Remove 3 Partitions Sata HD

[gregrae]

I have a Main Sata HD and a nother Sata HD in the 1 Computor.
The second HD Has 3 Partitions 19 Gb Primary 50 Gb free space Extended 48 Gb unallocated.
I have tried to deleat the partitions , dos not work . Tried formating the HD , will only format the 19 Gb partition and the other partitions remain.
I wish to restore thr HD back to it original size of 120Gb how do I do this as I can not remove the partitions.

[ktkendall]

What are you using to partition and format with?? Go to disk management in WinXP and you can do everything there. right click MyComputer, then manage, then disk management.

[Cricket]

You could also zero fill the 2nd hard drive to remove everything and make the drive like it was when it was brand new. Darik's Boot and Nuke will do this.

Remember to save any data from the 2nd hard drive that you don't want to lose.

And be careful you don't remove the partitions from the 1st hard drive.

Cricket

[gregrae]

With Darkeys Boot and nook Do I install the program on to my computer then sellect the drive on the computer then run it.
I do not understand how you run this program If your main HD is removed.
then there is no opering systom.
Can you explain the proceadure step by step so I do not get any thing wrong
The HD that I have has no partitions and the computer dos not see the hd.
If I have to go into my BIOS wher in the bios do I go to find out if the hd is there . If not what do i do then.
The HD is not broken just requires setting up.
This is where I need help.
I believe that some people use dos commands to set up the hd but I do not know how to do this.
To obtain what I require which is the best proceadure
Can you explain the proceadure.

[TwoRails]

Just curious, is this the same computer that you're having other hard drive problems with in your other thread?

[gregrae]

Yes it is the same computor

[TwoRails]

It may be beneficial to list all the problems in one spot so everyone knows what we are dealing with. It may also help if you list the system specs, including any / all drives, and any other problems you are having.

[rcvalencia09]

This is what you need to do:

1. Right click My Computer then click Manage
2. The Select Disk Management from the left pane
3. Now, you should see Disk 1 on the lower right pane

Then post back what you see so that we can better help you. But you can explore it you should see the options to delete all partitions and format the whole drive with just one

NOTE: Make sure that 2nd HDD is connected when you do this

[minsonngo]

It would be best if you post a screen shot of your Disk Management window.

[gregrae]

I do not know wether it makes any difference but both HD had linux on them and I f disked and removed the partitions. I still can not do any thing with the drives.I can see them but they are grayed out in disk magenment.

[TwoRails]

Sounds like you'll have to fix the MBR on the drives.

[gregrae]

What is MBR and how do I fix it

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by gregrae What is MBR?

MBR = Master Boot Record

Originally Posted by gregrae and how do I fix it

XP: Repair or fix master boot record using recovery console

Cricket

[gregrae]

I had Linux on My HD then I placed the HD into My computer and went to Disk Magement and removed the 5 patitions and ended up with one. Tried to format Partition and a error came up this HD is currept has a virus or has a elegal program.
I tried Fdisk and boot disk but the error is still there and I can not format the drive as the format is grayed out and the message comes up as above.
How do I recover the HD.
I tried to install XP and the same error.

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by gregrae ... How do I recover the HD. >>>

Did you follow Cricket's link and fix the MBR??

[minsonngo]

Download the program Cricket suggested awhile back and "Zero" fill the hard drive.

You can download the ISO file here: http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/d...6.iso?download

Then burn it as a image file to a CD... hook up ONLY the hard drive you want to "Zero" fill to your computer... boot from the CD and format it.

[TwoRails]

Just a point of interest: fixing the MBR and wiping out / zero filling data are two different things. Does anybody know if "Darik's Boot and Nuke" also fixes the MBR? I did not find any reference to it on their website.

[gregrae]

What is the answer to TWO Rails question before I continue

[minsonngo]

I am pretty sure when you zero out a hard drive... it takes care of the MBR too... someone correct me if I am wrong.

[kev7555]

If you zero fill a drive everything is gone, yes?

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by kev7555 If you zero fill a drive everything is gone, yes?

Yes... it cleans all programs and data off the drive... it will get rid of almost any data-related problem on the drive, such as viruses, corrupted partitions and the like. Just remember that it's a bit like burning down your house to get rid of termites... you lose everything on the drive.

[gregrae]

If I zero my HD using Darkie's Boot and Nuke , can I then install a operating system on to the HD or is there a nother proceadure to do.

[Cricket]

When you zero-fill a hard drive you essentially take it back to a blank "like new" condition and can install the OS like you normally would to a brand new hard drive.

Cricket

[TwoRails]

That's good to hear -- as you may have guessed, I don't zero fill often. I never really had a need to. When I have scrambled partitions I have always just fixed the MBR. Sure seems a lot quicker doing it this way: minutes instead of hours it takes zero fill. I know that some people have had problems with this, such as MBR "ghosting" but fortunately, I have not run into that.

gregrae, let us know how it works out, okay?