You win.

After yet another Vista frustration (maybe a DLL file somehow got corrupted or something) where one of my primary programs will no longer run, even after uninstalling and re-installing the program!) I have given up, "Bitt" the bullet so to speak, and a few minutes ago ordered a brand new copy of Windows XP Pro.

My system is configured with four hard drives: A small (75 GB) C: drive, and three 300 GB data drives in D:, E:, and F:. Currently the F: drive is empty and has enough room to store all the data on C:, D:, and E:.

So, when my XP CD arrives, what do I do? Is it as simple as doing a full system backup to my F: drive, then erasing the C: drive, putting the CD into the H: drive (that's my CD/DVD drive) and following the directions?

How do I erase the C: drive? Do I reformat the disk? Apparently not...

* Formatting a volume will destroy any data on the partition. Be sure to make backups of any data you want to save before you begin.

* You cannot format a disk or partition that is currently in use, including the partition that contains Windows.

* Quick format is a formatting option that creates a new file table but does not fully overwrite or erase the volume. A quick format is much faster than a normal format, which fully erases any existing data on the volume.

Do I go to a C:> prompt (not a trivial task in Windows Vista!) and type in FDISK? No...

'fdisk' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file.

So how do I nuke and repave this Vista POS?

edit: I read that XP doesn't have drivers for SATA drives. I'm not certain what my D: E: & F: drives are. "Properties" tells me they are "MAXTOR S TM3320620AS SCSI Disk Device", but I am pretty sure they are not SCSI drives. Google lists that drive designation as being ATA, SATA, and SCSI, so I'm not sure what to think. If they are SATA, will that be a problem? My C: drive is listed as being ATA.

tanstaafl.