Reformatting a Hard Drive

To do this you will need an operating system installation CD/DVD. Once you have acquired this, you will need to enter your computers BIOS. Every motherboard company is different, so simply “Google” the proper key to enter the BIOS. Some computers will briefly list the set of commands when the computer boots up as well.

Once you have entered the BIOS, follow the simple instructions at the bottom of the screen to allow yourself to navigate around the screen. You will need to enter the “Boot Order” and move the CD-Drive to the primary boot device. Once you have done this, “Save and Exit”. Make sure the installation CD is inserted into the CD-drive and boot-up your computer. As it boots it will ask for you to “Press any key to boot from CD..”. That is your cue to press any key.

You will then notice the computer booting from the CD as, if installing Windows XP, the screen will become blue. Do not worry, this is not the blue-screen-of-death. Follow the on-screen instructions (just a few commands telling you to press ___ to continue). As you continue through the process you will reach a very generic screen (may look similar to that of your BIOS). It will have a chart at the bottom listing the number of partitions within your hard-drive and how much memory each one holds, along with the “Unpartitioned space”. Your objective here is to delete all of the partitions and have a single unpartitioned space available for use. Follow the simple on-screen key commands to delete each partition. Once you have a single unpartitioned space, you may select that to install the new operating system to.

Congratulations! You have now successfully reformatted your hard-drive. Continue with the simple, yet long process of installing your new operating system and your system will be at its original state.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *