Solve : Erasing a Hard Drive?

1.	Solve : Erasing a Hard Drive?
Answer» I have one 80GB HDD that is seperated into 2 40GBs (C and D). I want to know how i can erase an HDD in general, and also how i can erase C only, and not D, as i want to reinstall Windows XP. Also, if i want to change how the HDD is formatted (giving C, 60GB and D, 20GB lets say) how do i do that? Thank You.Just FORMAT C when beginning the reinstall of Windows XP. The Win XP CD will give you the option to format the hard hard and delete or add partitions. You can just format C and leave D alone. If you want to resize D without formatting it and erasing all files on it, you need a software utility such as PartitionMagic. But if you are reinstalling Windows anyway, you can delete both the partitions and recreate partitions however you like. You do NOT need Partition Magic or any other add on product to do this. That is, if you first back up whatever is on drive D to a CDRW, etc. What is the end result you are looking for? Is the D drive full of stuff now, or just a few things?GX1_Man, I assumed he has data on D and wanted to keep it intact while doing the reinstall of Windows. To do so, he WOULD not be able to "delete both the partitions and recreate partitions however you like". Right? Of course, even if this is his intent, he absolutely should backup his data before starting to resinstall Windows.Right, I got that, but frequently it is just a few gigs, and the ability to reset the partitions now, while reinstalling without spending extra $$$ is a good idea. Backing up important data is always a good idea, because as you know, all hard drives die eventually!Oh no, those are my only options? I have abt 80 GBs on those drives.. and i dont have time to burn 150 CDs Im also adding a 250GB HDD when installing Windows XP again. Cant i just use something right now, to put 75GB on D and leave 5GB on C? Then i could just erase that and install XP on it. But then i dont want to have C be like that forever. The thing is, i still have Windows XP on my system, but im installing a new motherboard and i was told i would need to re-install Windows XP. Quote I have abt 80 GBs on those drives.. and i dont have time to burn 150 CDs When that hard drive crashes all of that stuff will be gone instantly. If it's that important....Just a thought. Quote Cant i just use something right now, to put 75GB on D and leave 5GB on C? Then i could just erase that and install XP on it. But then i dont want to have C be like that forever. The thing is, i still have Windows XP on my system, but im installing a new motherboard and i was told i would need to re-install Windows XP. 5 gig for C with XP is just plain a BAD idea. 10 is the minimum I would even consider, and I would be more inclined to do 20, just in case. To rearrange disk sizes you need Partition Magic or something like that. It's not free, and if something goes wrong with that...POOF! (see above)So, you have that 80Gig drive nearly full? Is that what you're saying? Since you're adding a second drive, the 250 Gig drive, you have some flexibility here. I suggest partitioning the new drive and also making it the OS drive. It would be the master drive and the old drive the slave. Then, you can move files from the old drive to DIFFERENT locations if you want. And, yes, you should reinstall Windows if your replacing your motherboard. It will require different drivers from your current motherboard. So, doing a fresh install of Windows and all the drivers is the best way to go here.You had me at the "not free", im not getting it. Yeh, i mean 20GB. I have 15GB on C that i want to keep, wich is perfact. What do u mean crashes? Ive had Windows XP installed at a computer lab before and D was always kept intact.GX1_MAN said Partition Magic is not free. What part of that concept do you not understand? "What do u mean crashes?" All hard drives will eventually fail if used long enough to reach the point mechanical failure. Many users never experience this because their hard drives last for as long as they remain in use. But, it does happen for some users and their data will not be retrievable if not backed up on other storage media. Better be safe than sorry. Quote GX1_MAN said Partition Magic is not free. What part of that concept do you not understand? Maybe u should learn to read. Quote You had me at the "not free", im not getting it. Hmmm ..... Did I miss something?I said that im NOT getting it because its NOT free. u said that GX1_Man said that its NOT free, and that i didnt read is correctly, when i did. So, ur wrong, i know its NOT free and so i do NOT want it.Well, Track, if that was the intended meaning of that sentence, I'll admit I mis-interpreted it. But, I'm inclined to think you could improve on your writting, too. Quote You had me at the "not free", im not getting it. Yeh, i mean 20GB. I have 15GB on C that i want to keep, wich is perfact. What do u mean crashes? Ive had Windows XP installed at a computer lab before and D was always kept intact. I just go a Lite-On dual layer DVD burner for 50 bucks...plus 10 bucks for blank media and a few HOURS of your time you could backup everything you have and re-do that HDD to how you want it... patio. 8-)

Answer»

I have one 80GB HDD that is seperated into 2 40GBs (C and D).

I want to know how i can erase an HDD in general, and also how i can erase C only, and not D, as i want to reinstall Windows XP.

Also, if i want to change how the HDD is formatted (giving C, 60GB and D, 20GB lets say) how do i do that?

Thank You.Just FORMAT C when beginning the reinstall of Windows XP. The Win XP CD will give you the option to format the hard hard and delete or add partitions. You can just format C and leave D alone.

If you want to resize D without formatting it and erasing all files on it, you need a software utility such as PartitionMagic.

But if you are reinstalling Windows anyway, you can delete both the partitions and recreate partitions however you like. You do NOT need Partition Magic or any other add on product to do this. That is, if you first back up whatever is on drive D to a CDRW, etc.

What is the end result you are looking for? Is the D drive full of stuff now, or just a few things?GX1_Man, I assumed he has data on D and wanted to keep it intact while doing the reinstall of Windows. To do so, he WOULD not be able to "delete both the partitions and recreate partitions however you like". Right? Of course, even if this is his intent, he absolutely should backup his data before starting to resinstall Windows.Right, I got that, but frequently it is just a few gigs, and the ability to reset the partitions now, while reinstalling without spending extra $$$ is a good idea.

Backing up important data is always a good idea, because as you know, all hard drives die eventually!Oh no, those are my only options?

I have abt 80 GBs on those drives.. and i dont have time to burn 150 CDs

Im also adding a 250GB HDD when installing Windows XP again.

Cant i just use something right now, to put 75GB on D and leave 5GB on C? Then i could just erase that and install XP on it. But then i dont want to have C be like that forever.
The thing is, i still have Windows XP on my system, but im installing a new motherboard and i was told i would need to re-install Windows XP. Quote

I have abt 80 GBs on those drives.. and i dont have time to burn 150 CDs

When that hard drive crashes all of that stuff will be gone instantly. If it's that important....Just a thought.

Quote

Cant i just use something right now, to put 75GB on D and leave 5GB on C? Then i could just erase that and install XP on it. But then i dont want to have C be like that forever.
The thing is, i still have Windows XP on my system, but im installing a new motherboard and i was told i would need to re-install Windows XP.

5 gig for C with XP is just plain a BAD idea. 10 is the minimum I would even consider, and I would be more inclined to do 20, just in case. To rearrange disk sizes you need Partition Magic or something like that. It's not free, and if something goes wrong with that...POOF! (see above)So, you have that 80Gig drive nearly full? Is that what you're saying? Since you're adding a second drive, the 250 Gig drive, you have some flexibility here. I suggest partitioning the new drive and also making it the OS drive. It would be the master drive and the old drive the slave. Then, you can move files from the old drive to DIFFERENT locations if you want.

And, yes, you should reinstall Windows if your replacing your motherboard. It will require different drivers from your current motherboard. So, doing a fresh install of Windows and all the drivers is the best way to go here.You had me at the "not free", im not getting it.

Yeh, i mean 20GB. I have 15GB on C that i want to keep, wich is perfact.

What do u mean crashes? Ive had Windows XP installed at a computer lab before and D was always kept intact.GX1_MAN said Partition Magic is not free. What part of that concept do you not understand?

"What do u mean crashes?" All hard drives will eventually fail if used long enough to reach the point mechanical failure. Many users never experience this because their hard drives last for as long as they remain in use. But, it does happen for some users and their data will not be retrievable if not backed up on other storage media. Better be safe than sorry. Quote

GX1_MAN said Partition Magic is not free. What part of that concept do you not understand?

Maybe u should learn to read. Quote

You had me at the "not free", im not getting it.

Hmmm ..... Did I miss something?I said that im NOT getting it because its NOT free.
u said that GX1_Man said that its NOT free, and that i didnt read is correctly, when i did.
So, ur wrong, i know its NOT free and so i do NOT want it.Well, Track, if that was the intended meaning of that sentence, I'll admit I mis-interpreted it. But, I'm inclined to think you could improve on your writting, too. Quote

You had me at the "not free", im not getting it.

Yeh, i mean 20GB. I have 15GB on C that i want to keep, wich is perfact.

What do u mean crashes? Ive had Windows XP installed at a computer lab before and D was always kept intact.

I just go a Lite-On dual layer DVD burner for 50 bucks...plus 10 bucks for blank media and a few HOURS of your time you could backup everything you have and re-do that HDD to how you want it...

patio. 8-)

Solve : Erasing a Hard Drive?

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