Article by George Norman

On 31 Aug 2009

Formatting a hard drive is the process of deleting all the data stored on said hard drive for one of two reasons: you want to get rid of everything that is stored on that disk, or you want to install a fresh copy of your Windows operating system and you want to do it on a freshly formatted disk. It should be noted that when you format a disk, the process wipes it completely clean – this includes system files, your personal files and unwanted files (crapware, malware, viruses). Formatting a HDD, which is a relatively easy process, can be performed on any hard drive: your main HDD or external HDD.

How to format your primary hard disk

Step 1. Get your Windows XP installation disk, insert it in your CD or DVD-ROM.


Step 2. Reboot your computer with the disk in the CD or DVD-ROM drive.

Step 3. Press any key when presented with the message to press any key to boot from CD.

Step 4. Press Enter or F8 to access the Windows XP installation.

Step 5. Delete a partition by pressing D. Confirm your action by pressing L.

Step 6. Create a new partition by pressing C.

Step 7. You should now be asked to format the drive.

Step 8. Proceed with the fresh installation of Windows XP.

How to format your hard disk from the command line

Step 1. Click Start -> Run -> type cmd -> hit Enter or click OK.

Step 2. Type format C: and press Enter. Change the drive letter according to the drive you want to format.

Step 3. Reinstall a fresh copy of Windows XP after the formatting process is complete.

How to format your secondary/external hard disk

Step 1. On your computer’s desktop, locate the My Computer icon, right click it and select Manage. Alternatively you can follow this succession of clicks: Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management.

Step 2. In the Computer Management Console right click the new drive, select Format and click Yes if you are sure you want to format it.

Step 3. Select a File System (FAT32 or NTFS) format and a name for the new drive.

Step 4. Click OK when presented with the final “you are about to ….” warning. The formatting process will now begin and will complete when the progress bar reaches 100%.

Tips and warnings:
- Make sure to backup any and all data that you don’t want to lose. Formatting a hard disk will wipe it clean, so do not forget to burn the data you want to keep onto a CD/DVD, put it on a thumb disk, store it online, or use any other backup method that suits your needs.
- Formatting your primary hard disk means that you will have to perform a fresh operating system installation as well.
- Formatting a secondary or external hard disk does not mean you have to install an operating system on that disk. You can use the OS on your main HDD to navigate through the secondary/external disk.
- The duration of the formatting process varies according to the size of the hard disk. It can take a few minutes with a smaller hard disk and can go up to more than an hour when handling larger disks. You should also note that the Quick formatting options take less time to complete.
- To see a list of formatting options, type format /? in the command line.



Tags: Windows, Format, HDD

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