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erase hardd drive with cmd command

Tags:
  • Virus
  • Command Prompt
  • Windows XP
Last response: in Linux/Free BSD
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April 7, 2014 12:00:58 PM

have virus and want to totally erase everything off dell with xp and am in the cmd.exe screen asking forcmd command. I put c:/y and it says the type of file is NTFS . verifying 76316M. cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.

More about : erase hardd drive cmd command

April 7, 2014 12:04:45 PM

most1hated said:
have virus and want to totally erase everything off dell with xp and am in the cmd.exe screen asking forcmd command. I put c:/y and it says the type of file is NTFS . verifying 76316M. cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.


Right. You cannot format/erase the hard drive from within a running Windows instance. You have to boot from something else to do that.
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Best solution

April 7, 2014 12:48:27 PM

Boot up from a CD containing another operating system. That way your normal boot drive is not being used as the source of the program (operating system) running your system. Most of these "live" discs run a version of Linux. They call them "live" because they do not install an operating system on a hard drive (unless you want them to), they just boot up directly from the CD.

So go to another computer and download one of the live discs from noahhicks' link, burn it to a CD/DVD, then use that live disc to boot up your virus-laden system. At that point you will be able to format/wipe your boot disk. They you'll have to boot up with a disk of the same operating system version you had and re-install it. Good luck.
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