How to Format a Dell Computer
There are several reasons a user may want to format their hard drive; to reinstall Windows, delete old unwanted files, clean the computer of viruses or giving the hard drive to a friend are all good reasons to wipe the drive. Formatting the drive of a Dell computer does not delete the data on the hard drive. Data on the hard drive essentially has pointers that reference the data and where it is stored. The formatting removes those pointers so the data is no longer accessible, but the data remains. Here's how to format a Dell manufactured computer.
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Instructions
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Insert the Dell manufacturer's CD into the computer.
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Reboot the computer. Computers are set in the BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD first. If no bootable CD is recognized then the computer will boot off of the primary hard drive. In this case the manufacturer's bootable CD will start the installation process. If the computer boots off the drive first, reboot the computer again and press the appropriate key at the initial boot up screen to enter the BIOS. For the Inspiron, Optiplex, Latitude, Dimension and precision models press the F2 key. For the 400 model press the F3 or F1 keys. For the 4400 model press the F12 key.
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Press the enter key at the "Welcome to Setup" page.
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Accept the licensing agreement if you agree to the terms.
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Bypass the repair option. Most likely Windows will detect a previous install on the computer. Windows setup will prompt the user to press "R" for repair. Press the ESC key to bypass the repair process.
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Press the "D" key to delete the partition.
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Press Enter to partition the drive.
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Format the drive. There are two formatting options, VFAT and NTFS. NTFS is suggested because it is more secure. Once Windows setup is finished formatting the drive it will reboot the computer and start to reinstall Windows. If you do not want to reinstall Windows simply shut off the computer at the initial boot-up screen.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to remove the data from the hard drive permanently you need to use a utility such as WipeDrive. The only way to permanently remove the data on a drive is to fill the sector with other data.
Resources
- Photo Credit www.microsoft.com
