How can I reboot my pc (reformat)? Windows XP - want to remove ALL - please help, thank you!

attempt to delete everything on my pc! Please sumone help! Thank you very much.

You want to reinstall Windows XP, or you want to install another operating system?  Or you want to erase everything because you want to sell or give away your computer?

If you want to reinstall Windows XP you have a Windows XP CD?  You have the product key all important?  Without the product key, you will not be able to install Windows.

If you just want to reinstall Windows XP for your own use then just boot the computer with your Windows XP CD and press screen printing 'Welcome' to install Windows and the next screen, press F8 to accept the end user license agreement.  After accepting the EULA, you will be presented a list of partitions and disks available, simply select the partition where you want to install Windows and have the installer to format the partition and then follow the instructions on the screen.

Note that formatting does not erase the files on the drive, everything simply writes a new boot sector and erases the record of all entries table and shows the disc under vacuum for the operating system.  You can get the free files (such as TestDisk) recovery utilities that can easily recover formatted partition.  Even if you reinstall the system operating, commercial data recovery can still recover files in areas that have not been replaced with the new files after you have formatted the drive.  Obvioyusly is not in the safest thing if you want to give or sell your computer, or if you want to remove the stubborn MBR or boot sector virus, in this case you want to zero fill the drive and rebuild it.  Get a zero fill utility (disk wiping) and fill the disk with zeros, this will completely destroy all data on the disk and prevent recovery of files.  You can get a zero utility filling of the manufacturer of your drive, or you can use one of them (Secure Erase is my preferrence):

Secure erase

Darik Boot And Nuke (DBAN)

(Note that these utilities are not suitable for SCSI drives, if you have disks SCSI contact the manufacturer for a suitable utility)

After fill you to zero the drive start just the computer with the Windows XP CD and the Setup disk selection screen will see and present as a new disk.  Create a partition and format, then proceed with the installation of Windows.  Don't make the mistake of installing Windows on a partition too small, better to use the entire disk rather than running out of space more later!

Native and favorite of the filesystem for windows XP is NTFS, format the NTFS partition, unless you have compelling reasons to use a different file system.

And yet once, remember that you can not install Windows without the product key, you must ensure that you have the key before format or erase the disk.  Without the key, you'll be up the proverbial Creek!

John

Tags: Windows

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