Fixing my FAT. Cant get Linux off now and having setup issues

[tvance]

I am trying to reinstall Windows over and onto a HDD that I had been trying Linux out on, now when it goes to the Scandisk part of setup it freezes everytime at 18% on the F.A.T. check.

Also in FDisk I am not showing any NON DOS partitions which I know to be false because Mandrake is STILL THERE!

Can someone help me clean this up as this is a work computer I am trying to build and need this HD.

thanks!
t

[anmaxp]

try zeroing your drive...

go to you drive's manufacturer's homepage, they must have some sort of app that lets you low-level format your drive

[kevinalm]

Two things to try. Use linux fdisk and delete all partitions. With most distros you can boot into rescue mode off install cd #1 and run fdisk.

Download the disk utils suite from the hd manufacturer and low level format the drive. (Often called write zero's to drive). This should sanitize the drive and detect any problems the drive may have. Caveats, if the drive is failing, this will probably kill it. Also, it can take quite a while to llf.

[tvance]

Ill try llf and get back.

[Ryochan7]

If I remember correctly, fdisk sees all Mandrake partitions as an extended Dos partition. I guess it has to do with how Mandrake's installation program allocates the hard drive space for the Linux partitions. If you delete the extended Dos partition then you should have deleted all partitions made by Mandrake.

[tvance]

*********NEVERMIND! SKIP THIS MESSAGE*** GOT IT.
So I goes to the Wdigital site and can only find Drive utility stuff FOR windows!

I cant find anything on LLFing except for PDF files that talk about putting software in -- but I dont know where to get the software.

Has anybody ever done this with a WDig. or have any other ideas?

tv

[kevinalm]

The last time I did this for a WD drive, the utils download was a dos/win exe that creates a stand alone boot floppy util disk. You ran the exe which made the floppy, then booted the floppy on the computer with the hd you wanted to work on.

[plattypus1]

If you're still having troubles zeroing your drive (or even if you aren't, because this is a great utility) try Autoclave. It's a bootable linux floppy designed to do no more than completely wipe your hard drive.
http://staff.washington.edu/jdlarios/autoclave/
Grab the .img file and write it off using "dd if=filename of=/dev/fd0" (as root) and then just pop the disk in the drive at boot time.

[dvdnut]

there is another way of course

do you know someone who has 2k?

no im not going to advise you to pirate but in the first instance of installing it asks you about partitions

do the necessary using this then when done formatting reboot it and use your normal windows disk

that is an option which you could use but im not saying you should use it