formatting hard drive with windows xp

I have a computer running with windows xp, that I want to give to my
kid and the problem that I am having is that I have been trying to
format the hard drive and then reinstall windows xp, when I try to
format the hard drive I get this message when I get to start and then My
computor and then go to the C: drive and try to format I get this
message: "format cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process, format may run if the volume is dismounted first - ALL OPEN
HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD BE INVALID - would you like to force a
dismount on this volume" and when I click on yes - I get this message "
cannot lock the drive. the is still in use". WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO DO TO
FORMAT A HARD DRIVE FROM WINDOWS XP!!!!

I've also tried going from the command prompt and this is the message I
get " windows cannot format this drive , quit any disk utilizing or othe
program that are using this drive and make sure that no windows is
displaying the content of the drive.

What can I do when you are running windows xp and want to reformat the
hard drive.

I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when on Fri,
03 Sep 2004 22:32:03 -0400, Dennis Blackwell <>
screamed from behind the mulberry bush:

>I have a computer running with windows xp, that I want to give to my
>kid and the problem that I am having is that I have been trying to
>format the hard drive and then reinstall windows xp, when I try to
>format the hard drive I get this message when I get to start and then My
>computor and then go to the C: drive and try to format I get this
>message: "format cannot run because the volume is in use by another
>process, format may run if the volume is dismounted first - ALL OPEN
>HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD BE INVALID - would you like to force a
>dismount on this volume" and when I click on yes - I get this message "
>cannot lock the drive. the is still in use". WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO DO TO
>FORMAT A HARD DRIVE FROM WINDOWS XP!!!!
>
>I've also tried going from the command prompt and this is the message I
>get " windows cannot format this drive , quit any disk utilizing or othe
>program that are using this drive and make sure that no windows is
>displaying the content of the drive.
>
>What can I do when you are running windows xp and want to reformat the
>hard drive.

You can't format the C: drive when you boot up into the OS from that
drive, even in DOS based systems like W95/98/ME. If you want to
completely wipe the drive and reinstall the OS you have to boot from a
Windows XP CD. Follow the magic prompts. If you are running some ****
box proprietary PC like a HP or Dell, most come with what they like to
call a "Recovery CD" which will do more or less the same thing. BTW,
XP was made to boot from the CD. If you want to make a bunch of boot
floppies, you have to download a file from MS to do so.

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 22:32:03 -0400, Dennis Blackwell
<> wrote:

>I have a computer running with windows xp, that I want to give to my
>kid and the problem that I am having is that I have been trying to
>format the hard drive and then reinstall windows xp, when I try to
>format the hard drive I get this message when I get to start and then My
>computor and then go to the C: drive and try to format I get this
>message: "format cannot run because the volume is in use by another
>process, format may run if the volume is dismounted first - ALL OPEN
>HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD BE INVALID - would you like to force a
>dismount on this volume" and when I click on yes - I get this message "
>cannot lock the drive. the is still in use". WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO DO TO
>FORMAT A HARD DRIVE FROM WINDOWS XP!!!!
>
>I've also tried going from the command prompt and this is the message I
>get " windows cannot format this drive , quit any disk utilizing or othe
>program that are using this drive and make sure that no windows is
>displaying the content of the drive.
>
>What can I do when you are running windows xp and want to reformat the
>hard drive.
If your using the WindowsXP boot disk hold down the F2 key while
booting. Gives you the option of partitioning and formating any drive
and then reinstalling windows....Works for me.....BC