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After Installing Linux, and then promptly uninstalling it, I tried to reinstall windows.
Remove partitions, create Primary Dos partition, Format...... it gets to 71% and then stops. For ever. It seems like the disk sector at 71% is corrupt. I can create a partition using 70% and install windows, it formats fine, but I am losing 30% of my 6Gb Hdd, which as you can guess isnt ideal with such a small drive.
Can anyone suggest what is wrong, and whether it is fixable? Any disk diagnostic tools that can be run from a boot disk?
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hmm, make a windows startup floppy on another comp.. then boot with that...mind its command line... type "Help" after the A:\ to get a list of functions.. then find the one for scan disk, go back and type it in..
That should correct Hard drive errors.. :wink:
Kevin (
x.t.r.GRAPHICS)
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Thanks rattrap, I had actually forgotten boot disks had scan disk..
So I ran it: "Scandisk cannot examine drive C"
Oh dear...
Does it have to be formatted to examine?(in which case I cant examine it) Or is this just a sign that the Hdd is well and truely screwed?
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Get a Linux Live-CD and partion through there. Once you've done that, run scans though that Live-CD itself.
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Quote:Does it have to be formatted to examine?(in which case I cant examine it) Or is this just a sign that the Hdd is well and truely screwed?
Hmm, it probaly has to be formatted, heh, oh well, can't the boot up disk format also? or is that what your having probs with?
Kevin (
x.t.r.GRAPHICS)
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Quote:can't the boot up disk format also? or is that what your having probs with?
Yes - it gets to 71% then stops. =P
Aetherfox - Thanks, Ill see if one of my freinds has a Live CD, and if worse comes to worse I suppose I could download one.
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An easy fix is to just do a low-level format of the hard drive, which completely wipes out everything on it. Most manufacturers supply a utility boot disk that can do this.
Maxtor PowerMax
Western Digital Data Lifeguard
Seagate SeaTools
(I know WD refers to a low-level format as "write zeros to drive" in their utility program, other manufacturers may call it something different as well.)
If your hard drive manufacturer does not provide a low-level format utility, or it doesn't work, you can try
Darik's "Boot and Nuke", which will also completely wipe your drive.
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Thanks Plasma, but last night I just decided to bite the bullet use only a 70% partition. Considering everything is installed and configured, it is currently playing me music and I have reinstalled windows on it 3 times yesterday, I might just leave it a while until I decide to reformat again ^_^
Thanks though, Ill look out a low level format util for later.
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You could try Partition Magic and see if it can expand your partition. Maybe you are lucky.
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Had an old HD with the same problem. This will not retrieve the bad area, but make a second and third partition. The second should be fairly small and only big enough to cover the bad sector (1-5MB). The third should be as big as the remaining area of the HD. You should be able to format and use the third partition, leaving the bad one alone.
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