SOLVED: Cannot format C: drive because all process have not been ended. - Dell Laptop

Cannot format C: drive because all process have not been ended.

I'm trying to reformat the harddrive on an older Dell laptop running WIN XP. However, when I try to format C:; I get a message that processes are still running. I've tried ending programs and processes in the task manager but no luck.

Any ideas?

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Posted: Dec 5, 2012

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Hi Richard,

Because this is a laptop and the C: drive, I'm guessing it's the only drive in the machine. Windows can't reformat the drive it's installed on and running off of, so to reformat you're going to have to boot from a Windows install CD.

Follow Microsoft's directions on how to perform the reformat and reinstall:

Microsoft: Install Windows XP

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Dell Laptop

Cannot format C: drive because all process have not been ended.

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