My HDD won't format

[nicojk]

Hello,

First of all, I'm very new in computer hardware, so pardon my level of knowledge.

So, here's my story

I found (lying in my campus corridor) a WD2500JB HDD. So, I took it home and tried to install it to my PC (an eMachines T4010). I choose the jumper setting to be cable select. But it seems like my computer is having a hard time on deciding from which HDD it should booth. When I run BIOS, it said that my old HDD is the secondary master and my WD is a primary slave. If I want to run the computer, I have to manually pick my booting source.

Well, now I'm in my XP area, I wanted to format the HDD. I assigned a letter to the WD HDD, and I want to format it. But it always stop after it almost finish and says that it cannot format my HDD. I don't know why.

I wonder if something is wrong with my jumper settings? Or is the WD HDD has a defect? How to identify the defect? Or is there something I don't know, it's confusing.

Please help me.

[Salem]

It was in a corridor, and you provided a free rubbish collection service.

[caperjack]

I wonder if something is wrong with my jumper settings? Or is the WD HDD has a defect? How to identify the defect? Or is there something I don't know, it's confusing.

Please help me.

whats confusing you picked up a hdd and expect it to work!

[nicojk]

well, but my computer detects it and all.

Is there any way to determine whether it's broken or not? It was thrown out of a lab, so there's a chance it's working because they might just get a new one.

[hughv]

I applaud you for having the curiosity to try this.
You probably need to remove the partitions first.
Open disk management and rt-click to delete the existing partitions, then re-create.
Format should then work.

[cguan_77]

download some hdd utility tools...search google..