unable to format partition:disk may be damaged.

HELP Please. I have a dell inspiron mini and I am trying to re-instal but I keep getting that message. How do I fix the problem , so that i can format and install windows xp. Dell was no help at all. even though my "Hardware"warranty is good I now have to purchase a "software"warranty.
Do i have to instal the cd drive first? and if so how do i do that???? I'm so frustrated with Dell.

 

does your Mini have an SSD or a normal HD? If you arent sure, how many Gigabytes is your Hard Drive?

 

i have no idea... i do know that I have 3 partitions though
1st is - artition1 [fat] 39 mb <29 mb free>
2nd is c artition2 [unknown] 142593 mb <142592 mb free>
3rd is f artition 3 <dellrestore> [fat 32] 9994 mb (6050 mb free.
I just bought a new cd/dvd external drive and I just opened the windows disk.
Sorry I'm new at this and I'm learning as I go. I have done F2 and moved the cd/dvd to the first, that did nothing and then moved the removable drive to the front and that didn't do it either. I did call dell and they told me it was a software problem but that i had to now buy a software warranty to get the problem fixed. my hardware warranty is still in effect. the computer is not even a year old yet. it is a mini 10 v. if that is any help????

 

1st thing i would attempt is to boot to the
1. Windows xp disk
2. start the recovery console
3. run a chkdsk /f on the C:.


if your not worried about your Data you could try restoring from the dellrestore partition

1 Turn on the computer.


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2 As the computer starts, press <F8> on the keyboard until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears on the screen.

Note:
You must press <F8> before the Windows logo appears on the screen. If you press <F8> after the Windows logo appears on the screen, the Advanced Boot Options menu will not appear on the screen. If you do not see the Advanced Boot Options menu, restart the computer, and then repeat this step until you see the menu on the screen.


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3 Press the <Down Arrow> on the keyboard to select Repair Your Computer on the Advanced Boot Options menu, and then press <Enter>.


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4 Specify the language settings that you want, and then click Next.


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5 Log in as a user who has administrative credentials, and then click OK.


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6 Click Dell Factory Image Restore.


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7 In the Dell Factory Image Restore window, click Next.


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8 Click to select the Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition check box.


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9 Click Next.
The computer is restored to the default factory configuration.


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10 When the restore operation is completed, click Finish to restart the computer.

The software is now installed as it was when the computer was first received.




I got those directions from teh dell website

Restoring Your Computer´s Software to the Factory Settings | Dell

 

I tried the <f8> many times. i can't get anything to come up it goes right to error loading xp program. I tried hitting it once , then repeating it many times in a row till the computer started beeping. I found that I have an hdd size 160 gb sata 1
I do not need anything off the computer so if i lose anything on it it will be ok. I tried the <f2> as well in the advanced section and their was nothing i was able to do their. I then tried the <f12> and that did nothing either. The <F8> key i kept trying but nothing would come up.I know the xp disk is good because i used it earlier on another computer and the external cd/dvd i just purchased on Sunday. oh boy this is frustrating.

 

Try this. Right click on computer, select manage option. In that goto disk management under storage on left panel. There you will see your drives/partitions. Right click on the drive and select format option.
If you are not able to do that, right click on the drive and select new volume option and do accordingly as it shows. You will find the format option even in this. Hope it works!

 

Call Dell back- cant be a software problem - installing XP, and you can not partition the drive is a DRIVE problem since NO software is loaded...

Ask for a mananger if they push back- Ive been seeing recently techs doing very stupid things, on my Fathers D430, the harddrive conecctor ( ZiF) was not closing or locking, i explained that i would get randon "No Fixed Disk" errors- I searched and found the cable was coming out due to the connector on the drive, Tech wanted to send a motherboard....