Unable to format partition.. nforce controller issues?

[talzok]

I think I posted this in the wrong area earlier, so I'll repost it here.

I'm trying to format my hard drive with the NTFS file system. I did
the reboot with the Windows system CD, went through setup, deleted the
old partition, re-partitioned the drive, and then chose to install
windows on the new (raw) partition. Then it goes to the format screen
where I get to choose between A) NTFS Format (Quick) or B) NTFS
Regular. First of all, does anyone know the difference between these
two options? Secondly, when I choose to format with the regular, more
thorough option (I'm guessing), it does its thing and when it gets to
100% after about an hour, I recieve the following message:

"Setup was unable to format the partition. The disk may be damaged.
Make sure your drive is switched on and properly connected to your
computer. If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices are
properly terminated. Consult your computer manual or SCSI adapter
documentation for more information."

After this, I choose to do the NTFS (Quick) format option and it goes
through the format in less than a minute (???). I really think that by
not being able to thoroughly format my hard disk, my system
performance may be suffering.

I've tried using the F6 option right when setup starts, and then using
SCSI mass storage device controllers, but none of what I have used has
worked.

When I first reformatted my hard disk a few days ago using the NTFS
(regular) option, it completed with no errors and went straight into
installing windows. Now it's giving me trouble for some reason. I've
run a thorough diagnostics test on my hard drive and there are no
errors there. Also, my SCSI mass storage controller is by nVidia. I
believe my motherboard chipset is nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400. Anyways,
here are my system specs:

System Specs:
OS: Windows XP Pro sp2
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.8GHz
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Hard Disk:
Free Space: 107.8 GB
Total Space: 114.5 GB
File System: NTFS
Model WDC WD12 00JB-00CRA1 SCSI Disk Device (western digital)
Motherboard: AOpen Model AK79D-400VN
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
IDE Controller: Nvidia Corp nForce2 EIDE Controller

Any help appreciated! Thanks!

[uddarts]

this is as good a time as your going to get to start the process all over and make sure you have it right. much better than a month or two from now.

i never have used ntfs sys, so i'm quite limited in the how to's. one thing you can do is use the western digital tools.

http://support.wdc.com/download/

here are some links that might help you. are you still running a floppy drive?

http://www.bootdisk.com/

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=313348

http://www.directron.com/formatdrive.html


ud

[wonkanoby]

is this an ide drive

if yes and there is no slave on the ide use it jumperless.......not master

[talzok]

Yes, this is an IDE drive, and I took off the jumper to make it a single drive. I'm still recieving the "Setup was unable to format the partition / make sure SCSI devices are properly terminated / consult your SCSI adapter documentation" message after the NTFS (thorough) format..

Another thing.. when I hit F6 during Windows setup, it recognizes <none> for my mass storage device. Does this mean I need to do the F6 command with the proper mass storage controller drivers present?

Thanks!

[wonkanoby]

why would you need f6 if the drives on a normal ide channel

[Techeon]

Yes, I have the same issue. It is very frustrating. The motherboard I have is a Biostar K8VGA-M. I am using a SATA 3.0GBps WD2500KS.

I had actually been able to install windows previously, but was getting system file errors. I might have a bad drive. I'm not sure.

[Techeon]

I have found a way that works for me!!!

I tried another hard drive and had the same problem so I knew that it was not the hard drive that was the problem. I figured it was the motherboard and since i didn't have another one handy to try I thought about what I could change on it.

I went into the BIOS and changed "Auto Detect PCI Clk" to ENABLED
I also lowered the OC to 200 from 224. I believe that 221 is the highest it will be stable on.

This is a very odd stability issue with OCing. I am glad to have resolved the issue though.

EDIT: Upon further thinking I concluded that the No execution bit functionality of Windows XP SP2 in combination of certain AMD cpus was the culprit. I found no way of turning this feature off, but it posses no problem at lower clock frequencies including the default of 200. I will try higher frequencies up to the known unstable clock of 224.

[linuxnut02]

I have tried 4 different distros of linux, and windows xp pro, and had the same issues you are describing, windows xp actually came out and told me the stop code and the error at hand (which was with the ntfs.sys module). I moved my hard drives over to the secondary IDE channel, put my optical drives on the primary, kicked cable select out of the picture and set primary, and the slave jumpers (primary for top, slave for bottom respectively,) and right now i'm in the middle of windows xp installation with no hitches. good luck! hope this helps.

[Juancho59]

Well let me start by telling you that I received the same message. I couldn't install windows. I opened up the case to if there were any problems with the wires or the way the hard drive was connected to the motherboard. Everything was cool..

But i did notice one thing though, I had a "SEAGATE" Hard Drive

I didn't want to go through the fuss and the dust to remove the drive so thaT I can see the model #...(lazy, i know)

so....

I went to the seagate website, clicked on support..

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/utils.html

Then I saw "Installation Software" Disc Wizard...

I said to myself AJA!!!


and it states:

"Seagate simplifies the installation of disc drives with this program. This software also overcomes many system BIOS and operating system limitations that can complicate the installation of higher-capacity ATA (IDE) interface drives."

It actually Prepares your Hard drive for NTFS, FAT32
and FAT16 partitions
for Windows XP/2000/Me/98.

You can either download the bootable floopy or and ISO image to burn to a CD.

I placed it in the computer, make sure your BIOS is set to boot from the CD-ROM Drive (In my case since I choosed the ISO image), and it Graphical Display shows you detailed info of your hard drive along with other utilities.

I used the proper utility to prepare my hard drive for an NTFS format installation and the rest is history..

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SEAGATE OFCOURSE, THIS WON'T WORK FOR YOU..However, I posted this so that you can take the same approach, perhaps the manufacturer of your hard drive provides tools such as this...

Good Luck!

[Master Nova]

Fellas,
I'm a bit new for some of the terms here but can't afford to take my PC to a place to get fixed. So I'm giving it a try on my own.
I have the same problem...I purchased an upgrade version of XP and am trying to first install an old version of Windows 2000 pro so that I can later set the upgrade. My pc has a brand new Maxtor Sata Drive (160 giggs). Everything goes smooth until Windows 2000 has finished formatting the drive and then I cannot continue and it states that it was unable to format the partition. I tried loading the Disc Wizard but when it statrts booting from the CD it shoots an error. Am I doing this wrong? Please give me some detailed suggestions as again I'm a bit new at this. But we all start like this at some point I assume. The Motherboard I have is an ASUS A7N8X....
Thanx in advance