How to Format a Win XP System Disk

Formatting the Windows XP system disk serves many functions such as recovering from a malicious software attack, or simply performing a clean install of the XP operating system. The process of formatting a disk removes all information from the disk itself, bringing hardware and operating system performance to a peak level. Though formatting a system disk is a critical system task, it is easy to perform, and may be accomplished by any computer user.

Instructions

1. Reboot your computer with the Windows XP installation disc inserted into the drive tray.

2. When prompted, press a key to boot from the disc.

3. Press "Enter" to begin the setup procedure after all the appropriate drivers have been loaded from the installation disc. The loading of the drivers is an automatic process which requires no action on the computer users part.

4. Press the F-8 key to confirm that you agree with the Windows end-user license agreement.

5. Select the system disk from the displayed list of disk drives and select the "Format drive using NTFS" option. This will perform the system drive formatting procedure, and completely erase all data on the drive.

Tips & Warnings

• The format utility contained within the Windows installation disc is not operating system version dependent. You may install any version of Windows after the format process is complete, and are not required to use the version of Windows that you used to format the drive.

• Formatting the drive deletes all the data. Be sure you have backed up all your personal documentation and data prior to the format procedure.

References

• How to Partition and Format a Hard Drive