Formatting is a very dangerous, but very
useful tool. Every time you format, it's like buying a brand new
machine. Caution, keep in mind, as previously mentioned, formatting
is dangerous. If it is not done properly, YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING!!
How to Format a Hard Drive
Make a back up of EVERYTHING you need on CD's or other removable
source.
Check your back up that it is actually there. Documents, emails, photos,
spreadsheets, any files that are important to you.
Check your back up again and make absolutely sure that you did not
miss anything. Remember once you format, anything not backed up will
be lost.
Have any and all installation disks of any programs on hand that you
will need (ex. Windows, Office, ect ). You will also need your
Windows start up disk.
Now you're ready to format. Reboot or hit the reset button.
Hold the Control key until the startup menu appears. Select the Command
prompt only and press Enter. Type format c: and press Enter.
From there follow the onscreen instructions.
Once the format is complete, you will need to install Windows
before anything else. Put the start up disk in the floppy drive and
hit the reset button. From there follow the Windows installation procedure.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a full version of Windows and
not an upgrade version.
Install the rest of your programs.
Restore all the data from your back up CD's to bring your machine
up to date.