How do i go onto formating my harddrive?

Answer 1

Well if you would like to start COMPLETELY fresh...follow these steps.

Get a copy of Darik's Boot and Nuke. You can get one here: "http://www.dban.org" Make a boot disk using the software. (*note: its preferable to have a NEW floppy, its real sensitive to old floppies.)

***MOST IMPORTANT*** Back up ALL your important data!! Because DBAN will erase your hard drive COMPLETELY, even more completely than a common FORMAT.

Now..insert the floppy, reboot, and follow the instructions. The easiest way to use DBAN is to use the "autonuke" feature. Use this for the "no frills" method. This will take prolly about an hour or more depending on the size of your hard drive.

After its done, take out the floppy, insert your XP disc into your disc drive and reboot. Be SURE you have your Windows XP Key, otherwise you're gonna be stuck like chuck!

It will reboot, and more than likely ask where you would like to install the XP to, just say to the "unpartitioned drive" and it will say "its not formated, would you like to format?" Say YES. and it will do the rest.

If you have any questions from here, feel free to contact me directly

Answer 2

Be warned that formatting your hard drive will erase everything on it and make the computer no longer usuable until Windows is reinstalled.

Put the Windows CD in your CD drive
Boot the computer off the CD
Should automatically start the Windows set up
Right after you do the F8 to agree, it will ask you if you want to format the hard drive
Format the hard drive
If you want to reinstall Windows, let the set up contiue
If not, turn the computer off once the format is completed.

Answer 3

There are a few things you want to know before formatting your PC harddrive if you never done it before.
1. make sure to back up all your data unless you dont care about it.
2. make a list of all the drivers in your computer of hardware like video card, sound card, lan card, etc. unless your a tech and dont mind going into your pc the check each chipset to get the drivers later (very important if you are not a tech.) go to start /setting/control panel/ systems/hardware/device manager.
write down all the listed hardware.
3. make sure you have all the driver cd and disk ready if you dont have it you might want to go download them first then back them on to a cd before you format unless you have another pc you can download with and put to cd.
4. your OS operating system xp, 2000 etc. make sure you have it.
5. start format. if its xp or 2000. go into your bios, normally you can get into it by pressing delete, f1,f2, f10, f11,or f12 depending on the manufacture of your mother board. set the boot order to cdrom first.
6. at start up you will see press space bar to bood from xp,2000
then just follow through and select format drive and install new windows.
7. follow all the way and reinstall your drivers and what ever software you want to install and your done. good luck.

NEW DRIVE ADD ON. for win xp or 2000
IF your just adding a drive into your system and its now showing up then just right click on my computer and select manage.
then go to storage/disk management and you will see the drive there right click and follow the format and your done.

Answer 4

I assume you use the windows XP Pro/Home in purpose to do this process. Here my answer. Use your windows XP boot CD and before that,never forget to configure your boot priority in BIOS setting to CD ROM because you will start this process from CD. After that, press any key to boot from CD then in licence agreement statement press F8 to agree. There is 3 option there, simply choose to Install windows now and follow the instruction given. If you want to create more than 1 partition just press c on the amount of your HDD to create your desire amount of each partition. Otherwise, simply choose to install windows on the current amount of partition given if you want to use only 1 partition. After that proceed with formatting your partition either to use format with FAT 32 or NTFS file system. That's It! wait untill it's done. Good luck!

Answer 5

Depends on the system you are running on the HD.
Linux:
Use fdisk. It is the best at setting up Linux partitions.
(I suggest using EXT2)
Mac:
Use the built in Mac formatting tool.
Windows:
From My Computer find the HD icon
Right-click then select format.
Choose the format type (I suggest NTFS)
DO NOT select quick format
Press start

Answer 6

u didnt said which hdd u wanna format.if its primary hdd use window bootable cd and u can formate it or use windowxp cd it will give u option to format it and then u can install windowxp in it. and if its secondery partition like D drive just right click on that and u can see option format click on that and start. it will formate your HDD but before that back up all data it will remove all data

Answer 7

go to DOS
type C:/format press enter
u r hard drive is formated

Answer 8

The c:format command will work but you need to be sure formatting is what you need, this will erase everything on your hard drive.

Answer 9

you will choose a know-how restoration software. dropping the registry with the help of itself does not circumvent disk get admission to, through fact person and report suggestions isn't saved interior the registry. that's probably a symptom of a much wider disk failure.

Answer 10

Microsoft.com gives full instructions for formatting and Bootdisk.com can give you a bootdisk to help you.