/ Vista is Preventing a Reformat

Vista is Preventing a Reformat

I can’t find the Windows installation disc to do the repair. I want to format the c drive back to factory settings. I copied files that I wanted to keep to another computer and when I tried to format the drive it said I couldn’t as there was a precautionary measure in place to stop me from deleting Windows (I’m using Windows Vista.) Is there any way around this without having the installation disc? Can I buy a new one cheap? Susan Keenan

Vista Reformat Precautions

The most likely cause of this message is that either the computer is still running Windows at the time you are trying to reformat the drive or that you aren’t signed in as an administrator. This is a security measure that is designed to prevent accidental deletion of Windows from your computer. Vista reformat precautions are designed as protective measures rather than as restrictive ones. If you have more than one user account, sign in as administrator when reformatting.

Reformat Hard Drive

Typically, the easiest way to reformat the hard drive is to use the installation discs that came with the computer. However, if you don’t have the discs, there are other options including purchasing replacement discs or wiping the drive clean and starting over with a new installation of Windows (you’d need to buy a Windows CD for this). Another possibility is to see if your computer has a hidden partition with an e-Recovery option. So, yes, you have options.

Check for eRecovery Options

Many manufacturers no longer ship their computers with recovery discs. Instead, the recovery tools are located on a hidden partition of the hard drive which is usually entered into using a special keyboard combination. Check your computer’s documentation to see your computer has this feature, and if so, how to use it. If you no longer have the manual, visit your computer manufacturer’s Web site and look up your computer model. Once your model is listed, explore the various options and see if there’s any information covering system recoveries.

Replacement Windows Installation or Recovery Discs

If your computer does not have an eRecovery feature, you can likely buy a recovery CD directly from the computer manufacturer. If the computer manufacturer doesn’t offer these, other companies sell generic recovery discs. Another place to look for recovery CDs for your exact computer is eBay.

How to Reformat Vista Hard Drive through the Control Panel

For users who want to reformat a hard drive, such as in preparation for an alternative operating system, this can be done through the Control Panel. However, this will only reformat the drive, it will not reinstall the operating system, device drivers, and factory installed software.

As you already know, reformatting an existing drive will destroy or remove all of your existing data. Double check to make sure that you have backed up everything that you wanted to save. Note: The following reformat option does not reset the computer to factory settings; it strictly reformats the hard disk or partition.

Follow these steps to reformat Vista hard drive through the Control Panel:

1. Navigate to the “Start” button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen and click.
2. Select the “Control Panel.”
3. Select “System and Maintenance.”
4. Select “Administrative Tools.”
5. Double click on “Computer Management” to open it. If you receive the prompt for a password or to identify yourself as an administrator, you need to do so at this point or you will not be able to complete the reformatting of the hard drive.
6. Select “Disk Management” beneath the heading of “Storage.”
7. Select the volume that you need to format by right-clicking on it and click on “Format.”
8. Now you need to select “OK” in the Format dialog box in order to revert to the default settings.
9. Select “OK.”

If these steps do not work the first time that you try them, you can try entering the “Command Prompt” by following these steps first: Turn the computer on. Immediately press the “F8″ key so you can access the “Command Prompt” sector and at the DOS command center, you enter the following command: format C: /Q command for a quick format.