Formatting primary drive partition

[mattatuni]

Hi, I have recently partitioned my c drive, to create a new drive g, i installed w7 on g and its fine and works...

c drive did have a version of vista on, i planned on downgrading it to xp...
i messesd something up trying to install xp over vista so booting up using w7, i manually deleted all the files from the c drive.... now its totally fubar, it wont let me install anything on it atall...

how can i format the c drive which is my primary partition... or so something with it? combine it back into the g partition or anything..???

i can only access my pc booting up using w7, which is running on the g partition

any help would be appriciated

cheers

matt

 

[olg207]

as you can boot into w7, can you see your original xp parition, i.e the drive you want formatted. and if so you can easily reformat it via my computer.
This way you can do a clean install on the xp partition

 

[mattatuni]

yes i can get into admin tools, but it will not let me format the primary partition, .. it simply flashes a message box up saying i cant do it

 

[Ian]

Hi Matt, please don't double post as it confuses things when people reply to both threads

If you type "computer management" in to the start menu and run that you should be able to click on "disk management" in the left hand window. This will list all of your drives and partitions, allowing you to delete your Vista partition and merge it with the Windows 7 one.

 

[mattatuni]

Yes but thats what im saying, if I go to controll panel, then admin tools, then computer managment
then drives

i can see the primary partition where vista is installed , this is the C drive.... when i right click on it and go to format drive it will not let me!

 

[clifford_cooley]

Yes but thats what im saying, if I go to controll panel, then admin tools, then computer managment
then drives

i can see the primary partition where vista is installed , this is the C drive.... when i right click on it and go to format drive it will not let me!

You stated it will not let you format

Have you tried deleting partition and then setting it back up

Ian stated that you could delete the partition

 

[Ian]

Will it let you delete the partition and then expand the Windows 7 partition?

edit: posted at the same time as Clifford Great minds think alike

 

[mattatuni]

if i try to delete, it says..

"Windows can't delete the active system partition on the disk"

if i try to farmat it says...

"windows cant format the system partition on the disk"

 

[Ian]

I'm wondering if your boot files for Vista are located on the 1st volume that you had Vista on. You could use a 3rd party boot disk (like a Linux live CD) to remove that first partition,resize the second one and then use the Windows 7 startup repair to add the boot files back on your consolodated drive.

 

[mattatuni]

I have no idea, thats why im asking, surely there is an easier and cheaper way of doing it than this linux thng your on about?

 

[mattatuni]

also xp doesnt come into it..

origionally i had vista and one drive 'c'

i partitioned c so i gained a g drive

i then installed w7 on g --- this works fine

then i wanted to get rid off c so i deleted manually from the c drive all the files i was alloud to ( silly move )

now vista will not run atalll , neither can i format or remove the c partition via windows 7

 

[Ian]

Have you got all your data backed up? If so, you could boot from the Windows XP CD and remove all partitions during the setup procedure, then create a new partition for XP. Then, you can install Windows 7 using the space left on a 2nd partition.

This would be a clean install, but you would then have the two operating systems you were initially after working as a dual boot.

 

[mattatuni]

when i try to boot from xp cd, it just gives me a shed load of problems due to inconsistency and corrupt files

 

[clifford_cooley]

Im thinking what has happened is Windows 7 installed to G: but the boot files are on the first partition Drive C:

You may need to reinstall Windows 7 to C: that would put both system and boot files on the same drive

This would also clear up drive g:

I use this technique when installing multiple OS's - I install OS to first drive then make an image file for back up and then I can place it on any drive when the other OS's are hidden.

 

[Jonmor68]

The easiest way would be to boot using the W7 or Vista dvd and delete the partitons, create new ones and reformat both partitions, exit the instalation.
Next install XP or Vista whichever you want, when finished reinstall W7.
Remember to backup your data first.
While this may seem a long way around, I think it will be quicker and less prone to problems in the end.

 

[piepaw]

Partioning C: drive

I noticed after dual booting Windows 7 RC under Vista that BOTH showed up under Computer as C: drive. If Matt was thinking he was deleting "everything he was allowed to" under C: drive (while thinking he was deleting Vista files) he may have actually been deleting Windows 7 files instead because he thought that Windows 7 should show as G: drive.
If this is the case, then his system is totally hosed and it's time for a complete reformat and clean install of one or both systems that he wants to use.

Regards,
Piepaw