JesusL
35 answers
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Formatting an Hard-drive

I decided I want to reformat my Hard-drive. A few years ago all you had to do was to type format c: in the command prompt and that's it. How is it done today? What should I prepare in advance? I'm workin' with windows XP



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RattleHead
116 answers
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Hi.

 All you have to do is to insert you XP CD and reboot the computer. (make sure you can boot from your CD drive - it's in the BIOS).

After the boot you will be asked to choose an option - select install and follow the instructions...

 

 
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gradnin
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There is never a good time to buy a new computer.

As to the "What should I prepare in advance?" part, I offer this:

  1. Backup, Backup, Backup.  As soon as you format you will lose everything.  If you need any files make very sure that  you have them before the format.
  2. Drivers.  Unless you have more than one computer at home, the internet stops being a resource for you until you are done with the re-installing Windows.  If you don't have drivers ready and waiting, you cannot get them until the machine is running again.
  3. Software.  Make a list of the apps that are installed and that you want to re-install.  Find the CD's and auth codes.  If you downloaded the app, note where you got it from.  Many times auth codes get emailed to you, make sure to print them before you format the machine.  
Even if you are backing up your email files, print out your auth codes.  This will save you a really big headache should you run into troubles re-loading your email after the reformat.
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JesusL
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Thanks for the advice. 

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fade
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What I would use is a partiton manager like Gparted.

You can get it from here http://gparted-livecd.tuxfamily.org/ best way to format/modify partitions. 
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