Is it necessary to format the C drive before reinstallation?

Question

Is it true that during reinstallation the C drive is formatted automatically?

Answer 1

Not unless you want to change the file system, which would then be a problem if the operating system you want to install uses a different one to the current.

In any case reformatting usually only take 10-15 minutes.
It can take longer in other cases though, sometimes up to 20.

The C Drive will format automatically if its needed.

If you want to replace the O.S then yes, but no if you want to reinstall the existing O.S (WinXP for example). There are ways to get around it and keep your current file system intact.

Answer 2

Its not mandatory, but it is important depending on what you are doing. If you are only adding a partition its ok not to format. If you are reinstalling because of Software Errors or Viruses its important to format. That being said you would want back up your data first before you do something you regret as a format would erase All previous data. Once you've done that go ahead and do a Full format. Good luck with your drivers!

Answer 3

No.it is not necessary.
in case of win xp and if you have bootable cd,then when you boot from cd and continue from blue install pages you'll see that you can leave the files intact in that drive you are installing to.
but usually when it is time to reinstall ,because os isn't working properly ,formating make it a better ,faster ,cleaner new win xp.i think so

Answer 4

YES and NO depend on how u install my advice though if your going for a fresh install then backup everything and then wipe the whole thing, if you want to keep the data you could go for an upgrade all depends on what you are doing but ALWAYS BACKUP before instualling anything like an OS

Answer 5

yes