Setup May Not Format a 30 GB Partition When You Install Windows 2000

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This article was previously published under Q277546

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SYMPTOMS

If you select the FAT32 file-system format when you try to install Windows 2000 on a partition that is 30 gigabytes (GB) in size, Setup may not format the partition and you may receive the following error message:

Setup was unable to format the partition. The disk may be damaged. Make sure the drive is switched on and properly connected to your computer. If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices are properly terminated. Consult your computer or SCSI adapter documentation for more information.

You will have to select a different partition for Windows NT. Press ENTER to continue.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem:

Reduce the size of the primary partition.
Partition the hard drive.
Use a Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98 Startup disk to format the partition.

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