cannot format hard drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter nizan
  • Start date Start date
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nizan

I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.

I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
computer.

Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
bad command or file name
Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
invalid driver specification

Anybody know what could be the problem?

I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.

Thanks


--
nizan
 
MS DOS disks cannot format a NTFS formatted Disk.
Use your Windows XP disk to do and installation and stop after the format.
I suspect that partition magic only did a "Quick Format" which is just an
erase of the file access table.

"nizan" <webmaster@windvis.com> wrote in message
news:nizan.2ta5x1@no-mx.tabletquestions.com...
>
> I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.
>
> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name
> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification
>
> Anybody know what could be the problem?
>
> I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
> other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
> has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> nizan
 
On 7/5/2007 8:39 PM On a whim, nizan pounded out on the keyboard

> I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.
>
> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name
> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification
>
> Anybody know what could be the problem?
>
> I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
> other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
> has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.
>
> Thanks
>
>

If you used PM, it can easily format your partition, and it doesn't take
very long when creating a new partition. Did you format it to FAT32 or
NTFS? If NTFS, your MS-DOS OS disk won't recognize it.

Check your DOS disk and see if format.com is on it.

--
Terry R.

***Reply Note***
Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.
Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.
 
My partition was NTFS but I used partition magic and changed it to
FAT32. I also copied format.com on the disk, and here's the error I get
when I type format c: or format c: /s
"this program cannot be run in DOS MODE"

Thanks for the help.


--
nizan
 
nizan wrote:
>
> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name
> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification

Your HDDs are in NTFS format. You have to delete the partitions first,
then fdsik/format with dos or your XP CD.


--
http://www.bootdisk.com/
 
"nizan" <webmaster@windvis.com> wrote in message
news:nizan.2ta5x1@no-mx.tabletquestions.com...
>
> I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.
>
> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name

This generally means that it cannot find the FORMAT application. Are you
sure that FORMAT.COM is on the ms-dos disk? Also, if you are trying to
create a system partition, FORMAT calls SYS.COM as a daughter routine and
its absence will generate te same error.

Also note that if the disk is already formatted in NTFS (or any other non
FAT format), then the ms-dos version of FORMAT will fail.

> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification
>

The c: disk is either not formatted or formatted in NTFS (or any other non
FAT format).

> Anybody know what could be the problem?
>
> I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
> other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
> has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.
>

Partition Magic's format is much more efficient than the ms-dos format.
Ms-dos format insists on completely writing the entire disk structure*, but
PM's format only writes what it has to. Having said that, there are
occassions when PM's format will fail and a format the old fashioned way is
required.

*Unless you use the quick format option, but this will not work if the disk
wasn't fully formatted first because it only writes an empty directory and
FAT structure.
 
"nizan" <webmaster@windvis.com> wrote in message
news:nizan.2ta7rd@no-mx.tabletquestions.com...
>
> My partition was NTFS but I used partition magic and changed it to
> FAT32. I also copied format.com on the disk, and here's the error I get
> when I type format c: or format c: /s
> "this program cannot be run in DOS MODE"
>

The FORMAT.COM that you copied onto your ms-dos disk is the wrong version
for the ms-dos on the disk. You have to use a FORMAT.COM that was supplied
with the same version of the ms-dos. The functionality of the FORMATs
changes with different versions (for example the Windows ME version won't
accept the '/s' command line switch to produce a bootable disk).
 
"nizan" <webmaster@windvis.com> wrote in message
news:nizan.2ta5x1@no-mx.tabletquestions.com...
>
> I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.
>
> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name
> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification
>
> Anybody know what could be the problem?
>
> I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
> other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
> has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> --
> nizan

This thread is characterised by a hotch-potch of different
commands used under different OSs, without you actually
saying what you wish to achive.

If you wish to load WinXP on a blank disk then you DON'T
need to partition/format the disk with a DOS boot disk. You
simply boot the machine with your WinXP CD, then allow
the disk to be partitioned/formatted. End of story.

If you wish to partition/format a second disk in a WinXP
PC then you run diskmgmt.msc from within Windows.
Again there is no need for a boot diskette.
 
On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 20:39:33 -0700, nizan <webmaster@windvis.com>
wrote:


> I have 3 computers, all of them with the same problem.


None of them has a problem. You're just misunderstanding what is
supposed to happen.


> I've made a startup ms-dos disk, I inserted the disk and restarted my
> computer.
>
> Whenever I type format c: and press enter I get the following error:
> bad command or file name


You're doing this at the a:> prompt? Your diskette does not have the
format command on it. But it wouldn't work even it did, since you
can't format an NTFS drive (which is apparently what you have) from
DOS.


> Whenever I type cd c: end press enter I get the following error:
> invalid driver specification


Your drive is presumably NTFS, and can't by seen by your DOS diskette.


> Anybody know what could be the problem?
>
> I used partition magic to format my hard because i did not have any
> other options. But the formating takes less then 1 minute. My hard drive
> has 50GB and I really doubt that it only takes 1 minute to format it.


What are you trying to accomplish here? Is your intent to reformat and
reinstall Windows XP? If so, you are going about this all wrong.

Just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order if
necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean
installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when
prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
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