Follow the steps below to format a hard disk partition from the Computer Management window in Windows Vista.
IMPORTANT: This procedure cannot be performed on the hard disk on which the operating system is installed.

1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, click System and Maintenance.
3. In the System and Maintenance window, click Administrative Tools.
4. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Computer Management.
5. In the Computer Management window, in the left pane, under Computer Management, click Disk Management.
6. In the bottom pane, click to select the drive to format.
7. On the menu bar, click Action.
8. On the Action menu, point to All Tasks, then click Format.
9. In the Format window, click the OK button.