How to Format a Dell Dimension 4500

If you decide to give away your computer to charity or as a gift, it's always a good idea to format the hard drive beforehand to prevent future users from being able to view your old files. To restore your Dell Dimension 4500 to its original factory state requires a Dell Recovery Disk. However, while performing a Dell Recovery formats the hard drive, it also automatically restores the operating system as well. To format the hard drive without reinstalling the operating system, you'll need to create a boot disk and manually format the drive from the DOS prompt.

Things You'll Need

• Blank floppy disk

Instructions

1. Insert a blank floppy disk into the floppy drive in your Dell Dimensions 4500 computer. Click the "Start" button in the bottom-left corner of the screen and then click "My Computer."

2. Right-click on the floppy disk drive and choose "Format." In the Format dialog box, place a check in the box next to "Create an MS-DOS Startup Disk." Click the "Start" button to format and create a floppy boot disk.

3. Close the Format dialog box. In the My Computer window, double-click your hard drive icon to open it. Double-click on the "Windows" folder. Double-click the "System32" folder.

4. Locate the program file "format.com." Right-click on it and choose "Send To," then choose your floppy disk drive to copy the file. Close any open windows or programs and restart the computer.

5. Tap the "F12" key when you see the Dell logo appear on the screen to enter the boot menu. Set the floppy drive as the first bootable device in the list. Make sure the floppy boot disk you created is in the floppy disk drive. Follow the onscreen prompts to confirm the boot order and restart the computer.

6. Type in "a:" (where "a" is the letter assigned to your floppy drive) at the command prompt to switch to the floppy disk drive. Type "format c:" (where "c" is the letter assigned to your hard drive) and follow the onscreen directions to format the drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Formatting will erase all data stored on the hard drive. Be sure to back up your data before formatting.

References

• Dell: How to Configure a Dell Computer to Boot to the CD or DVD
• The Elder Geek: Create A MS-DOS Startup Disk
• Muisejt: Fdisk and Format