How to Reformat a Computer With Windows XP

Reformat with Windows XP

Sometimes it is necessary to reformat your computer's hard drive, erase all its data, and start from scratch. Here's how to do it with Windows XP.

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP Setup Disc

Instructions

1. Open up the computer's CD tray and place the Windows XP Setup/Install CD into the tray.

2. Shutdown the computer.

3. 

   Turn the computer back on and watch the screen for a message that says "Press any key to boot from CD...". If you do not see this screen come up, you will need to change the order of your boot devices in the computer's BIOS so that the CD drive is first.

4. 

   It will take a while for the setup process to prepare the necessary setup files but it will eventually finish and reach the "Welcome to Setup" menu. Press ENTER.

5. 

   Press F8 to agree to the licensing agreement.

6. Press ESCAPE to continue installing a fresh copy of XP.

7. For each partition listed, highlight it and press D to delete it and then L to confirm deletion.

8. Once all of the partitions are deleted, select the remaining single unpartitioned space and press ENTER to start the installation process using the unpartitioned space.

9. 

   Next you will need to format the partition. Select "Format the partition using the NTFS file system" and then press ENTER. Depending on the size of your hard drive, the formatting process may take a while.

10. 

    After the partition is formated, the setup process will continue with the installation of a fresh copy of Windows XP. Simply follow the remaining prompts to complete the installation.

11. To finish the installation, simply follow the prompts. Depending on the speed of your computer the installation may take between 30-60 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to have your Windows XP product key before you start the format process.

• Reformatting your computer will erase ALL of your data from your hard drive. This includes music files, documents, installed programs, and etc. Be sure to save and backup any data before you begin this process!