# Stupid Windows XP! THE HARD DRIVE IS ALREADY FORMATTED!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 5, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039 "2003-08-05T02:16:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/1 "2003-08-05T02:16:13Z")
Well, I just got my desktop computer back from the Local Computer Place[sup]TM[/sup] who installed a new hard drive to replace the one that went [dead](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=198242) at the end of last month. Now my computer had two hard drives prior to the crash, “C” and “D”. I was running WinME so the drives were both formatted and contained data. So now, after the Local Computer Place[sup]TM[/sup] has installed a new C drive running Windows XP Pro. I fired up the desktop, went to access the D drive (which is now the “F” Drive, grr.)… ERROR: The disk in Drive F is not formatted. :mad: Yes it damn well is, or at least it damn well should be! Why won’t it read the fucking thing? Did the Local Computer Place[sup]TM[/sup] unformat the drive? Is there some inherent incompatibility between the formats used by the two versions of Windows? (Probably.) WHY?!?!? FUCKING WHY?!?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/2 "2003-08-05T02:24:31Z")
Hmmm…I don’t know about the formatting on ME, but do you have the disc for Windows XP Pro? Just stick it in the CD-ROM drive, let it boot off of the CD, and reinstall it yourself. That’ll take care of that little sucker. I have done several installs of XP Pro, and I have found that it’s never the same, each time I do it. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/3 "2003-08-05T02:25:52Z")
Oh, and the server that powers [lileks.com](http://lileks.com) crashed yesterday, so I’m suffering from Ironic Commentary Withdrawl as well. **And** I haven’t had a date in three years. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/4 "2003-08-05T02:35:17Z")
You dare question the wisdom of the mighty Windows XP? PEON! HERETIC! Windows XP is infalliable! Windows XP does not make mistakes! If Windows XP says your hard drive is unformatted, you had better damn well believe it is unformatted! WINDOWS XP IS NEVER WRONG! For your temerity, your exsistence shall be terminated! Cower in awe and terror as I activate the deathlaser mounted in your computer tower! Let your fate serve as an example to all who would dare challenge the Windows Hegemony! Burn, mortal! BURN! Looking for device . . . Loading INSTDTH.EXE Loading FRYPAIN.EXE Loading BURN.RJF Loading AGONY. LMN Loading RUSORRY.YET Loading GLDNCALF.SIN ERROR: Cannot find file HUBRIS.GRK File is missing or Corrupted SCA0006773.8684 HRC=96884PAUL986IS683766DEAD765.HDD Runtime Error 6D at 417A:32CF: Cannot find Drive L. (A)bort, ®etry, ©ontinue? Well, fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/5 "2003-08-05T02:45:14Z")
XP doesn’t like FAT32, change it to NTFS and try again ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/6 "2003-08-05T02:46:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*You dare question the wisdom of the mighty Windows XP? PEON! HERETIC! Windows XP is infalliable! Windows XP does not make mistakes! If Windows XP says your hard drive is unformatted, you had better damn well believe it is unformatted! WINDOWS XP IS NEVER WRONG! > > For your temerity, your exsistence shall be terminated! Cower in awe and terror as I activate the deathlaser mounted in your computer tower! Let your fate serve as an example to all who would dare challenge the Windows Hegemony! Burn, mortal! BURN! > \*\* Look, I know you probably know your job and all, but could you help GET THE GODDAMNED COMPUTER TO READ MY HARD DRIVE before you smite me? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/7 "2003-08-05T02:57:59Z")
Wait… why is the D: drive now the F: drive? If it wasn’t changed out at all, it shouldn’t have had its drive letter altered. Are you sure you had two separate physical drives, rather than a single hard drive with a partition? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/8 "2003-08-05T03:01:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jaade \* > \*\*XP doesn’t like FAT32, change it to NTFS and try again \*\* How do I do that without losing the data on the drive? ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/9 "2003-08-05T03:03:29Z")
Windows XP is capable of reading FAT32. In order to verify that the data is still there before converting the file system, I’d boot from some sort of disk (don’t install anything or format anything) and just check and see if there are files there. After that it should definitely be possible to convert the FAT32 drive to NTFS (but beware, because you _can’t_ without extreme difficulty go in the other direction) and Windows XP should like it just fine. In theory, XP reads FAT32. In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there always is. I doubt LCP did anything to the formatting of the second drive, but you may also want to look inside the computer at the backs of the drives themselves and make sure LCP didn’t change any jumpers around. (New C drive should be Master, old D drive should be Slave.) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/10 "2003-08-05T03:04:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*Wait… why is the D: drive now the F: drive? If it wasn’t changed out at all, it shouldn’t have had its drive letter altered. > > Are you sure you had two separate physical drives, rather than a single hard drive with a partition? \*\* Yeah. It was two hard drives. I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/11 "2003-08-05T03:06:49Z")
Hit submit and then saw your post right now. Converting from FAT32 to NTFS doesn’t require formatting the drive or changing the data on it. It can be done under Windows through the disk management service. Not sitting on my XP box right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s in the Administrative Tools. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/12 "2003-08-05T03:09:46Z")
I think I’ll call LCP[sup]TM[/sup] tomorrow. One more thing I should mention. Old hard drive (“F”, formerly “D”) was IDE and new hard drive is ATA. I had to install an ATA controller to run the new drive. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/13 "2003-08-05T03:23:03Z")
Oh, and apparently I have a “RAID Controller” that’s not recognized (no assigned driver). WTF is a RAID Controller? ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/14 "2003-08-05T03:23:15Z")
So old hard drive is now on an IDE cable all by itself? If it is configured to be slave, this could be why Windows is having difficulty recognizing the drive properly… although normally that means it’s not recognized at all. Definitely find out exactly what LCP did. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/15 "2003-08-05T03:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by catsix \* > \*\*So old hard drive is now on an IDE cable all by itself? > > If it is configured to be slave, this could be why Windows is having difficulty recognizing the drive properly… although normally that means it’s not recognized at all. > > Definitely find out exactly what LCP did. \*\* This sounds promising. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/16 "2003-08-05T03:27:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michael Ellis \* > \*\*How do I do that without losing the data on the drive? \*\* The most stable way I know is to use Partiton Magic to convert it. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/17 "2003-08-05T03:34:44Z")
A RAID is a Redundant Array of Independent Disks. It’s a system of making sure that a redundant copy of data always exists so that if one drive fails, others supply the data from that drive, and nothing is lost. The RAID controller has the job of determining which disk in the array gets which chunks of data at which time and sends that data to the correct drive. RAID isn’t all that common in home computer systems because there’s really no reason to provide that level of redundancy for personal data, but I’m figuring that the card in your computer is capable of supporting a RAID array whether you have one or not, so that’s why you’re seeing RAID controller. How old is the motherboard in the computer that you just had a new drive added to? With some of the older boards that supported ATA 66 it’s necessary to add another card to support the Ultra ATA/100 drives, so that could be the reason you’ve got another controller card in there. Not a big deal, I had one for a while, and it would also allow for RAID. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/18 "2003-08-05T03:35:38Z")
It’s just over two years old. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/19 "2003-08-05T03:36:25Z")
> [@](#): > > **Mockingbird** said: > The most stable way I know is to use Partiton Magic to convert it. To go from NTFS to FAT32, absolutely. From FAT32 to NTFS under Windows XP, I have yet to encounter a single problem in the couple hundred drives I’ve done, and I did all of them right through the disk management service built into the OS. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039/20 "2003-08-05T03:40:17Z")
Find out from LCP what type of controller card they installed and whether they actually did anything to the drive that used to be D and is currently F. No matter what, I’d recommend converting to NTFS. It’s less likely to have a major crash on you, and it’s got security whereas FAT32 does not. This may just be a case of one setting being thrown off by changing the way the drives are plugged in, or XP having an issue with FAT32. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-xp-the-hard-drive-is-already-formatted/193039.md?page=2)