When I tried to install XP as a fresh copy. I couldn’t able to format my C drive at the starting of the installation. So I installed XP in D drive and after that I forcibly deleted all the contents from C Drive. Now when I try to format C drive, its not getting formatted. I need to format my C drive coz there is a lot of virus in it. The C drive shows nothing in it but when I see the properties it takes 1.76GB as used space. Please any method or software’s to delete the C drive or format it. I'm ready to re-format my whole PC. Please any help.....

The first thing that comes to mind is to use a Knoppix live CD to wipe out the offending partition.

I suggest you use a real parition program, like partition magic. The one coming with the Windows XP cd isn't very good, where as partition magic has provided me great service for many years, I was very young when I started using it. If you have the multi boot program called hyperos it includes partition magic on it's cd. If not you can get it and put it on a floppy drive.


Read a tutorial online and you should find out how to use it.

put your Windows XP into your CD-rom and restart your PC after that when you boot it you get options...you need to go to the step before you choose where to install Windows where you can arrange your Partitions...you can delete(with "L"),or create new ones...delete C: partition and than recreate it,after that choose install partition of your windows(with ENTER key)
i hope this helps!

I already done what you said but its not working in this way. When I tried to del d,e,f partitions. It was done smoothly. But when deleting c it gives me a message that "some files are needed to format XP which are in C drive, so it cannot del the c drive" but there nothing in the c Drive. I had deleted everything forcibly. Any other way.....

In what way does Knoppix live CD helps me out.....
How to use this software.....
Pls explain me in detail... I am little bit confused coz I'm in a hurry?????

When I bought XP cd. The delear had given me only the bootable CD. Except that I didnt get nothing. Pls help in in any easier ways guys.....

Comments on this thread:

1. I have used Power Quest Partition Magic for more than a decade. That is the best choice, if your can get it. Unfortunately, they were bought out by Symantec and shut down, because their Drive Image product was the strongest competition to Symantec's Ghost. You may be able to get a copy of it off Ebay or some other reseller. Do that if you can. It'll be around $70, and worth it.

2. I have also used Knoppix, and like it. However, you have to be fluent in Linux commands to use it. "Free" comes with a learning curve.

3. An alternative I've used is Bing (Boot-It Next Generation) by TeraByte. It costs $35, and does a lot more than format drives, but, again, you need to know something about Master Boot Records. That is a smaller learning curve than Linux, but it'll still take a day or two of reading. Terabyte also has a Forum with people who can help you walk through the reformatting process.

My advice is: Get PM if you can find it. If not, try Bing. Some time in the future when you don't have an immediate problem, learn Linux. Knoppix is a good place to start, because you can run it off a CD without touching your hard drive!

I would say that fdisk, booting from a MS-DOS disk, should be able to remove the c: partition. If not, you can use knoppix to remove the partition, you need rather few Linux knowledge in order to destroy a partition, just turn around the menus.

Except MS-DOS may not be easy to find. Microsoft has a Knowledge Base article How to partition and format a hard disk in Windows XP which can be used from the Startup disk. That is hopefully the "bootable CD" the dealer provided.