Clean Install and Repartitioning question

Hi people. New to repartitioning as you can tell...

Atm I only have 1 partition with windows on it. I plan to do clean install and repartition the drive on few smaller partittion. I plan to delete this one partition and then create few smaller ones and install windows in one. I'm wondering if in this case the whole hd will be reformatted or just the partition where I install windows? Do I have to manually format each partition after I install windows xp using right click on the partitions...

If the other partitions that I create during install are not gonna get reformatted during the xp installation, I'm wondering if any data like malware can survive it. There is this small window between after the install and then the process of right-clicking and formatting each partition...

Thanks.

 

Hello

A lot of good info. here - just keep scrolling down and hit the relevant links.

philby

 

...Or you could:

• zero the disk as per diskpart commands here (see "clean all")
  
• Re-install XP selecting the partition size you want
  
• Use Right-click in XP's Disk Management to create new primaries etc in the unallocated space

I'm assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that diskpart zero-ing would kill any malware living on the disk.

Others will put me straight on this...?

Hope this helps

philby

 

Many methods. Easiest might be just putting setup disk in, when formatting menu comes up, choose to delete primary partition and any others, assuming it is safe to do so data wise. Then you create new partition and make it primary (this will be the c: partition). Then create logical drives in the extended partition.. meaning create drives d:, e:, etc in what remains. Choose your sizes as you go. When windows is done installing, you should end up with c,d,e as harddrives, then opticals or removables. I like doing it this way so my drive letters are in order, but you can also work around that.

Sul.

 

Isn't that the same way I was planning to do it? Delete the one I have now and create few smaller ones...I dunno if that will wipe the hd though and if its same as formatting....any chance malware can survive it or do I need to format each partition seperately after instalation?

 

Yes and no. Yes, in that you are deleting the drives partitioning, but when you do this, they all will have to be formatted. Yes, installs normally only format the system drive/partition, so the other partitions will have to be formatted from the OS or some other means. As far as infections etc, it would first have to format a bare partition, but I would think a nasty would rather format your c: drive than other drives. I am sure there are things that might be able to survive a partition deletion, but I have not seen them.

I usually pull network cables when installing. Actually now for myself, I dictate my NIC settings in my unattended install, and always put my gateway as my static ip, thus ensuring the network is active but not wide, only local. If you are really worried about contracting something, just download the latest AV or whatever, then save to USB stix. Now you can install that stuff without being online, so first online is fully protected, however you like to do that.

Sul.

 

Well I dont think I'm infected but I like to do clean install to give me that warm fuzzy feeling.

I guess the consensus is its possible malware to survive just deletion without formatting.

So gimme tips/guides or links how to wipe/format the entire hd. I would prefer smth that doesnt require thrid party software, so either in windows or the instalation cd.

Also any idea how to get rid of a boot loader like grub? I'm guessing that will survive this format so any tips on that would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS: I know in one post up smone tried to share a method but the windows link was VERY confusing.....huge and no clue where's the thing I'm looking for.

 

during the install of windows it will overwrite the MBR with a standard windows bootloader.

download the lastest version of the stuff you use including service packs,IE 8,manual offline signitures updates for antivirus program if possible etc.
install all offline so your protected from the word go.

 

Ok thats one less thing on the list. RE the second part yes I know that but I'm asking something different here.

 

Found this guide for formatting the primary partition. http://www.ehow.com/how_4540349_delete-hard-drive.html

What do u think?

I'm curious what happens to the master boot record if I follow that guide...will it get deleted? is it a problem if it gets deleted, can windows reinstall it?

Bit worried that after i wipe entire hd i wont be able to boot so i can install windows anew.

 

That is not how it works. When you install windows you have a Master Boot Record, and boot files like Grub or NTLDR. When you wipe it these things are gone. It will not boot. It is your CD which has a boot sector on it that makes it work at all. Or you could use floppies. You can also use something called Grub4Dos which can create grub from CD boot.

You insert CD, format drive, continue install. If install fails, hdd will not boot. No problem because you boot again from CD and wipe/format/install again.

I guess the bottom line here is, if you have a hdd that you can wipe compeletly, just delete all partitions, then create new ones. The format during install for c:, and when OS is up, format other partitions.

If you feel you need to wipe the drive, like fill in 0's, you can use other methods. UBCD has many tools on it. The hdd manufacturer usually has wiping tools to write 0's over the disk. I used to be partial to IBM Wipe. I also used I think delpart, zap63 and killdisk before, all of which are 3rd party, but sorta old now. There are many others apps today that should work, most have an .iso you can download and burn, then wipe the drive, then use the windows cd to boot and install.

Sul.

 

Got it, so no worries cos it will still boot from cd even if its wiped.

What do you think about the method in the link? Since I only have one primary partition wont this guide do the job?

Lemme paste part of it here:

Select “R” from the Start menu to start the “Recovery Console” if you are using the Windows CD. With the Linux CD, answer any configuration questions asked, wait for the desktop to appear and start the disk partitioner. On the Mac CD, wait for the “Disk Utility” to start, which happens just before the installation process begins.

Type “format c: /fs:ntfs” into the command prompt of the recovery console, if the Windows disc was used. Then press “Enter,” type “Y” to confirm the operation and press “Enter” again. On Linux or Mac, select the drive and choose the format option. Select the appropriate file system for the operating system, which will usually be the same as the file system currently on the disk.

Since I only have 1 partition the primary one, wont this format it? Then I can install windows clean. Seems easy and convinient, no 3rd party, already have windows cd. I'm a noob in this area so no clue if this method is any good.

 

You could do it that way, but really it is not needed. When you install from the cd, you will see your drives. You get the option then to delete the partion(s), then create a new one. So if you have a 500g drive, with 2 x 250g partitions, you delete them. Then you create a primary partition of say 100g (it will be c: ) then you format it with NTFS. Windows installs. When you get to dekstop, go to drive manager and create/chopup the remaining 400gb they way you want, maybe 2 x 200g partitions. Then format each. Done.

The other way you can do, but I don't see the point unless you just want to learn how, which is always nice too

Sul.

 

That brings me to my initial q, any chance malware can survive that process? Because the other partitions are not formatted and there is this window of opportunity between the installation and going into windows and formatting of the partitions manually.

Guess what I'm really asking is how likely is that malware will survive this process as compared to a process of complete formatting.

From your responces I'm getting its highly unlikely malware can survive this so no need to completelly format the drive. Still it would be good to know in case of major infections in the future.

 

I guess I cannot answer the question in that regard properly. I suppose, if you had a bug, it would be able to live in the mbr or write itself to firmware of drive theoretically. If you wipe the drive with a reformat, especially with deleting the partitions, the mbr should be rebuilt. Whether or not a bug could keep this from happening and stay in the mbr even with a rebuild, I don't know.

In the situation of having hdd partitioned, say you have 1 x 100g as c: and 1 x 100g as d: , and you are going to format c: , I don't imagine there is much to worry about from d: somehow infecting c: as the OS installs before you get protection on.

Rmus would be the one to know probably if such an exploit exists. I have not seen nor heard of anyone I know ever having such an issue. Format usually is king to getting rid of rogues.

Sul.