2006-10-05 08:52:29 · 6 answers · asked by Bill H 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
please note the following procedure will completely remove all data from your hard drive
go to your bios and set first boot device to cdrom
place the winxp cd in the drive and reboot the computer
you will get a message to press any key to boot from CD witch you do windows setup will start press enter then f8 when prompted on the next screen press enter then chose the option to format the hard drive to ntfs or fat your choise then continue with the install
2006-10-05 08:59:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First things first, backup all your data if you haven't already!!!
To restore the hard drive to the condition you received it in, which would be with operating installed and some of the programs Dell loads, you will need the operating system, Windows XP Home or Pro, or whatever you ordered it with and the resource CD's.
You have to check the system to see if it will try to boot from CD on startup. You can do this by putting the OS CD into the CD drive and rebooting the computer. If the computer prompts you to "hit any key to boot from CD" then your are ready to go. If you don't get this prompt you will need to change your settings in the BIOS
This can be a bit tricky if you aren't familiar with the BIOS. You will need to restart the computer and as it is beginning to start up you will need to strike; either F1, F2 or the Delete key (DEL) to get into the BIOS setup. Once there you need to change your boot sequence so the CD is first. Save your settings and exit and reboot. Once the CD is found at the prompt, hit any key to begin the reinstall process.
Instead of trying to fit all the instructions in this window, go to Paul Thurrot's web page for a great tutorial on doing a clean install.
2006-10-05 09:11:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes right click your Hard Drive and click Format or put in your Windows XP Installation disk. If you format MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WINDOWS OS DISK!!
2006-10-05 08:57:49 · answer #3 · answered by xXSonyBoy4lfeXx 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you go to log in to your user account as soon as you turn the pc on
you press F10,F11 or F12 cant remember which and a thing pops up and say are you sure you want to restore to factory settings
2006-10-05 09:01:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
boot to cd and format before you install windows
some systems come with a recovery disc this generally formats before install
2006-10-05 08:59:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to task manager and reset
2006-10-05 08:56:22 · answer #6 · answered by magiclady2007 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋