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Reformat a Disk Drive without an install dsk

My windows 7 install seems to have been burned correctly, yet the BIOS refuses to recognize it. I want to reformat the drive it is going on first, so is there a way to reformat a drive without using an OS install disk?

  • Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan Sep 12, 2012

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Brian Sullivan

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  • BFG Technolo... Master 27,725 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 12, 2012
Brian Sullivan
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Power on your computer and wait for Windows to fully load.

Click the "Start" button and select "Control Panel."


Click "System and Maintenance," scroll down and click "Administrative Tools."

Double-click "Computer Management." If you are asked for permission to perform the action, click "Continue."


Click "Disk Management" on the sidebar. This will give you an overview of the available disks on your computer.


Right-click the "C" drive and select "Format." Click "OK" and the process will begin.


Once the process is finished, you will be unable to use your computer until the operating system has been re-installed.


To do this, you will need to use a Windows Installation Disc or a USB flash drive containing Windows.


hope this helps


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Disk wil not format/keep dipaying format fail

hi .. nt sure whether your talking about an external hard disk or somethingelse..

But here goes

In detail

Causes
  • If the hard drive is not setup correctly in the BIOS or is not jumpered correctly, this may cause the BIOS and Windows to detect the drive incorrectly.
  • Viruses or spyware program are capable of conflicting with Windows programs such as the format utility built into Windows.
  • If the partition on the hard drive is corrupt or damaged, this would cause Windows to stop the format process or show an error message.
  • If the computer system does not have the latest BIOS and hardware drivers, and the operating system does not have the latest Service Packs installed, Windows may not address or recognize the drive parameters correctly.
  • You are attempting to format a partition larger than 32GB as FAT32 in Windows 2000, XP, or 2003., win7
  • If the hard drive or data cable is physically damaged or defective.
  • There may be a conflict between the hard drive and another device (on the same IDE cable).
Solution please try

It is recommended to low-level format the hard drive to resolve any partition corruption issues that may be present. For directions on how to low-level format a hard drive

If it's an internal hard drive, please ensure that the latest BIOS is installed for the computer, motherboard, or PCI controller card. BIOS updates can be obtained from the computer, motherboard, or controller card manufacturer. The BIOS should be setup to Auto-Detect the hard drive. If there is a Mode option, this should be setup as LBA, Large, or Auto

  1. Ensure that the latest drivers are installed for the hardware in the computer. Drivers for the hardware should be available from the respective hardware manufacturers.
If this occurs on an external hard drive, connect the drive to another USB of FireWire port on the computer. You can also connect the hard drive to another computer system to perform the format. This issue may be caused by attempting to reformat a FAT32 partition as NTFS without deleting the partition first. You will need to repartition and reformat the hard drive

hope this helps you out
tip

How to Boot From A Windows 7 Password Reset Disk?

<span>Forgot Windows 7 password? It seems to be a universal iusse as widespread of Windows 7. To solve this problem, you can either buy a burned Windows password recovery CD on-line or burn such a password recovery disk with<b><a href="http://www.passwordunlocker.com/knowledge/windows-7-password-reset.html">Windows 7 password reset</a></b><span> </span>software. But no matter which method you choose, you have to boot your locked computer from the password recovery disk. However, you will feel frustrated when you have little computer skill. Take these 2 methods as your reference when you encounter the similar problem.<br />Of course, firstly , you need to create a<span> </span><a href="http://www.passwordunlocker.com/knowledge/create-win-7-password-reset-disk.html">Windows 7 password reset disk</a>, and then pay attention on how to boot from the Windows password reset disk .<br /> Method OneInsert a burned Windows 7 password recovery CD in your locked computer boot the locked computer from the CD/DVD as follows:<br /> <ul> <li>1. Turn on or restart the locked computer, watch the screen for a message like "Press to http://www.passwordunlocker.enter SETUP "or something similar. Press this key as soon as you see the message to enter BIOS menu.</li><b>Note</b>: The key pressed to enter BIOS is different based on manufacturers, but F2 or Delete are the most common keys <li>2. Use arrows to choose Boot on the taskbar, select<b><span> </span>Boot Device Priority</b><span> </span>and press Enter.</li> <li>3. Set<span> </span><b>CD ROM</b><span> </span>to the first boot device according to the prompts on the right.</li> <li>4. Press<b><span> </span>F10<span> </span></b>to save and exit BIOS. You computer will restart with the changed BIOS settings</li></ul><br /> Method Two <p>If the method above doesn't work, you can also try to enter Boot Menu to boot the locked computer from the burned CD/DVD as follows:<br /> <ul> <li>1. Insert a Windows 7 password recovery CD in your locked computer.</li> <li>2. Start the locked computer and immediately tap and keep tapping<b><span> </span>F8</b>,<span> </span><b>ESC</b><span> </span>or other keys until the Boot Menu screen appears.</li> <li>3. Select<span> </span><b>CD ROM</b><span> </span>as the first boot device and press Enter. After that, your computer will restart with changed bios settings.</li></ul>PC users can not only set bios password for computer, but also set Windows logon password. If the BIOS is password protected, you need to clear or remove the BIOS password before you can enter BIOS to change boot order.<br />By the way, if you forgot Windows 7 password or Windows 7 password-protected, it is suggested to take Windows password recovery software to create a Windows password reset disk. Take<span> </span><b>Windows Password Unlocker<span> </span></b>for example, it takes you only 4 steps to burn a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive for Windows 7 password recovery in 5 minutes.<br /><b>Step 1:</b><span> </span>Download and install<span> </span><b><a href="http://www.passwordunlocker.com/windows-password-recovery.html">Windows Password Unlocker Professional</a></b><span> </span>in any availble PC<br /><b>Step 2:</b><span> </span>Burn a Windows 7 Password Recovery CD/DVD or USB flash drive.<br /><b>Step 3:</b><span> </span>Boot from the burned the Password Recovery CD/DVD or USB flash drive.<br /><b>Step 4:</b><span> </span>Reset Windows 7 password under Windows PE.<br /></span>
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For some reason the installer is date sensitive, so make sure the time and date are correct in the BIOS. Time your next install attempt so it will NOT go past midnight during the installation.

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