How to Reformat Computers
Reformatting your computer's hard drive can erase many of the glitches and issues that can arise over time with your Windows installation. Reformatting your computer will remove all files from your drive and then perform a new installation of Windows on your machine. To reformat your computer, you will need to locate the Windows Recovery discs that came with your machine. With the right instruction, you can reformat your computer in a few hours or less.
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Instructions
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Insert the first Windows Recovery disc into the CD-ROM drive on your computer, and then restart your machine. When your computer restarts, it will boot from the disc instead of loading Windows.
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Press the "R" key to access the System Recovery screen. Alternatively, you can hit "F11" to access the System Recovery feature from the hard drive, instead of from the Recovery disc.
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Select "Full System Restore(Destructive)" from the list of options on the "System Restore Options" screen, and then click "Next."
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Click "Yes" when the "Format and Recover" dialogue box appears on the next screen. Windows files will now be copied from the first recovery disc to your hard drive.
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Insert the second Recovery disc once the "System Recovery" dialogue box appears. More files will now be copied form this disc onto your computer's hard drive.
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Insert each of the remaining System Recovery discs when prompted on the next set of screens. The necessary files will be copied from each of the discs that are needed to perform the new installation of Windows on your computer.
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Click "Restart" on the last screen of System Restore that appears. This will reboot your computer. When your machine restarts, Windows will begin its re-installation. All of the applications and drivers will be loaded and configured.
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Tips & Warnings
A destructive recovery will cause all data to be erased from your computer's hard drive. Back up all files that you wish to save to an external memory storage device before performing these steps.
