format help with WINDOWS XP

Depending on which you want to use, NTFS or FAT32 you could use a ME floppy boot disk to format for FAT32 (you should do an FDISK 1st before formatting to make your HD partition of your choice). Or you can boot to DOS, again with a ME Disk and then at a Prompt put in PQ Magic (PowerQuest) disk partition program which will do FAT, Fat32, and NTFS. PQ is also available on CD. Or find the free CD called "Hirens Boot Disk" it contains all types and kinds of programs that will partions, format, recover, burn, disk utlities, including booting into a Live WinXP et. et. demaX

could you, or someone walk me through exactly what I need to do to overcome this issue? i boot from disk (my windows cd) its going through all my hardware and computer stuff at the bottom, then once it gets to starting windows, i guess right before the license agreement and all that I get the blue screen (error 0x0000007b with some other numbers). ive already searched the Microsoft site and nothing there is really helping me. ive used different cds, different drives, just the same error i know have a floppy disk i can use i had finally found one, but it seems the issue just has to do with my computer not beign able to start windows, even though I have a copy installed that works, I just need to reformat.

I'm amazed -- formatting is the simplest. 1st I don't think its your hardrive at all. You would never have reached the point of MS Product Key entry. 2nd you never would have gone as far as loading the CD. You want to prove it ? Simply put in a 98/ME floppy and boot to A:\Prompt Then type in C:\ if you have a problem with the drive it won't go there. But really technically to determine if your system is seeing a good drive is to boot into the BIOS. Most PC's use the DEL key -- right when you boot up LOGO keep hitting the key over and over. Then go to std setup or look at all if your bios has a different name. You should see your drive and the size. Just follow direction & read, nothing to worry. There are a thousand ways to format your drive. You don't need to go into windows to do that. How does one think a Brand new PC gets loaded - there is no OS on it. Format with the CD that comes with the drive. Or format with Powerquest. Or format with a 98/ME boot floppy (although it will format in FAT32 but you can always change that to NTFS with the WIN XP CD. It will ask you about 1/2 way thru. You can format with the FREE Linux "systemRescueCD-X86-0.3.5.iso" search on google and burn it. You can format with FREE "Hiren's Boot Disk" search for it on googles. If you feel you have a defective drive, make sure you do an FDISK first (using a 98/ME boot disk. Just type FDISK at the A:\ prompt it will verify your bad drive, and close defective clusters. If you want to fix the drive, lots of programs are out there. Spinrite will do a thorough test. Or just use your CD that came with the HDD. After have finished with FDISK, reboot and go back to FDISK and click Number 4. To look at your drive size, etc. Then Escape and at the DOS prompt type A:\FORMAT C: (just type FORMAT C: ) You may have a defective XP CD. And that is not unreal at all. Further FREE for the taking are XP Boot floppys. But they are soooo slow. All and everything is available on a search through google. One needs to know all the Hardware in your PC to pinpoint the Blue Screen. But more important is to know the EXACT address of failure: i.e. 0x000000E5 by typing this in google it will take to several sites that will tell you what are the causes of 0x0000000E5 most likely in your case its hardware. It could well be Video cause Video is the 1st thing being checked in the XP GUI. There's another way to load XP. In DOS prompt change to the drive letter of your CDRom, then change directory to i386, then type winnt.exe Say, have you ever tried going into the recovery console ? If you can't boot up I am very surprised that you did not mention the various choices on the computer screen. Because if window can't boot up it won't just freeze but take you to those choices. And that is way way before entering the MS KEY as you say, you get that far. In the recovery console you can fix the boot loader (FIXBOOT) and also it would'nt hurt at all to fix your MBR at same time (FIXMBR) Not sure anymore but I think its the F8 key on the keyboard that will take you there. Although the F8 may take you to SAFE MODE instead. Just go to google and type in "XP recovery console" it'll tell you. Also in Safe Mode you could restore the last good if you don't want to format. You can also do that in DOS. F8 key Safe Mode with Command Prompt then type CD\Windows then type system32 then type restore then type rstrui.exe My you have so many choices. Good luck demaXX