I have 2 IDE HDDs (20gb & 120gb). I have Vista installed on the big one (set as primary) and used to have XP installed on the little one, but the problem i'm having is that it will not allow me to format the 20gb drive from within Vista as it says I do not have authorisation. When it all boots up I am given the choice of 'using an earlier version of Windows' or 'running Vista', but when I choose the earlier version it just reboots the pc. There is nothing on the 20gb that I want to keep but so far i'm at a loss as to what I can do. Eventually I want to have Vista installed on the 20gb and use the 120gb for everything else. Any help would be just dandy because this is driving me nuts.

1. Do you want to install Vista on your 20 gig drive now?

2. Are both the drives internal?

3. Do you have your Microsoft Vista DVD?

4. Are you logged on as the adminstrator of your computer?

1. Either now or after formatting
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes

Boot up into your BIOS and make sure your DVD drive is the first boot drive.
You want your 20 gig drive to be your second boot drive. This should be your C drive.

If you want to save any personal files from any of your drive, do it now.
Save these files to a new CD and verify that the files are indeed saved to the CD.
Do not assume. After saving these files, re-access the CD and verify that the files are indeed there. Make sure you have all the installation CDs that your will need to reinstall your programs. Example if you have MS Office, do you have the CDs handy to reinstall it after you have installed Vista.

When that is done, place the Vista Installation DVD into the drive and reboot.

During the install, suggest you delete the current partition(s) from your HDD.
This will remove all data and insure your install is starting fresh.
If the install asks, you want a new fresh installation. NOT a repair.

Do you have another computer to communicate with us on, in the event you have any problems with the new install?

Remember, after installing the new copy of Vista, the first thing your want to install is an AntiVirus program.

If you have any question about the VISTA installation, ask now.

Nice one. I do have a machine I can communicate with you on, and up until now i've not had any problems or questions arise about installing Vista. I have all the install CDs handy for the things I need. I'll get back to you and let you know how it went. Thanks.

The Vista install went perfectly, the only problem I have now is removing the previous install files on the 120 gb drive. I have been able to successfully remove non-essential files but there are legacy system files that will not budge. Any ideas?

Reformat the big drive. If course, be sure you have saved all the data to CDs that you want to keep.

After that, suggest you download and install this program (it's free) CCleaner ... Alternative Download.
1. After installing...run the program...click on Analyzer...then click on Run Cleaner.
2. On the left side of the window, click on Registry...click on Scan for issues...click on Fix selected issues.

This program will help cleanup your temp files and cookies.

Also, click on this link...DriverAgent.com Fix Your Driver Problems Instantly with DriverAgent
After the scan is done, click on the IE Page at the top of your IE window then click on Save As...
You want to save the report in the .mht format.
Save the scan report to your desktop (that way it will be easier to find).

Now, attach the driver reports to your next reply.

To attach files to a reply, look under the Message text window, you'll see a button that says Manage Attachments.
Click on the button. Now click on the browse button and browse to your desktop to select the previously saved files.

This driver report will help us get you links to all the driver updates you'll need.

Lastly, you want to open your Device Manager.
Click on View...Show hidden devices.
All the catagories should have a plus sign in front of it.
If there are any devices with a minus sign or a catagory called "Other", you'll want to delete them and reboot.
I've attached a copy of my Device Manager to show you how your should look.
Notice there are no devices with minus signs and no catagory call "Other".

Attached Images

Device Manager.jpg (78.0 KB, 2 views)