Format C Drive Tutorial

How do I format the C drive?

Step 1: Erase ALL C Drive Data with WipeDrive

A simple C drive format will not erase hard drive data!

Most people are unaware that deleted files can be recovered even after a computer has been formatted. A recent study of 129 old hard drives (many of them formatted) revealed more than 5,000 credit card numbers, medical correspondences, love letters, pornography, bank account information, and other confidential data.

Identity theft is America's fastest growing crime and your computer may be putting you at risk.

Use WipeDrive before you Format

WipeDrive is a US Department of Defense-approved data removal tool. That's why major Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and millions of computer users around the world use WipeDrive to permanently erase and format C drive data. WipeDrive will erase your hard drive with multiple overwrites of random characters at the DoD specified level.

WipeDrive is the perfect solution for those who need to:

• Format C drive data before selling or donating a system
  
  
• Format C drive data damaged by viruses or spyware
  
  
• Format C drive data before returning a computer to an employer
  
  
• Format C drive data in compliance with privacy laws
  
  

Learn More about WipeDrive

Download a Free Trial of WipeDrive

Step 2: Format the C Drive

After wiping your computer clean, you'll need to partition and format the C drive.

Windows XP and 2000 users:

1. Format C drive data by inserting the Windows disk and restarting
   
   
2. The computer will automatically boot from the CD
   
   
3. Simply follow the prompts to format the C drive and reinstall Windows

Windows 95, 98, and ME users:

1. Format C drive data by booting the computer from a startup disk
   
   
2. Insert the disk and restart the computer
   
   
3. At the prompt type "a:"
   
   
4. Hit enter and type "fdisk" to create a Primary DOS Partition
   
   
5. Restart your computer
   
   
6. Type "a:"
   
   
7. Type "format c:" to format the C drive

Click here for detailed instructions on how to format C drive data

Click here to create a startup disk

Step 3: Reinstall Windows

After you partition and format the C drive it's time to reinstall Windows.

Windows XP and 2000 users:

1. Format the C drive and restart the computer
   
   
2. The setup program will run automatically from the Windows disk

Windows 95, 98, and ME users:

1. Format the C drive and then exit to the DOS prompt
   
   
2. Type "E:" where E is the letter of your CD-ROM
   
   
3. Type "dir" to view the directories and files
   
   
4. Type "setup" to run the setup program
   
   
5. If there is no file called "setup", type "cd" followed by the name of the directory (for example "cd win98_se") and then type "setup"

Click here for detailed Windows Vista instructions

Click here for detailed Windows XP instructions

Click here for detailed Windows 2000 instructions

Click here for detailed Windows ME instructions

Click here for detailed Windows 98 instructions

Click here for detailed Windows 95 instructions

Click here to learn how to install Windows from a manufacturer's system restore disk