Formatting a computer

HOW TO FORMAT A COMPUTER USING WINDOWS XP OR ANY OTHER WINDOWS CD

Windows XP or any other window's cd is a bootable cd , that means after inserting cd onto your computer , it will automatically get started.

Stop! Backup before you learn how to format windows xp!

Before you do learn how to format windows xp and start this process you should backup your files and data. Some things to backup include: photos, my documents, favorites folder, emails, all contacts, 

passwords and more….

BEFORE FORMATTING A COMPUTER - FIND THE SYSTEM DRIVER DISK 

Make sure you have all your computer drivers linked with your computer, if not then try to get them downloaded from your respective company's official website.

Warning: Formatting a hard drive will wipe everything off your computer. When you format Windows XP all of your files will be gone and it will be like a new computer. All your e-mail contacts, all your saved webpages, all your documents that you may, will be gone! if this is your first time to format a computer I suggest you get a friend that has done this before to help you. This is not rocket science, but pressing the wrong button can turn into a disaster. I do not mean to scare you off, but when you format a computer, it must be done right.

HOW TO FORMAT WINDOWS XP USING A WINDOWS XP DISC

Okay guys let’s learn how to format windows xp. But calm down and take your time. To learn how to format a computer is a matter of being patient! This is the best advice I can give you.

1. First you must put your Windows XP CD in the drive.
2. Then restart your computer.
3. When it says press any key to boot from cd, Press any key on the keyboard. I use the space bar, easy to get to. (If you can do this Go to step 6)
4. If it doesn’t ask you to  press any key to boot from cd then restart your computer again.
5. Go into the BIOS settings of your PC, usually by pressing the F1, F2, F10, or maybe the delete key. If you are not sure watch the screen at startup and it will say “To enter setup press…….”. You have to be quick and press it. If you miss it restart again. Once you are in the bios you have to change the boot options. You have to make your cd rom the first boot option. Save and exit. If you do not understand how to get into your BIOS please see how to get into your BIOS and change settings.
6. When the CD starts up A blue screen will appear and you are on your way..

1. Press Enter to setup Windows XP now. See screen shot above. Do not rush through this process as pressing the wrong key here can take you down the wrong road. You should take your time when its your first time learning how to format a computer using windows xp.
2. If there is a copy of Windows XP on your computer and you wish to overwrite it you will have to press the escape button when prompted. (screen shot below) Do not install Windows XP in another directory unless you know what you are doing. Just overwrite the previous version as you should have backed up your files anyway. In this example I am showing you how to format a computer that has already had Windows installed on it.

1. You should now make the partition that had windows on it blue and press D to delete the partition. It will ask if you are sure. Press L to confirm. More details on deleting partitions.
2. Then Press C to create another partition and Windows will estimate a size for you. If you wanted to partition your hard drive into two equal parts you would have to do some math’s and then type the appropriate number in. Otherwise just going with what Windows puts there will be the minimum partition size. If you make a mistake when estimating the size of a partition you can simply go back now and delete the partition and start again. Do not move forward if you have made a mistake.
3. Press Enter to confirm size.
4. Then it will ask you which partition you want to install Windows on. The default is C: drive. Select this by making it blue and press enter.
5. If there are no partitions it will create one for you.
6. Then it will ask you to format quick, normal, in fat32 or NTFS. Fat32 suits older computers so I choose a quick format with NTFS. Quick or Slow is fine. If you had errors it is better to use a slow format which can also be known as a low level format. When you format a computer please note that a low level format can take a long time, depending on what size hard drive you have.
   
7. From now on you just Follow the prompts and let it go..the process of formatting your computer is on its way. Some setup files will be taken from the Windows CD onto your computer to complete this process.
8. The computer will restart and it will try to boot from cd again…Do not press anything on the keyboard.. Just let it go through the stages of setup. You only press the ANY KEY at the start to get it to boot to the Windows XP cd.
9. Make sure you have your serial number ready to enter in. This can be found on your coa sticker which is a sticker usually put on the side of your computer.
10. Do not remove the Windows XP CD until the computer has started up with a new desktop and icons

Same process is to be done for format a computer using windows7 or any other windows operating system.