HOW TO REFORMAT

PERSONAL COMPUTER
Computers store their data and
operating procedures on devices called
Hard Disks. The process of removing
all data from these disks is called
(re)formatting. More often than most
would like a computer’s hard disk
must be wiped clean, whether because
a virus infection, or the disk may just
be full.
1. BACK UP YOUR DATA
All important data should be
backed up before starting this
procedure. Remember that all
hard disk data will be lost when
you reformat..
2. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM or DVD-
ROM into your computer.
3. Restart the PC
4. PRESS ANY KEY
Soon after the power on the self
test (POST) a message similar to
“Press any key to boot from CD”
will appear. Press any key at this
point.
 5. Press the F8 key to agree to the Microsoft
end user license agreement when prompted to
do so.
6. When the prompt showing available space
is shown select each field that does not say
“Unallocated Space”.
7. Press d (for delete) followed by L (no need
to capitalize) to confirm partition deletion.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the only field
left is “Unallocated Space”.
 9. Press enter to install windows to the
unallocated space, select Quick Format instead of
standard. If you’re reformatting to recover from
error, you will want to do a Full Format otherwise
your error may still exist.
10. The PC should restart, then select your
language and local preferences when
prompted to do so.
11. When the administrator password
prompt comes up enter the desired
password.
 12. All done, restore the documents you
backed up before starting this procedure and
re-install your applications.