>> How can it be that after formatting a disk during a Win XP install that,
>> after the install, two versions of windows are proposed in the startup
>> menu?
>> On Partition 1 and partition 2? Does this mean that a format is not
>> complete? Does it imply that the Master Boot Record has not been
>> formatted?
>> If so, problems with MBR viruses cannot be resolved with a Windows XP
>> install.
>>
>> Found a formatting tool for Maxtor drives: called Powermax v4.23
>> (13/03/2007) Never tried using this a s a solution for this problem, but
>> it
>> seems that a windows install format does not remove the master boot
>> record
>
> reading a few of your posts, it's clear that you missed the point made
> by the first person that replied. I'll expand on it.. Though I may
> make mistakes in the process
>
> There is no such thing as formatting a disk
> (there may be wiping a disk, writing zeros all over it, but that's not
> formatting)
>
> Formatting formats a partition.

The aim of low level format for me (knowing that it writes zeros) is for it
to remove the MBR, since I thought that my install difficulties might come
from there (perhaps a MBR virus) and because although each time I installed
I removed and reformatted the partition concerned, problems persisted.

In particular, I was getting a message [during install] saying that a line
in a file was corrupt and I could not understand this, since for me there
was nothing on the drive.
>
> If somebody stupidly/misleadingly says format a disk, they probably
> mean the disk has one partition, format it.
>
> Chances are that when you had windows xp and then went ahead and
> installed windows xp again, it created a new partition, formatted
> that, and put windows on there. As oppose to removing windows
> beforehand.

No as I said above, I removed all partitions and recreated. Removing a
partition must by definition remove any Windows installation (c:\windows)
but not the MBR
>
> I don't know much about the MBR. But from what I understand,
> The MBR sits outside the partitions. And It doesn't even know if a
> partition is FAT32 or NTFS. One formats partitions. So the MBR won't
> get wiped from formatting [a partition].
>
> So, for example, the win98 command fdisk /mbr works on a drive with
> win xp, and win xp recovery console command FIXMBR works on a drive
> with win98 . The difference between the 2 commands is a slight
> technicality discussed somewhere on usenet. I don't think it's OS
> related.

OK. Again, the point is to be sure that when installing on a "second hand
drive" is that its clean. However I dont know if a "normal" format writes
zeros or not. What is the difference between a drive straight out of the
factory and a drive / disk that can store files? What is the difference
between FAT and NTFS? There is one, so a format must be more than just
zeros, and zeros are just to ensure that the disk is "clean" and then
recreate and format after.
>
> The DOS Format command was e.g. format c: So the format command took
> a so-called "Drive" as a paramater. But C is really a partition, not a
> hard drive. When DOS "help" says Drive I guess it means partition. In
> win xp disk management, the drive is called a disk.
> The word drive might actually be a bit misleading - 'cos 2 possible
> definitions. (is it a partition as DOS can use the term, or is it a
> hard drive).
>
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