I've posted about this subject before but didn't really get anywhere, so here goes again,

I have a 500GB hard drive in my computer that I liberated from my old computer. I want to use it for media storage and backup facilities. However it still has XP installed on it, loads of program files and other directories. I would dearly like to wipe it clean and start afresh.

Previously I was pointed in the direction of various fancy diskwipe programs and packages that did **** all when I tried to wipe the disk. So I'm still trying with Command Prompt which I'm running as Admin using Vista.

I have got this far :

C:\Windows\system32>format f:

The type of the file system is NTFS.

WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK

DRIVE F: WILL BE LOST!

Proceed with Format (Y/N)? y

Formatting 375723M

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) y

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

C:\Windows\system32>

try as I might I can't find out why the disk is supposedly still in use and how to stop the applications from using it. Any ideas?

Have you tried going into Disk Management in XP.... Control Panel.... Administrative Tools.... Computer Management.... Disk Management.... And Right click on the drive in question and remove partition..... Then format & create a new partition etc....

Only thing i can think of at this time of night.

Cheers

Dave.

`format f: /u` making sure you don't have it open in anything like explorer and are sat on the prompt for another drive, eg c:\

If that doesn't work as said above should.

Another thought would be something like a linux live CD and format the whole lot fat32.

Once you have done that windows might let you format it NTFS or whatever you fancied then

As Cheeze says - make sure you don't have any windows open showing this drive.

Go to Task Manager, kill off any extraneous processes and then try.

Also worth a try - Unlocker UNLOCKER 1.8.5 BY CEDRICK 'NITCH' COLLOMB

Install Unlocker.

Open 'My Computer', right-click on Drive F and call up Unlocker and see if there are any handles on Drive F. Kill off these processes and then right-click again and call up Format.

if you are using xp, then just format from within disk management, this will format it even with files open.

I put an old 250GB sata drive in my work PC which currently had a full OS and full of installs and files.

Just did a select all Delete all, and was clean within a few minutes.

Should be okay if its set as a slave drive.

Thanks I will give it a go. the trouble is I can't boot up from the F: drive. I've tried it in the BIOS manager but it wont work, so I have to boot up into Vista on C: drive and work from there. XP was so much easier to use...

What about using an xp disk as if your gonna install, then format, then knock the pc off boot back into vista and the disk should be wiped

I'm definitely thinking Linux etc Live CD

Oh right see what you mean, yeah, that might work...

Knoppix is a live CD with disk nuking tools (and lots more).

I managed to format the HDD using the Vista boot CD that came with the machine. thanks for the help.

I managed to format the HDD using the Vista boot CD that came with the machine. thanks for the help.

Nice one:thumbup:

Glad you got it sorted....... My old C: gave up last week and managed to get it sorted on here too. :D

Cheers

Dave.