Can not format my new drive

[Reaph]

Hello!

Yesterday I reinstalled windows to my old drive on a new partition. But something went wrong with the partition and i chould not enter windows. Now when I try to create a new partition I can not format it any more. I have tryed with diffrent programs and it can not start the format. Only stands on 0%. I have an other partition on the same drive and it works perfect. What can be wrong with the disk and can I fix the problem?

 

[Nocturnal]

Delete both partitions and or use Disk Management within Windows XP if you're using that OS to delete the partition and recreate it and then re-enable it.

 

[Jiggz]

You might want to download a hdd utility from the hdd manufacturer. Then "zero" the hdd. This will bring your hdd like it just came out of the factory.

 

[GrammatonJP]

:thumbsup:

I had a bad raid card that did something to my partition.. windows coudln't format it.. had to 0 it out..

 

[Reaph]

Any tip for any program that I can use with a bootdisk or run under windows? Do I need to clear the hole disk in other to restore it? My other partition on the disk works just fine.

 

[Reaph]

What program or tool should I use to "zero" my disk?

 

[Jiggz]

OK, if you're only having problem with one of the partitions in a single hdd then it could not have been the hdd. Instead you might have a bad mbr. Try the recovery console and use fixboot and fixmbr before "zero'ing". "Zero'ing" will erase the entire hdd. As for the utility, it all depends on who is the maker of the hdd. Check the manufacturer's homepage.

 

[Reaph]

Well I can remove the "bad" partition without any problems. I can also make a new one. But when it comes to formating the new partition things go wrong. Don't think this have to do with mbr. Maby it can be something with SATA?


[-----][-----------------------------------------------]
bad partition Working partition

 

[Jiggz]

Are you deleting and re-creating the said partition under Disk Management? Or are you doing it with XP CD? What size is the hdd?

 

[Reaph]

The disk is a Maxtor 280GB. The partition I'm trying to make is 10GB. The working partition is 270GB. I have tryed formating the small partition in windows diskmananger and under the installation of XP. Also with Partition Magic. One thing that is good to know is that when I installed windows on the small parition the first time everything worked just fine. But after some reboots I chould not enter windows anymore. And when I tryed to reinstall windows again this problem came up.

 

[Bozo Galora]

Partition Magic and Maxtor - a combo made in heaven

I think PM should not be sold to anyone who doesnt have an MSCE, and at least a bachelor's in CS.

 

[HGC]

Maxtor's free downloadable program for zeroing out the HD is called PowerMax. It works great and I've used it on other brands of drive, too.

 

[Jiggz]

Well, if you don't mind starting all over again. I'd say zero the hdd and then partition the hdd and format all over again. I will not recommend using a 10gb partition instead use something like 20-40 gb for programs or OS. The rest for storage. Do all the zero'ing, partitioning and formatting using the hdd utility.