formating a new hard drive?

Question

i want to replace my hard drive and do not know how to format the new hard drive

Answer 1

If you bought a new hard drive, the file system will be 'Raw' format.



If you are making this hard drive the ONLY hard drive in your system you will want to install windows. (if this is you, skip the next paragraph)



However, if this is a hard drive that will just store files and be a slave you can go (after the hard drive is hooked up to your PC as a slave) into 'My Computer" right click on the new hard drive (it could be labled anything but C:\ ) and click on "format". A box will show up and guide you through the format.



If you want to run Windows (any version) you will need to put that disk in and re-install windows.



(i'll be giving steps for windows XP, others are very simular)



Step 1. Put the Windows Install disk in



Step 2. Set your computer to 'boot from CD rom'

-You can do this by going into your computers bios (pressing the key it tells you to in the beginning, its generally F5, the Home key, or the Delete key).

-Search through your computers bios and ONLY change the order that your computer boots, the options should be somthing like 'floppy drive', 'cd rom', 'hard disk', 'removeable devices', ect.) and select CD rom to be on top of the list.

-After your selection, Save and Exit out of your bios.



Step 3. When your computer boots, you will get a screen saying "press any key to boot from CD rom" - Do that



Step 4. Follow simple instructions to install windows.



Tip- At one point in your installation you will need to pick a file system your computer will be formatted into. You will want to pick NTFS. Stay away from FAT32 it's old and not as good.



There are many versions of windows, or maybe you are installing on a mac, I hope you can find documentation on how to format other systems.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Make sure you have a Windows XP Installation CD (or whatever operating system you want to install). My personal favorite installation guide is the one from Lifehacker.com



"Geek to Live: How to format your hard drive and install Windows XP from scratch" -- written by Gina Trapani, lifehacker.com

(http://www.lifehacker.com/software/windows/geek-to-live-how-to-format-your-hard-drive-and-install-windows-xp-from-scratch-157578.php)





Hey, Windows XP users: The blue screen of death got you down? Missing dll errors making you frown? Frequent software crashes leave you yearning for that fresh, new PC you unpacked with glee three years ago? If you've scrubbed for spyware and viruses, defragged, chkdsked and done the requisite rain dance but things are STILL wonky on your computer, it may be time for extreme action.



Today we're going to go over how to format your hard drive and reinstall Windows XP from scratch to get back that shiny new operating system feeling untainted by years of wear, tear and added and removed programs.



Note for the tremulous: I cannot tell a lie; reinstalling an operating system is NOT a trivial task. There are several junctures where lots of things can go wrong that can affect the way your PC functions FOREVER. Further, this isn't a task one can complete in just a few hours. There are lots of ways to fix PC problems before reinstalling Windows, a fresh install should be an absolute last resort. It took me three years - one which involved installing and uninstalling programs almost daily - to get to the point of reinstalling Windows. You have been warned.



Still with me? Good.



What you'll need:



1. A Windows XP machine in dire need of a fresh start

(Without any crucial, un-backedup data on it)

2. A Windows XP installation CD with a valid Product Key

(Preferably the disc that shipped with the computer originally, in which case the Product Key won't be obviously listed)

3. The CDs and serial numbers of all the software you need to install on your fresh "new" machine

4. Hardware driver discs that shipped with the PC and any components you added on

(Optional, but VERY strongly recommended)

5. Another 'net-connected computer of any OS persuasion with a CD burner, thumb drive, or other removable disk

(Optional, but strongly recommended, for looking up stuff and downloading drivers in case of emergency)

6. One full day to get your PC fully functioning again.



Got all that? Good.



Let's get started.

Step 1. Back up your data.



First, make sure absolutely NOTHING you cannot afford to lose is on the drive you're going to install Windows on (let's say the C: drive.) Move all your documents and settings off the machine. Back up your Firefox settings with MozBackup, export your Quicken file, SyncBack profiles, Apache configuration and absolutely anything else that you want restored after you're done. Just make sure it's off the machine that's going under the knife.

Step 2. Audit your current PC setup...[read the rest of the article].

Answer 3

start up out of your CD rigidity (settings to do it is often discovered interior the BIOS setup show screen) using an XP setting up disk. Say you decide directly to place in XP, not fix. Delete the present partition if one exists. Create a clean partition, formatted as NTFS (speedy) if that is been formatted as quickly as already or NTFS if that is variety new and desires checking for undesirable sectors. setting up domicile windows as each and all of the default innovations.

Answer 4

Well during the intallation of Windows ( or any other OS) on your computer you will be promped to format your HD with desired filesystem. It will be done during the installation process itself. Other option would be using system boot floppies with command format < drive letter >: / FS ntfs for example...

Answer 5

Dariks boot and nuke will do the trick



http://dban.sourceforge.net/