How to Format the Hard Drive?

[PatHeald]

How do I get an MS-Dos prompt?

My OS is Windows XP.

On '98 there was an icon somewhere, but I can't find it in XP.

And can someone remind me exactly what I need to enter at the command prompt to nuke the hard drive?

Cheers

Pat

[randlemarcus]

You need to create a boot floppy, boot off that, then when the dos prompt comes up, type format c: and then y when prompted. Bingo, no more disk 0. Be very careful when doing this with more than one disk in the machine however (doh).

If you need to get rid of stuff for evidentiary purposes, so that the drive cannot be recovered, you have two options. 1: Find a program called Blancco Data Cleaner(I think the personal versionb is free), and run it on the drive.
2(and better) remove drive from PC, place on patio, take lump hammer. Destroy, then do it again.

Marcus

[puggit]

In the Dos prompt it should be 'format A:' or the like.

Be careful

[PatHeald]

Thanks, chaps.

I'm just stepping outside for a moment.

I may be some time....

Hopefully I should return, minus this pesky trojan.

Cheers

Pat

[anonymous-user]

May I ask how you create the boot disk?

[falcemob]

Davros81 said:

May I ask how you create the boot disk?

Put a disc in the floppy drive, click on my computer, then right click the floppy drive (normaly drive A) then, format and check the box that says create MS-DOS startup disc.



>> Edited by falcemob on Sunday 10th April 21:24

[anonymous-user]

Thankyou.

[lanciachris]

Blimey, someone should have told this guy, if you dont know how, you probably shouldnt be doing it..

[PatHeald]

lanciachris said:

Blimey, someone should have told this guy, if you dont know how, you probably shouldnt be doing it..

Don't worry, I haven't stepped outside yet...

I have made a backup of everything I want onto a external hard drive.

I have created a boot floppy from the A: options on XP

I have altered the BOIS settings to boot from the A:

But it still won't format the C:

Any suggestions are welcome.

The reason for all this excess is to remove a trojan that is hiding in a file named req.dat. It is locking the browser.

The usual anti virus software won't remove it because the file is active from the moment the 'pooter is switched on. Even attempts to delete the file when in Safe Mode have not succeeded.

Googling reveals suggestions that it might monitor keyboard activity, so I am pretty anxious to remove it before some spotty twelve year old geek in Nevada helps himself to my millions.

Cheers

Pat

[miniman]

I went through this a while ago - an XP boot disk is not as simple as just formatting a floppy as "bootable" as it was in the "good old days". The XP boot disk set is actually 6 disks. You can download it here:

www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=55820EDB-5039-4955-BCB7-4FED408EA73F&displaylang=en

The easier way is to boot from the XP setup CD. You should be able to set the BIOS to boot from CD, and just stick the XP CD in the drive. Then you will get the option to do a complete reinstall which allows you to Fdisk the disk and reformat.

HTH

[PatHeald]

miniman said:

An XP boot disk is not as simple as just formatting a floppy as "bootable" as it was in the "good old days". The XP boot disk set is actually 6 disks....

I have previously reformatted from Windows 98 without any difficulty.

I thought I must have been going senile in my old age.

Thanks for that.

I'll try to do it from the setup disc.

Cheers

Pat

[miniman]

PatHeald said:

I have previously reformatted from Windows 98 without any difficulty.

Does the boot disk you have contain the programs fdisk.exe and format.exe???

[Plotloss]

Pat, on the other thread I've linked you removal instructions.

If you havent already started formatting I would give it a go...

[pdV6]

The alternative is to go to www.Bootdisk.com and download a floppy image for DOS 6.22. Transfer to a floppy, boot from that and you're away!

[miniman]

pdV6 said:

The alternative is to go to www.Bootdisk.com and download a floppy image for DOS 6.22. Transfer to a floppy, boot from that and you're away!

That won't work, in my experience. It boots up fine, then you try to run setup.exe from the CD and you get "This application cannot be run in DOS mode".

[pdV6]

miniman said:

pdV6 said: The alternative is to go to <a href="http://www.Bootdisk.com">www.Bootdisk.com</a> and download a floppy image for DOS 6.22. Transfer to a floppy, boot from that and you're away! That won't work, in my experience. It boots up fine, then you try to run setup.exe from the CD and you get "This application cannot be run in DOS mode".

Nah - I was answering the original question.

Get a DOS boot disk, boot from it and format the hard drive. Then boot from CD and re-install.

[miniman]

pdV6 said:

Nah - I was answering the original question. Get a DOS boot disk, boot from it and format the hard drive. Then boot from CD and re-install.

True, that would work. However, when you boot from CD you get the option to format anyway.

[mcflurry]

Can't you create a boot disc/cd (as above)
At menu option choose DOS box
use cd command to change to directory with virus
type del virus name
reboot?

Saves rebuilding all the stuff?

[ErnestM]

Boot to the CD...

Delete all partitions when given the chance.

(As a safeguard, I would even reboot between deleting partitions and reinstalling)

When you format a new partition - don't use quick format, XP will then check the condition of your disk as well to make sure it is ok. I always recommend that to anyone doing a fresh install on a disk that has some "mileage"...

ErnestM

[PatHeald]

Plotloss said:

Pat, on the other thread I've linked you removal instructions. If you havent already started formatting I would give it a go...

Thanks.

I've printed the thread and will have a go tonight before I do anything drastic.

Cheers

Pat