Reformat Hard Drive

How do I reformat my hard drive with Windows XP?

Personal information is constantly being stored on your computer. To remove this information you can reformat the hard drive with Windows XP. You may need to reformat your hard drive to eliminate this information, remove a virus, or repair problems with the computer.

These steps will help you on how to reformat the hard drive with Windows XP. Not all information will be removed if you reformat the hard drive. To see what how to completely erase and reformat the hard drive you can follow the instructions at the bottom.

How to Reformat Your Hard Drive with Windows XP

1. Backup all important data
   
   
2. Disconnect network and Internet connections
   
   
3. Jot down network and computer configurations
   
   
4. Make a bootable disk
   
   
5. Insert the Windows XP CD
   
   
1. After inserting the Windows XP CD reboot the computer. You can choose to do this from the CD or on the Start Menu.
   
   
2. The computer should boot from the CD. If this does not happen and you are at a login screen consult your manufacturer.
   
   
3. Choose to boot from the CD if this does not happen automatically.
   
   
4. The Windows setup screen should appear
   
   
5. In the next menu choose to setup or repair Windows.
   
   
6. Read the License Agreement
   
   
7. If the system detects an existing installation of Windows, choose to skip the repair
   
   
8. The process will then ask you where you would like to install Windows. Choose the currently selected partition unless you need to install it on a different partition.
   
   
9. Format the drive with the NTFS file system
   
   
10. Create an administrator login
    
    
11. The computer should eject the CD and restart when the reinstallation is finished. If not manually eject the CD
    
    
6. Reconnect the network or any other connections that were disconnected.
   
   

Completely Erase and Reformat a Hard Drive with Windows XP

Using the Windows XP disc alone to reformat the hard drive will not remove all information. Not all files are overwritten during the reinstallation and backup information created by Windows may contain your personal information. For a clean start, use WipeDrive to wipe and reformat your hard drive in Windows XP.