Cannot restore my hard drive

In trying to format my hard drive i am getting the message; cannot format this drive quit any disc utilities or other prog using this drive and make sure no window is displaying the content of this drive. I have closed everthing but still get the same message. I want to start my laptop from afresh due to problems i had.

Any help will be great, thanks

Dawn

 

what method are you using? you can't format your main partition/hard disk while windows is fired up. you need to boot from a windows disc or pull the hard drive and stick it in another machine to format it.

 

i do not have a windows disc. i did not receive one when i bought my laptop from dell. how would i get one?

 

they should have sent you recovery discs. you need to either get them from dell, or get your windows key off the sticker on your pc case and acquire a windows disc whose verson matches that key, i.e. windows xp pro, home, sp1, sp2, etc etc.

 

You didn't get a system restore disc? If you did, Windows will be included on it. If you didn't, I'd be calling Dell.

A local computer store may make you a copy of Windows, for about $10, if you have the Windows sticker on the computer, to prove it's a legal copy of Windows installed. It wouldn't have all the Dell extras on it. You can't use anybody else's restore disc either, unless they have the exact same computer. Restore discs are model specific.
Good luck!

 

I have contacted dell and they are swnding my out a system restore disc. Thanks for all your help folks