Format partition with NU15 running in processes?

Hello, I have a WinXp Home sp3 system running with NU15 & N360.

 

I would like to format the 2nd partition on my primary drive however I rec'v the msg. that it is not able to complete the request as there is something running such as a disk utility. I am assuming the issue is with NU15 but was not sure if either shutting the NU15 related processes or stopping them in msconfig would do any possible damage by shutting them down that way and working on the partition outside of having them running and would like to find out if that would be the way to go about checking to see if that is what is keeping the partition from formatting and if it is safe to do it this way as well.

 

Of course another course of action that I assume would work would be to delete the 2nd partition.

 

Thank you very much,

Mumford68