How to Erase D Drive

Computers that run on Windows operating systems list the available system drives by letter designations. Usually, the main hard drive containing the operating system is designated as the "C:" drive, while secondary hard drives or hard drive partitions are listed as the "D:" drive. If your computer came with an extra hard drive or you installed one yourself, you may wish to wipe all the data from the drive in order to make room for new files.

Things You'll Need

• Secondary hard drive or hard drive partition

Instructions

Deleting "D:" Drive Files

1. Click "Start" and then "My Computer."

2. Double-click on the "D:" drive to open a window of the drive's contents.

3. Select all folders and files in the drive by dragging a box across them, and then right-click one of the selected files and choose "Delete." This will delete all the files stored on the drive but keep the current drive formatting.

Reformatting the "D:" Drive

1. Click "Start" and then "My Computer."

2. Right click on the "D:" drive and select "Format..."

3. Enter a name for the drive under "Volume Label," select a file format and then click "Start." The reformatting process will delete all data from the hard drive or drive partition.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on your computer's hardware configuration, the "D:" drive could be a device other than a secondary storage hard drive or hard drive partition. If the "D:" drive is a CD or DVD-ROM drive, for example, it will have nothing to delete.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Partition and Format a Hard Disk by Using Windows XP Setup Program