By Mitz
The word Format can mean quite a few things in the world of computers. You could
format text in a word document, have a different file format, or in this case,
format the hard drive in your computer.
Sometimes you need to format to ultra clean your computer. It makes it faster,
new looking and gets rid of errors and viruses.
Windows XP disc is bootable and really does everything for you. (Well
nearly) This means that when you insert a Windows XP disc into your
computer, it should start automatically.
However before you do format a computer you should backup your data. Some
things to backup include: photos, my documents, favorites folder, emails,
all contacts, passwords and more....Go and check out
my
backup list.
Next is to make sure you have a system disk that came with your computer
for display drivers, LAN drivers, USB, audio etc. If you do not have this there
is a program called XP tools which grabs your drivers and makes them into an exe
file...It is a lifesaver.
So when
you have formatted your computer, you press on this exe file and your drivers
are restored. However if you do not want to spend money you will have to find
your computers drivers on the internet and download them.
Here is
where to find drivers.
How to Format a computer using a Windows
XP disc
First you must put your Windows XP CD
in the drive.
Then restart your computer.
When it says press any key to boot from
cd, Press any key on the keyboard. (Go to step 6)
If it doesn't ask you this then restart
your computer again.
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.
A blue screen will appear and you are on your
way..
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. 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 data
anyway. You should also 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.
Then Press C to create another
partition and Windows will estimate a size for you.
Press Enter to confirm size.
Then it will ask you which partition you want to install Windows on. The
default is C: drive. Select this and press enter.
If there are no partitions it will create one for you.
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.
From now on you just Follow the prompts and
let it go..
Make sure you have your serial number
ready to enter in.
Follow the instructions carefully. Once you
have done this a few times, you will see how easy it is.
The only way to learn is to try it yourself.
Be very careful not to make mistakes as
restarting this process over and over can corrupt your computer. If you do
make a mistake, try pressing the escape button as it can sometimes take you
back to the previous screen.
If you cannot proceed through the format
process, maybe you did not delete the old partition??
If there is more than one partition on your
hard drive you can just format the one that has the previous version of
Windows on it. That way the data on the other partition will be safe.
After errors ad viruses have been found on
your computer, you should format a computer on on low level format , and not a
quick format.
You can also go to the Microsoft website for
more information.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348 You can get all the information
from this site, however it can be very confusing for most people, including
me!!!
Watch this video to see how to format your computer
and to see what it looks like.
Press play to view.
About the Author
Mitz Pantic wrote this article
and others for
http://www.tips4pc.com Browse Tips4pc.com for more articles
that are written in an easy to understand interface and FREE computer help.
