Why am I unable to format my laptop's hard drive?

Question

Alright so when I go to format my laptops hard drive (selling it on eBay), I get a Windows message saying this: You cannot format this volume - It contains the version of Windows that you are using. Formatting this volume could cause your computer to stop working. Anyone have any idea what this means and how I can format my hard drive? It's a Toshiba Satellite L305D-S5881 running Windows Vista. Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

You can't format the drive which contains Windows from within Windows.



You can either boot from an installation disc or restore the factory settings.



The best way is to restore, taking the laptop back to exactly as when you bought it.



One of the two methods below will do the job.



1) Hold down the power button for 10 (ten) seconds to switch off your machine.



2) Press and hold the 0 (zero) key and at the same time, tap the power button once to switch on your notebook.



3) When the machine Starts beeping; release the 0 key.



4) When prompted by the warning screen; select Yes to continue with the system recovery.



5) Select Recovery of Factory Default Software; click Next.



6) Select Recover to out-of-box state click Next again.



7) Click Next to Start recovery.



Or.







Shut down the computer.



Turn the PC back on and hit the F8 key repeatedly until the Advanced Boot Option Screen appears.



Click "Repair Your Computer" if you are not already on it and then press ENTER



choose your country and click OK



On the "System Recovery Options Screen" click "Restore Application" which is the last option.



Follow the on-screen instructions



When prompted, click on "Full Factory Recovery"



"Next"



Click "Yes"



you will notice for a while it seems like nothing is happening, give it some time.



After some minutes, recovery will complete and you click "Finish"

Answer 2

Your trying to format the drive while using the operating system is using files from that drive therefore it won't actually let you format it as you would essentially be wiping the whole of windows off which your using at that moment in time. To wipe the memory from the Hard drive use your setup disk and reinstall the Operating system (windows 7/Windows XP etc) and when reinstalling you will be given advanced options, in advanced options it will give you the opportunity to format the drive. Hope this helped.

Answer 3

You format it you will loose all your drivers

.

The manufacture installed them and only they have the proper driver that will work on you Laptop

.

If you do format it it is good by to this Laptop

.

You will not even be able to install the OS

.

Because the drivers for the CD reader are missing

.

Answer 4

I think you are trying to format the drive which contains the files of Windows which is currently running on your PC. Am I Right ?



www.careermotive.com

Answer 5

FYI when you installed the new operating system I know for a FACT that you DID NOT 0 OUT THE HARD DRIVE when you zero out the hard drive to 6 zeros it OVER WRITES the hard drive 8 TIMES and should remove all of the hard disk errors and if it does not just get a new hard drive

Answer 6

Download and burn Ultimate Boot cd and format the hd.

cd uses a generic driver which all os except dos have