how to format my hard drive in vista

Try using a disk sanitizer. -or- I am guessing you can hold down the F8 key on startup and start in MS-DOS mode and format your hard drive from there.
Since I have yet to format a Vista machine in this way, I do know that I successfully formatted a drive with Vista on it when I purchased a new PC a couple months ago via installing Ubuntu/Fedora. I didn't even login to Vista for the first time--Ubuntu and Fedora kicked it right off my hard disk platters -hahaha:P:P:P Vista didn't get a chance to live on my PC. :P

Also try using the Vista install disc if you have it and format/partition from there.
 
Are you installing Vista on the whole HDD or just on a single partition?

I've formatted and partitioned in Vista before... the button is just hidden...
 
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