Formatting a computer is one of the methods used to solve almost all software problems that can occur during normal use of the device. This is true because formatting the hard drive deletes all the data it contains which will then be replaced with a new "clean" installation of the operating system. Most people think that doing such a procedure is extremely difficult, so they prefer to spend some money on someone else to do this. In reality, this is a fairly simple maintenance task, as all you need to do is perform a fresh installation of the operating system.
Steps
Step 1. Back up all personal and / or important files
It is a passage very important, practically fundamental, since formatting the hard disk permanently deletes all the data contained in it. Back up the following data:
- Favorites;
- Pictures and photos;
- Personal documents of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
- Video files;
- Music (this information may also be stored on the MP3 player you normally use to listen to it);
- Character models;
- All programs, applications and software in general that you have downloaded and installed on your computer.
Step 2. Get the Windows installation disc
Step 3. Turn on your computer
Step 4. Insert the Windows CD / DVD into the system's optical drive
Step 5. When "Press any key to continue" appears on the screen
.. "press any key on your keyboard. If you are unable to perform this step in time, restart your computer and press the correct key (for example F2, F10 or Esc) to be able to access the BIOS. Now enter the menu "Boot Sequence / Boot Order" and sets the computer's optical drive ("CD-ROM" or "DVD-ROM" option) as the first boot device to replace the floppy disk drive ("Floppy" option).
Step 6. The computer will now boot through the Windows installation disc
Wait for the terms of the license agreement for the Windows operating system to appear, then accept it and choose the "Install a new copy of Windows" option.
Step 7. Delete the old hard drive partition and proceed to install the operating system on a new one
Step 8. Wait 45 minutes while the files are copied to your computer hard drive
After the indicated time has elapsed, return to the monitor to complete the system configuration (creating a user account and login password, setting the geographical area of the time zone and date, setting the keyboard layout, etc.). This last step is very simple as you will simply have to choose the configuration options that best suit your needs. At this point you may need to reactivate Windows a second time over the internet. If you have performed a fresh installation of Windows more than 5 times, you will need to contact Microsoft for a new activation code.
Step 9. Now is the time to update Windows by downloading all available Service Packs and updates for both the operating system and the drivers and pre-installed software
Step 10. Install an anti-virus program (recommended step)
Step 11. At this point, access the Windows desktop and customize it as you see fit
Advice
- When performing a Windows installation with the intent of "repairing" the existing one, the user's personal files (documents, images, music, videos, etc.) should not be modified. However, this procedure does not format the hard drive of the computer, which means that it may not be able to solve the problem that is affecting the operating system; furthermore, the user's personal data may not be saved or may be corrupted.
- This is a lengthy procedure, so be patient.
Warnings
- It is good to remember that the procedure described in the article formats the hard disk of the computer, so all the information contained will be lost forever. Before you begin, it is a good idea to back up all your personal and important data and files so that you can restore them after the installation is complete.
- Note: Formatting a hard drive does NOT prevent the information it contained from being recovered. To make 99.9% of the data stored on a hard disk untraceable, it must be overwritten several times using a special program, for example "Darik's Boot and Nuke".
