Formatting HD with WinXP Pro Installed

[GixRider]

I recently built a new pc and installed XP Pro as the OS. I am having several problems with XP so for now I want to format the hd install Win2000 Pro. However when i attempt to format the hd here's what I get:

C:\FORMAT C:
Receieve the all data on drive c will be lost.
I type Y to proceed.
Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Format may run if this volume is dismounted first. All open handles to this volume would then be invalid. Would you like to force a dismount on this volume?
I type Y
Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.

Now here's something else that I am unsure of as well. When I click User Acconts in the control panel I get the User accounts dialog box with a back and forward arrow and a home button which none of them perform any task. Should there not be user accounts as there is in Win2000Pro? Hope I have supplied enough info to get some help on this matter as I would like to format today. Thanks.

[Spyda]

if you have partition magic, I use that, i delete and secure erase the HDD, then when the system reboots and says No OS present, i install windows from that, i tried format through XP, like right clicking the drive, it didnt really do anything.

[Iman74]

Unless you are typing this incorrectly you will never be able to format a drive that you are mounted on.
Examples:
A:\format a: <---- can't be done
c:\format a: <---- can be done

c:\format c: <----can't be done
a:\format c: <----can be done


You see the pattern? You can not format a drive that you are on. So if you have c: and you want it gone, then you have to format while being booted from a CD or a floppy not the HDD.

[ZANEY123]

if you have to 2k cd just change the boot sequence to boot to cd and insert the 2k cd, you will boot to that and it will format it for you.

adding a little more to what IMan74 said

HTH
Zaney123