format c: windows\ system32

Question

A very nasty worm has entered my c drive. The only recourse I have left is to format my c drive completely and reinstall everything. Windows Vista is preventing me from doing this. How can I format my c drive and completely wipe all existing info?

Currently this worm has blocked internet access, blocked any detection by Norton Internet Security, and won't allow updates that have been downloaded to be installed. I've tried "WipoeDrive" and Vista blocks it during boot. Tried "Active Clean" and Vista won't allow program to load. This is a new 1.5 TB Seagate Barracuda I just bought for my Bride's birthday.............not good!

This is my Bride's machine and yes, my butt is on the line! Thank you.

Answer 1

"pac7fuj" wrote in message news:*** Email address is removed for privacy *** .com...

A very nasty worm has entered my c drive. The only recourse I have left is to format my c drive completely and reinstall everything. Windows Vista is preventing me from doing this. How can I format my c drive and completely wipe all existing info?

Currently this worm has blocked internet access, blocked any detection by Norton Internet Security, and won't allow updates that have been downloaded to be installed. I've tried "WipoeDrive" and Vista blocks it during boot. Tried "Active Clean" and Vista won't allow program to load. This is a new 1.5 TB Seagate Barracuda I just bought for my Bride's birthday.............not good!

This is my Bride's machine and yes, my butt is on the line! Thank you.

You must boot with a Vista installation media disk and not try to format the drive from within Vista in any manner.  You would be cutting off the branch that you are sitting on and Vista won't allow that.

As this is a new hard drive you had to have some way to install Vista onto it originally and that is the only way to reformat the drive and reinstall Vista.

Answer 2

If you can't format using your Vista install disk, download/burn Parted

Magic iso...

http://partedmagic.com

Boot off the CD and you can format partition to NTFS (and repartition if you

care too)

Read the section on using Using GParted

http://partedmagic.com/documentation/119-using-gparted.html

"pac7fuj" wrote in message news:d36efd4d-f59b-4806-abc3-ee42d2b5a6a1...

> A very nasty worm has entered my c drive. The only recourse I have left is

> to format my c drive completely and reinstall everything. Windows Vista is

> preventing me from doing this. How can I format my c drive and completely

> wipe all existing info?

>

> Currently this worm has blocked internet access, blocked any detection by

> Norton Internet Security, and won't allow updates that have been

> downloaded to be installed. I've tried "WipoeDrive" and Vista blocks it

> during boot. Tried "Active Clean" and Vista won't allow program to load.

> This is a new 1.5 TB Seagate Barracuda I just bought for my Bride's

> birthday.............not good!

>

> This is my Bride's machine and yes, my butt is on the line! Thank you.

>