How to Format a Hard Drive

What you'll need:

1. A Windows XP machine in dire need of a fresh start
   (Without any crucial, un-backedup data on it)
2. A Windows XP installation CD with a valid Product Key
   (Preferably the disc that shipped with the computer originally, in which case the Product Key won't be obviously listed)
3. The CDs and serial numbers of all the software you need to install on your fresh "new" machine
4. Hardware driver discs that shipped with the PC and any components you added on
   (Optional, but strongly recommended)
5. Another 'net-connected computer of any OS persuasion with a CD burner, thumb drive, or other removable disk
   (Optional, but  recommended, for looking up stuff and downloading drivers in case of emergency)
6. One full day to get your PC fully functioning again.

This article includes the basics for high-level formatting a hard drive.

For Windows XP

   1. If you want to save any of the data on the disk, back it up by copying it to a CD or another hard drive. Formatting will destroy ALL of the data on the disk.
   2. Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to boot the computer.
   3. Select the "Recovery Console" option.
   4. At the prompt, type FORMAT C:

For Windows 9x (95, 98, Me)

   1. If you want to save any of the data on the disk, back it up by copying it to a CD or another hard drive. Formatting will destroy ALL of the data on the disk.
   2. Use a startup floppy (sometimes called a "boot disk") to obtain a DOS prompt.
   3. Type FORMAT C:

For Linux or BSD

   1. Boot from a livecd or diskette
   2. Open a terminal window (usually something like xterm or konsole)
   3. Log in as root by typing su and entering the password
   4. Type mkfs.ext2 /dev/hdaxx where you change the ext2 by the filetype you want (e.g. ext2, ext3, reiserfs,...) and the axx by the letter of your drive and the number of the partition you want to format. (e.g. /dev/hda1, /dev/hdc32,...). Using the -j option (mke2fs -j) will create the ext3 (or journaled) file system that is much more resistant to the unexpected power loss.
   5. Under Linux, you can also format the hard drive in FAT file system that is readable from Windows (use mkfs.vfat instead of mkfs.ext2). However such partition cannot store the root of the Linux operating system.

Formatting

and Installing from the Windows XP CD

Step 1:
This section explains how to reformat a drive from the Windows XP installation CD. This can be used when installing a fresh copy of Windows onto a computer. Here it is especially important to backup all of your important information because upon formatting you will lose EVERYTHING that used to be on the drive. This includes all applications and device drivers, so you must back up everything you can.

Step 2:
Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD drive (Home or Pro--it does not matter).

Step 3:
Now as you computer boots a little more it will say “Press any key to boot from CD..” press a key to do so.

Step 4:
The CD will load up a blue screen and then spend a while loading files it needs. When it is finished it will list a few options, mainly “Press ENTER to set up Windows XP.” Press Enter or Return.

Step 5:
Now you will be at a screen to select where to install Windows to. This is where you can delete old partitions and format drives. The box in the bottom half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that exist on them. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to highlight your “C:” partition and press the 'D' key (if all that shows up is “Unpartitioned space” and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step). On the next screen press the 'L' key to finalize deleting the partition.

Step 6:
Now you are back on the screen to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition but simply have an entry “Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB.” Select this with the arrow keys and press the 'C' key to create a partition on the drive. The next screen tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can be and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum, but double check that the number entered is the maximum and hit enter.

Step 7:
Now you will again be back at the choose where to install Windows screen. But this time you will have a partition that looks something like this “C: Partition1 [New (Raw)]xxxxxxMB.” Highlight this entry and press enter.

Step 8:
The next screen lets you choose which file system to format the drive with. Choose NTFS as it is faster and more secure. If the drive is brand new and has never been used before then use one of the options that ends in “(Quick).” Or, choose one of the lower down options. Use the arrow keys to select the proper one and press Enter or Return.

Step 9:
From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed starting with a format of your drive. This will take a while (over half an hour) so you can take a little break.¡