How To Format Your Computer & Re- Install Windows
Before you make any attempt to format your hard drive and change your system to this extent please make sure you check if it is under warranty and any terms and conditions with it. So we ask again to think and be careful and if you are unsure then email us and ask our advice and please bear in mind that it is only advice. If you want to format then please, please, please make sure you follow the steps below before hand or you can end up with numerous problems after format and re-installation. PLEASE READ In no event will the author of this site be liable for any damages, direct or indirect from any website information. This includes no liability for damages relating to loss of software, hardware, computer parts ect, profits, negligence,tortious action from the use of information from this server.
NOTE : that after you format your hard disk, everything
on it will be lost forever, so make sure you have taken everything you
need off the drive before commencing the format procedure.
Important steps for rebuilding your computer Back
up your personal files and folders from the hard disk. You will need to copy all your personal files and folders off the (C:) hard drive or any other partions you might have. These are files that you have created yourself (such as in Word, Excel, Photoshop, etc.). You may choose to copy the data onto a zip disk or if your computer is networked, then copy it onto another computer or network drive (for example T:\emuearth\staff). Formatting
the hard drive will destroy any personal files or
folders that are on the local hard disk.
You may also want to save your internet favorites. In Windows 95/98/Me, this
folder is located in C:\Windows, and for Windows NT/2000/XP the folder is
located in C:\Documents and Settings\profile name.
In some applications, the default location to save files are not always what you
might expect. For example, in Outlook under Windows XP, the default archiving
file is located at: C:\Documents
and Settings\profile name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\archive.pst You should check that you know where your archiving files are going to, and make sure you have saved them (you can search for files with "*.pst"). Once you format your local hard disk, all the files will be lost forever. Obtain drivers for all your hardware Drivers
are pieces of software that make your hardware work. Hardware includes things
such as graphics card, printers, network card, etc. So before rebuilding your
computer, it may prove very helpful to make a quick list of the hardware you
have on your computer. In
Windows 95/98/Me, right click on My Computer, and then click on Properties.
Select the Device Manager tab, and the following should appear:
In Windows 2000/XP, right click on My Computer, then click on Properties. Choose the Hardware tab, and then click on Device Manager.
Write
down the make and model of the following ·
display
adapter/graphics card (e.g. 3D Prophet II MX) ·
monitor (e.g.
DELL P780) ·
sound card
(e.g. Creative Sound Blaster 16) ·
network card
(e.g. Intel Pro/100B PCI) ·
CD writer/DVD
player ·
printer/scanner
·
modem It is recommended you collect the drivers for these devices now as you will require them after you have reinstalled the operating system. The drivers are usually found on the CDs or disks that came with your computer and accessories. If you no longer have these disks, then you will need to download the latest drivers from the appropriate website (e.g. www.intel.com for an Intel product). Usually most computers and laptops come with a drivers CD that contains all the drivers for that particular computer.
If this is the case, then you may not need to collect or download the drivers
for your hardware. However, you may want to look for the latest drivers if you
don't already have them.
Hint:
You can try searching for drivers on
Google,
or other web search engines.
Now you can continue with the rest if you have covered all the points above.
How to Format a Hard Disk
After
you create the partitions, you must format the partitions:
1.
Restart your computer with the Startup disk in the floppy disk drive.
2. When a command prompt is displayed, type format c: /s , and then press ENTER.
This command transfers the system files and should only be used when you format
drive C (or your "active" drive). For all other partitions, type
format drive : (where drive is the letter of the partition that you want to
format). extract
ebd.cab format.com After the Format.com tool is extracted to your boot disk, type format c: /s t a command prompt to format your active partition, or type format drive : if you want to format a partition that is not your active partition.
3.
When you successfully run the Format.com tool, you receive the following
message:
WARNING,
ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST! 4. Press Y, and then press ENTER to format drive C. 5. After the format procedure is finished, you receive the following message:
Volume
label (11 characters, ENTER for none)? NOTE : This is an optional feature that you can use to type a name for the drive. You can either type an 11-character name for the drive, or you can leave it blank by pressing ENTER. Once you have formatted then continue with the installation of windows of your desired choice wether it be 98, ME, XP, 2000. I have placed here an example of isntalation guide for windows me just to provide you with a how to. Microsoft's Windows ME Install step by step guide
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