replacing the mobo

With Vista when your installing, it asks you what drive you want to use, and under that it has an Drive Options button. You have to click that button and it will give you the option to format. See these:

Before you click the Drive Options
V008_big.jpg


After you click the Drive Options
V008-1_big.jpg
 
i dont have the advanced option but i did figure out how to put windows on a partition so i hope i can format my main partition once the os is not their.
 
From a previous thread he said he was going to buy Vista SP1. There's no reason you wouldn't have the Drive Options link. Try reinstalling the OS and double check to make sure that the link isn't there. If it is you can format all your drives from there.

EDIT: If you mean that you have two HDD's in the system and you loaded Windows XP on the drive labeled as D:, then you can partition your drive C: from Windows.

1. Right click "My Computer" and click "Manage".
2. Under the "Storage" tab click "Disk Management".
3. Right click the "C:" drive and click "Format".
 
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When you did the install did it complete? You should see it unpack all the files then reboot and finish the install. I'm not sure exactly what your doing since you said your seeing it installed in drive D: which would be your CD/DVD-ROM drive by default if you only have one HDD and you wouldn't be able to see that without having an OS installed.
 
ok i replaced my mobo so i needed to install a new os. when i did that it saved all my old files and programs in a folder in drive c, then installed vista in the same drive. drive d is a 20 gb partition that i want vista to be installed in so i can format drive c. (i think my cd drive is drive e) but now that vista is on drive c i cant figure out how to format that drive. when i get home i will try to reinstall vista for the 4 time and make sure that i chose the full install and all that and see it i come up with the drive options.
 
Well, back up your data to an external drive then delete the partitions and wipe the whole thing. You will have to re-install your programs anyway.
 
wont let me if the os is on that partition. i will just go tomorow to best buy and get a new hdd and install it and then i will have a new hdd. thanks for all the help!
 
No problem. I hope you can get it up and running fine. :):good:

A second/new drive is a great idea. Also, if you have another computer available to you, you could also offload your data to it by mounting your drive in that one temporarily.
 
rockhead said:
wont let me if the os is on that partition. i will just go tomorow to best buy and get a new hdd and install it and then i will have a new hdd. thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...
Wait a minute. If you get Ubuntu, you can muck with the C: partition all you want.

It has GParted on it that will allow you to resize the C: partition to create
new partitions, basically anything you need.

That's what I had to use to get my partition created so I could run XP dual boot.

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
 
Aha... I see your problem. You need to boot from the Vista installation disk. That is why you are not seeing the extra drive options. You have the installer loaded from within a booted OS right now. You cannot modify mounted/in-use partitions.

Restart from the Vista install disc and then you should be able to reformat and repartition that drive.
 
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