I saw a user posted that you can format your C drive using the windows XP pro installation disk. I tried to do this, but I must not be finding the options that allow the format. The first option I picked was "new install (advanced). It went through the whole install, but what happened is I ended up with 2 versions of XP on my C drive. Could anyone tell me what options you need to pick in order to format the drive and do a fresh install?

if u want to format your C: with the xp disc boot from cd then choose install xp and then delete the partition and make a new partition. then it will ask you to format.

Choose "Install Windows XP" then it will go into a new screen that lists a bunch of steps. From the from the pulldown menu choose "New Installation (Advanced)" and let the software do the rest. It will wipe out all the data on your hard drive and put a fresh copy of Windows XP on the system. There is some evidence however that the XP installer program does not wipe the drive completely. If you really want to make sure the drive is scrubbed, then get a copy of a Windows 98 boot disk from bootdisk.com and pop the disk into your computer. Restart it. Choose to go to the command prompt with CD access. When the A> prompt comes up, check to see if you have CD-ROM access by putting a CD in the drive and then typing D: (enter) and then typing dir (then enter). It should list the contents of your CD drive. if that works go back to the A> prompt by typing A: (then hit enter). Now type format c: This will wipe out the C: drive. If you have a D drive, then wipe it out (optional) by typing format d: Next type d:setup (hit enter) and the installation program for Windows XP will run and you're back in business. is very easy

perhaps this will help FORMATTING While running your current version of XP , insert the XP CD in the drive. When the setup menu appears, select "New Installation" (clean install) from the pull-down menu. Also, select "Advanced" and place checkmarks in the two boxes. 2. Next, your computer will start copying files and then reboot. At this point, select the same drive/partition that Windows XP is currently installed on. Select the option to "format" this partition using either FAT32 or NTFS. 3. After the drive/partition is formatted, XP will begin the setup process and install "clean". 4. After registering and activating XP, be sure to run a "Defrag". For details: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp Note: It is important to visit the web site of the manufacturer of your computer to obtain any special XP drivers.

screw all that you dont need to partition just boot into ms-dos with a win 98 boot disk and than format becase for some odd resan xp wont let you.