Formatting to Windows XP takes too slow .... now stuck

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Paranoid Gamer

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Hi, I'm trying to install Windows XP to an old Dell Latitude Laptop with Core 2 Solo, 60GB Hard Disk, and 1GB of RAM..... The reason I'm doing this is because someone who uses that laptop before installed Windows 7 Ultimate that made the laptop very Very VERY slow. So I booted up from a USB Stick and tried to install Windows XP. The problem is, I've been waiting for it to finish formatting (in NTFS format) for over 3 days now, and it has been stuck at 89% for 2 days. I don't know what's wrong .... I can still feel vibration from the laptop (which often means the hard drive is still spinning) and the heat signatures are normal for this kind of an old laptop.

So, here's the question: Should I force shutdown, boot up from the USB again, and try NTFS Quick Format? Or should I wait for more, maybe put more ventilation and patience? Or should I try to format in FAT format that I know will give alot of headaches ... even though the laptop's just gonna be used to browse the internet?
 
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I would start over with the XP install, and do a full format, not a quick one. On an HDD that old there are likely a lot of defective areas that are no longer good, and a full format will find them and mark them as unusable. That could be what's happening now, but if so I would think the format would have timed out by now with an error. Not sure what's going on, but if you do it again, don't wait three days, eight hours is more than plenty.

P.S. I would NOT browse the Internet in Windows XP! Run applications, yes, play games, yes, but not browse the Internet -- XP is too compromised.
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mbreslin1954

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I would start over with the XP install, and do a full format, not a quick one. On an HDD that old there are likely a lot of defective areas that are no longer good, and a full format will find them and mark them as unusable. That could be what's happening now, but if so I would think the format would have timed out by now with an error. Not sure what's going on, but if you do it again, don't wait three days, eight hours is more than plenty.

P.S. I would NOT browse the Internet in Windows XP! Run applications, yes, play games, yes, but not browse the Internet -- XP is too compromised.
 
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rehed21

rehed21

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I agree with mbreslin1954. You likely have bad sectors on the hard drive and a full format should reallocate them. For just browsing the internet, I would suggest a Linux OS, such as Zorin OS 9 Lite, which runs well on old hardware. You can try any Linux OS "live" off a USB drive before deciding to install it. Zorin (and most others) also has a disk utility which will report bad sectors and allow for reformatting.
 
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Paranoid Gamer

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The reason I'm installing Windows XP is because first, that's the original OS with the laptop to begin with. And second, my aunt is going to use it anyways, and she doesn't like any unfamiliar looks --- such as Linux. She would be complaining about it all the time and bla bla bla ... it's going to be irritating. So it's best/safe if I just return the laptop to the original OS. She would be only browsing Facebook and YouTube anyways. I don't think she'd visit any foreign harmful websites, and if so ... I'll just place web filters and antivirus in it. Thanks for the answers, by the way. Will return if any progress was made.
 
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Paranoid Gamer

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Okay. Started Formatting at nearly 12:20PM in our time. 2PM it was about 28%. 5PM it was about 46%. 7PM it was about 59%. 10PM it was 70%. Now it's 11:20, 11 hours after I first pressed the format button, and it's still at 71%. Should I try to wait until tomorrow after I wake up, maybe?
 
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Paranoid Gamer

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But it still works even before I tried to format it. And no, replacing it is not an option. It's either good or dead. She just got the laptop for free from a friend of hers and wondering if I could fix it. She couldn't afford to spend money on a laptop. lol

EDIT: 12:20AM now at 72%

p.s. I should really try NTFS Quick Format, instead of the Full Format ... see if that works.
 
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ex_bubblehead

ex_bubblehead

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Replacing the drive is always an option. You have a drive that is no longer viable and requires replacement immediately, unless you are willing to gamble on the loss of data that will occur when it finally gives up for good. However, it's your time to waste, and your data to lose. I'm out.
 
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Paranoid Gamer

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Well, first of all. My aunt can't afford for the replacement hard drive. Second of all, I might mess up if she ever did even think of buying a replacement hard drive ... since I am not used to disassembling very old laptops. Third of all, she don't even have any data on the drive to begin with... as I've said, the only thing she'll be doing is surfing the Internet. I'm also beginning to think that it's a waste of time, since when I forced shut down the laptop from the first format attempt because it was stuck at 89%, I forgot to press the boot menu button and after that, it still booted up to Windows 7*... lol, I don't even know anymore.

*To be clear, it showed the Windows 7 Boot-up animation, so I guess it didn't format????
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

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A new hard drive is maybe $30-40, you can probably even find one for less than 30, you don't need a $200 solid state hard drive for it. If she does not have a computer now, it's a lot cheaper to just replace it than toss the full laptop out. Although that 1 gig of RAM will cause things to be a bit slow.
 
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