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Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

Guest jotan

By Guest jotan
in Windows XP

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Guest jotan

Guest jotan

Posted
Posted

Situation:

Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

 

 

from Dos prompt and i type:

 

"format C: /fs:ntfs"

 

then:

 

"Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format

may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME

WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?

Y/N"

 

when I type Y, I get the message

 

"Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

 

help anyone please?

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Guest Alias

Guest Alias

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

jotan wrote:

> Situation:

> Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

> trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

>

>

> from Dos prompt and i type:

>

> "format C: /fs:ntfs"

>

> then:

>

> "Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format

> may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME

> WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?

> Y/N"

>

> when I type Y, I get the message

>

> "Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

>

> help anyone please?

 

Buy a CD drive. They're cheap. You can't format XP within XP. That would

be like sawing off the limb of the tree you're sitting on.

 

Alias

Guest Alec S.

Guest Alec S.

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

jotan wrote (in news:978B799B-6912-4CA1-941F-CAD668D65EEE@microsoft.com):

> Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

> trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

>

> from Dos prompt and i type:

>

> "format C: /fs:ntfs"

 

 

That’s not a DOS prompt, it’s a command prompt. You can’t format the drive that

Windows is on while running Windows. That’s like trying to perform surgery on

your own hands (or brain).

 

You need to make a boot disk. Put in a floppy disk and format it using the

Create MS-DOS Startup Disk option. If you don’t have a floppy drive, you need to

create a bootable CD or other drive. You need to boot from something other than

Windows to format Windows’ drive.

 

--

Alec S.

news/alec->synetech/cjb/net

Guest Bill Sharpe

Guest Bill Sharpe

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

jotan wrote:

> Situation:

> Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

> trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

>

>

> from Dos prompt and i type:

>

> "format C: /fs:ntfs"

>

> then:

>

> "Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format

> may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME

> WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a dismount on this volume?

> Y/N"

>

> when I type Y, I get the message

>

> "Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

>

> help anyone please?

 

How are you planning to reinstall XP if the CD drive isn't working?

 

As others have pointed out you need an external drive of some kind in

order to format drive C.

 

How old is the laptop? Perhaps it's time to replace it.

 

Bill

Guest Bill Sharpe

Guest Bill Sharpe

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

Muzafar Ganie wrote:

> Hi,

>

> If u want to install the windows as format clean install

> you can follow the link to format as well as install the windows xp using

> the windows xp disk

>

>

> http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/sp2installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

>

> Muzafar

>

Didn't you read the original message? Poster has a non-working CD drive.

 

Bill

Guest HeyBub

Guest HeyBub

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

jotan wrote:

> Situation:

> Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

> trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

>

>

> from Dos prompt and i type:

>

> "format C: /fs:ntfs"

>

> then:

>

> "Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.

> Format may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES

> TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a

> dismount on this volume? Y/N"

>

> when I type Y, I get the message

>

> "Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

>

> help anyone please?

 

There are several rules by which one can achieve the goal of "Logical

Thought Processes." One of these rules is "Then what?"

 

Suppose you managed to format your C: drive. Then what?

 

Another rule is "Why?"

 

Why do you want to format your C: drive? XP installation does not depend on

a formatted drive.

 

The rule set above, formulated in the early 11th century, has been amended

to account for modern technology. One of the new rules is: "When in doubt,

ask a 12-year old male."

Guest RobertVA

Guest RobertVA

Posted
Posted

Re: Trying to format C: drive, NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

Bill Sharpe wrote:

> jotan wrote:

>> Situation:

>> Laptop with non-working CD drive running XP

>> trying to format C drive and reinstall XP

>>

>>

>> from Dos prompt and i type:

>>

>> "format C: /fs:ntfs"

>>

>> then:

>>

>> "Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.

>> Format may run if this volume is dismounted first. ALL OPENED HANDLES

>> TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID. would you like to force a

>> dismount on this volume? Y/N"

>> when I type Y, I get the message

>> "Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use."

>>

>> help anyone please?

>

> How are you planning to reinstall XP if the CD drive isn't working?

>

> As others have pointed out you need an external drive of some kind in

> order to format drive C.

>

> How old is the laptop? Perhaps it's time to replace it.

>

> Bill

 

As far as reinstalling the OS, maybe the manufacturer included a hidden

recovery partition on the hard drive.

 

The goal might be cleaning data files off the HD prior to selling it or

giving it to someone without exposing things like saved passwords and

tax preparation software's data files. Unfortunately formating doesn't

really erase such data, as it only resets the directory structure.

Privacy concerns could normally be addressed by a drive cleansing

utility, which you might find at a retailer similar to the major office

supply chains, but their use would require a CD reader. I'm not sure if

any such utilities could be downloaded through the internet and run from

a bootable flash drive.

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