help to format c partition because of corrupt OS

daftdave

hi,
when i tried to boot my c partition vista yesterday , i get a bsod which can only be seen for about a half a second and then the machine reboots and brings me to a repair process which i have followed to no avail, it says that windows can not be repaired automatically.
i have downloaded a windows vista repair disc also and same result , i have tried to system restore from the hp repair options , i have tried last known good config , none of these options have worked.
i am presuming somehow my vista OS has been corrupted.
i have backed up my files using ubuntu so all is not lost.
i cannot reload the OS as the sticker on the bottom of my laptop is worn and unreadable so i have no product key !.
i have an old xp OS disc which i am considering loading to the c partition instead of the corrupt vista , but when i try to format the c partition to reload xp on there i am getting messages saying that the c partition cant be formatted ,

can anyone help me here as i have tried everything i can think of ,

thanks in advance

dave

Dublin_Gunner

Sounds like the HDD might be the culprit here.

You could try do boot from Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) - and use the HDD tools from there to wipe/fix bad sectors/format the HDD.

http://www.dban.org/download

You burn the ISO to a CD and boot from that.

Can you boot into DOS even and try a DSKCHK?

daftdave

the hdd is partitioned into 4 different partitions , the c partition is vista , the d and e partitions are hp recovery and tools partitions , and the other partition is a win 7 partition that i am using now , will the process that you advised also wipe my win 7 partition ??

thanks again and sorry for the late reply, im in oz !

Dublin_Gunner

daftdave wrote: »

the hdd is partitioned into 4 different partitions , the c partition is vista , the d and e partitions are hp recovery and tools partitions , and the other partition is a win 7 partition that i am using now , will the process that you advised also wipe my win 7 partition ??

thanks again and sorry for the late reply, im in oz !

You can delete any partitions you want.

Once a partition has been deleted, it can be made into a new partition and formatted.

So, you could delete all 3 of the other partitions, and make those into 1 larger partition if you like, or indeed, delete all 4 partitions and start from scratch.

Do you have the Win 7 disk?

daftdave

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

You can delete any partitions you want.

Once a partition has been deleted, it can be made into a new partition and formatted.

So, you could delete all 3 of the other partitions, and make those into 1 larger partition if you like, or indeed, delete all 4 partitions and start from scratch.

Do you have the Win 7 disk?

no i dont have a win 7 disc , i wish i had !!!.......

formatting the 3 partitions and making them into one sounds like the way forward and then reload xp on there until i save a few bob and purchase win 7 outright.

i will try the process that you outlined in your first reply and report how i get on ,

thanks again for your help !!

Dublin_Gunner

daftdave wrote: »

no i dont have a win 7 disc , i wish i had !!!.......

formatting the 3 partitions and making them into one sounds like the way forward and then reload xp on there until i save a few bob and purchase win 7 outright.

i will try the process that you outlined in your first reply and report how i get on ,

thanks again for your help !!

No problem.

Can you boot into the WIn 7 partition? (I take it you can).

If so, if you go into computer management > disk management, you can delete the other partitions form there and create 1 larger partition and format it.

This way you'll keep your Win 7 partition, but have the rest of the drive as another free partition.

Windows7Guy

Hello daftdave,
Have you tried downloading the Windows 7 -RTM?
RTM -Release to Manufacture -90days
The product key is "baked in" for the Windows 7 Enterprise 90 day evaluation. The Win 7 Enterprise Evaluation is a 90-day trial is now available to help you test and evaluate the final, released to manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 Enterprise. Designed specifically for IT professionals, this 90-day trial is offered in English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. If you would like to try it now, please go here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/default.aspx?pv=36:350
At least if you could download that you would get the tools for deleting the partitions :-)
John M
Microsoft Windows Client Team