second hard drive wont let me format it

[snackman]

i have installed a second hard drive for more space and when i try to format it it says that there is a drive or program in use that is making it not format then i manually erased everything and it says that is 90% free space

[Wojtek]

reboot in dos and
format d: /u

replace d: with your second drive's letter

[snackman]

reboot in dos and
format d: /u

replace d: with your second drive's letter

i fixed it:beer:

[Kratt]

with your computer freezing problems and all that stuff,maybe you should look at replacing the motherboard

[snackman]

with your computer freezing problems and all that stuff,maybe you should look at replacing the motherboard

i was think the same think with a better processor i just dont got the money right now

[Kratt]

Then at least try cleaning up for buildup - dust/oil esp any capacitors that look 'expanded' (ie dying)

[snackman]

Then at least try cleaning up for buildup - dust/oil esp any capacitors that look 'expanded' (ie dying)

who do i do that?

[AvailNetworks]

if you have capacitors that are leaking or expanded that means they are dead, not dying.

what he is talking about is this:
good capacitor: http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/msi6309/images/capacitor.jpg

bad capacitor: http://www.auroracomputer.ca/images/bad_cap.jpg

but more to the point a blown capacitor would really have nothing to do with your second drive not formatting. to figure it out if you can answer a few questions

1. does it show up in my computer
2. if it does, can you put data onto the drive

[snackman]

i fixed the hard drive problem and yeah i think i am going to need a new motherboard i am going to look on newegg.com for it

[m6747]

You can always try ebay too.

It might be worth looking into a whole new system if your comp isn't too up to date. If you get the wrong type of motherboard the parts may not be compatible.

[Adam]

You could also look into a bare bones system and just move your existing hardware into the new box. Many times this is the best way to go because you get a decent motherboard with a more up to date processor for cheap.

[AvailNetworks]

building a computer can be a challenging thing if you have not done it before. Have you built a computer before and do you have someone locally who can help you if needed?

otherwise you are just going to end up with a fancy box of parts

[snackman]

building a computer can be a challenging thing if you have not done it before. Have you built a computer before and do you have someone locally who can help you if needed?

otherwise you are just going to end up with a fancy box of parts

i built the comp im using i just dont have enought power that i thought i needed for cs and whats bare bones

[AvailNetworks]

bare bones is motherboard, case and ps generally speaking. Lay a budget on me and I will work up a small parts list for you