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Business Freelancing How To. How To Learning. Happiness How To. Development How To. Most brand name manufacturers include a disk that can restore your computer to the state it was the day you purchased it. If you have a restore-disk you can save yourself from having to reformat your computer. Write down or print out all instructions you need to reformat. Once you begin the process you will not be able to access files on your computer or the web.
If you have a printed copy of the necessary steps and troubleshooting procedures you will be able to reference them as needed. Back up your data. All important data should be backed up before starting this procedure. Remember that all hard disk data will be lost when you reformat. Check out this article on how to backup your data in Windows XP. Ensure that you save that backup to a CD, thumb drive, or external drive. Note whether you have the software CDs to extra devices such as printers or software you may have purchased.
If you downloaded them, then ensure that you either can re-download them or backup those files so you are able to re-install them after you reformat your computer. You may also want to note the make and model of your devices. Once inside the Device Manager, you can click on each category to see what devices are installed. Method 2. You may also use the Windows XP Setup disks. If using the disks you will have to install each disk when prompted during the setup.
Press any key to boot from CD when prompted. This prompt will appear shortly after the POST power-on self test. Go to source. Press the F8 key to agree to the Microsoft end user license agreement when prompted to do so.
Since there is already an existing Windows XP installation you may receive a prompt to repair it. Press the ESC key to bypass this option and continue formatting the disk. Select each field that does not say "Unallocated Space. Use the arrow keys to select fields to be deleted. Press the D key to delete each field. When prompted, press the L key to confirm partition deletion.
This will clear old data from the hard drive of the computer. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the only field left is "Unallocated Space. Press enter to create a new partition of the maximum size. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article Steps. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: September 3, Backup anything you want to keep.
Formatting your C: drive will completely delete your Windows installation, as well as any data stored on the C: drive. This usually includes all of your documents, pictures, and downloaded files. Make sure to save anything you want to keep to another location.
See this guide for more details on how to backup data. Insert your Windows XP installation disc. Formatting the C: drive requires uninstalling your current installation of Windows. To do this, you'll need your Windows XP installation disc.
You can also use any other version of Windows' installation disc. This is legal if you own Windows. Set your computer to boot from the disc drive. Once you've inserted the disc, you will need to set your computer to boot from it instead of the hard drive. You can change the boot order from the BIOS, which can be accessed by pressing the setup key as your computer boots.
The setup key is usually F2, F10, or Delete. You can change the boot order from the Boot or Boot Order menu. Make sure that the optical drive is set as the first boot device. See this guide for more details on opening your BIOS and changing the boot order. Start the installer. Once the boot order is set, restart the computer. This will save you time when you need to find a blank or format-ready CD that doesn't already have critical data on it.
Be careful that the CD you wish to format doesn't have critical information on it. This article was written by a professional writer, copy edited and fact checked through a multi-point auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information.
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