I put this in the Computers forum but I don't know how many peopl ego there so I'm asking here as well...

I'm trying to help a friend w/ his Windows XP computer. Somehow he got a ton of Viruses on it so since I have a XP system disk laying around I thought I could put it in his computer and do a re-install. That's proving to be harder than I thought.

Since the disk I have is XP 2002, he had all the updates and it wouldn't let me delete the infected version and load the older version. So I tried booting in Safe Mode, that didn't work.

I then put an older system drive that I have from an XP machine where the Motherboard went out (I've just been using that as an extra drive to store files but haven't needed it and it still has XP on it). That wouldn't work, don't know if the BIOS settings weren't recognized with his comp or what was going on.

I was able to delete everything except for the Windows folder (looks like that where some infected files are too along w/ 1.46GB of data) but no matter what I do, I can't get it to delete that folder.

So right now I put his infected HD on my comp as a Slave'd drive and am attempting to wipe it clean and re-format it, but I get this message:

"Windows cannot format this drive. Quit any disk utilities or other programs that are using this drive, and make sure that no window is displaying the contents of the drive. Then try formatting again."

So I shut down everything that was open and I still can't get it to re-format.

The drive is set to Slave at the moment because it's hooked into my computer to try to wipe everything off of it.

Any computer expert out there have any suggestions?

 

Have you tried to BOOT from the XP install cd you have?

 

is your xp disc a recovery disc from another computer or is it a valid disc from micro-s%%k

 

i actually just wiped my gf's computer.. its a HP w/ windows xp. All you do is dl a program to a cd, put it in the drive, turn the computer off, turn it back on, and it'll run the cd.. and further instructions, but its easy... it will wipe the disk clean and you just reinstall everything (windows and the driver cd's)

if you'd like to go this route, and you have all of your cd's for the computer, should only be two that are needed, windows and the drivers cd's.. just shoot me a PM

 

try this
Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD drive (Home or Pro--it does not matter).
#
Step 2

Now as you computer boots a little more it will say

 

Thanks Zippy and everyone else. I wouldn't get it to boot from the CD. I tried a bunch or work-arounds and I think I finally got it to delete everything and re-format.

I created a file on the desktop I called Get Rid Of and mover all I could over there. But some files just would not move so I right clicked, selected "properties", then "customize" and "folder pictures" that brought up several other folders and I had to right click and select delete but the folder was still there but the size of the folder became less so I repeated the process until the folder was empty then the same w/ about 5 more folders. Then the Windows folder was finally empty. But I still couldn't format it.

I went back into Command Prompt and was able to find a way to re-format the HD. So now it looks like the HD is finally clean.

Tomorrow I'll go back to his house and try to install XP on his comp and this time, I'll take my laptop w/ me so I can ask any questions if I get stuck again. Just have to do it after the F1 race and before the ALMS race.

Thanks again!

 

no prob, it was easier back in the dos/floppy disc days do you remember

Format C: \s

 

So I wiped the old hard drive and now I'm trying to get the Windows install CD to see it but it says drive not installed. Do I need to do something in the Set up Utility so that it can see the hard drive?

 

I re-formatted the drive as an NTFS and I wonder if I should have formatted as a FAT32. His computer was made in Oct 2000 (I know it's old but he's out of work right now so he doesn't have the $ to buy another one).

 

You wouldn't or you couldn't? Using window is really the easiest way to reformat a hd.