My CDrom is full???

erik · Post by **erik** » 5 Sep 2001 11:59 am

Today i did a low-level format on my hard drive using the Maxtor software. First let me say that this did not solve my Windows error problems. I got the same error during the "updating system configurations" box at the end of the install. The error said this:

Task Scheduler Service installation succeeded, but the service failed to start; CreateProcess error=-1

I still got my system running but then i installed Norton Internet Security and some other programs. Somehow my CDrom drive reads as full. It will not read any CDroms i load in because it is full. What does this mean? I tried restarting Windows but that didn't do anything. Any ideas? Things just keep getting progressively worse for me and this computer. Maybe i should buy a new hard drive and start from scratch?

BTW, when i finished low-level format i noticed formatted LBA number was 64 less than the max LBA. Does this mean the garbage is still on my hard drive? Or does that space represent the utility program i used from Maxtor to format?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 5 Sep 2001 10:22 pm

I've been tinkering with PCs for about 15 years now, and I've never done a low-level format. Why would you need to do such a thing? I don't understand. Can the disk be corrupted at that level?

I use Partition Magic for all of my disk chores these days. I'm not sure that it does a low-level format, though. I thought that was something they do at the factory to initialize the media. I always thought that once it was done, you don't have to do it again.

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Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 6 Sep 2001 2:28 am

Erik, I don't want you to take this personally, but it looks like you need to take the machine to a "qualified" PC tech to get it straightened out. Apparently there is either a conflict or something in the procedure or software you are using that is wrong.

Buying a new hard drive will not solve the problems and could even make it worse.

Once you get the disk properly formatted and the operating system installed correctly the CDROM problem will probably go away (I've never heard of the problem you describe).

Once you do get the operating system installed, keep the "KISS" theory that we use in playing backup in mind for the PC software. The more different media players or browsers or whatever you install, can conflict with each other and cause system problems and crashes as you've described in other posts. This is not to say they will, just the potential is there for problems.

erik · Post by **erik** » 6 Sep 2001 5:08 am

Jack, i know it is not me. By the time a tech told me he can't figure out why my sytem is corrupt i could pay for a new computer. I followed the instructions from the hard drive software, even using a tech on the phone. After the hard drive was "zero-filled" i was instructed to format the drive which i did with the Maxtor software. I was then prompted to boot with Windows. When i did that it said i already a system installed, do i want to exit or overwrite .bat files and some other files. I called Maxtor back and he said to do that. So then came the Windows CDrom, and it had the same error at 7 minutes til the end during "updating system settings" it had with every other install i've tried. Somewhere, somehow there is a clash going on with the initial O.S. Or, the Windows CDrom is corrupt. I do not believe it is a procedural error.

I got the CDrom working. Apparently, the disk i inserted was larger than the drive was able to read. It said 385meg space available 400meg used. Is that also my fault?

Thanks for everyone's help. I'm going to get a new drive, as my drive is in a swap carriage. If the same problem happens i will get a replacement CD from Microsoft. If that doesn't work then i'll know it's the motherboard. I spent 7 hours on it yesterday. If i paid a tech i would be better off buying new.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 6 Sep 2001 9:55 am

Erik, sounds like the tech support you were talking to didn't give you the proper info.

If you completely erase (low level format) your disk there should not be anything on it. If you then copied system files to the hard drive, that in effect makes it bootable and has and operting system installed.

If the hard drive was truly erased and then formatted there would not be anything on it and then you could load windows and you should get a "clean" install.

As far as the CDRom problem, a "CDRom" is a "CD Reader" and will read the data from a CD. It sounds like you are confusing the "CDRom" with a "CD Writer".

$100 for a QUALIFIED tech, or more than $100 for a new hard drive that may not fix your problem or whatever extra $$ buying additional hardware trying to guess what is wrong. Spend the $$ and take it to a tech (that knows what they are doing).

John Gretzinger · Post by **John Gretzinger** » 6 Sep 2001 2:42 pm

Man, I haven't seen anyone do a low level format since the days of RLL drives, it just is not done with IDE stuff, and I'm not all that sure about SCSI drives. (are you doing this with DEBUG code?)

I'd have to go Jack on this one. You have something weird going on. If you run FDISK from the W'98 setup floppy there will be nothing useable on your hard disk. Formatting will then make it readable and writable and able to accept an opperating system.

You have something more going on here.

Good luck.

jdg

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