How to format a hard drive and reinstall windows xp

Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: April 8, Method 1. If you no longer have a copy of the CD, contact your computer manufacturer for a replacement, or download an. Be aware of viruses, and know that you will still need to enter a valid Product Key to install.

Make a note of your Product Key. It is useful to have this handy before you start the install process. This key is a character code that you have to enter in order to install Windows. It can usually be found in one of a couple different places: Attached to the case your Windows XP CD came in, usually on the back. Reboot your computer. Your computer needs to be set to boot from the CD drive first. In order to do this, you will have to enter the BIOS setup.

The key is different from different manufacturers, but is generally either F2, F10, F12, or Del. The correct key will be displayed on the same screen as the logo. Start the installation.

If you do not press a key, then the computer will boot from the hard drive as usual. Setup will load. Windows has to load drivers to start the setup process. This could take a few moments. Once it is complete, you will be greeted with the Welcome screen. Press Enter to begin a repair install. Do not enter the Recovery Console. Read the agreement. After you have gone over the license agreement, hit F8 to agree and continue. Setup will load a list of your Windows XP installs.

Most users will only see one thing listed here. Select your previous installation. If you only have one install, it will be automatically highlighted. Press R to begin the repair process.

Windows will begin copying files, and then reboot the computer automatically. It will then begin the repair install. You will be asked to confirm the date and time as well as a few other basic questions.

Most of the time, the default option is acceptable. Enter the Product Key. Towards the end of the installation, you will be asked to enter the product key.

Windows will check to make sure it is a valid key before proceeding. After installation, you will have to authorize your copy of Windows online or over the phone. The Product Activation wizard will appear when you log into your newly repaired copy. If you have an internet connection, then you should be able to authenticate your copy by clicking a button. Check your programs. Once the installation is complete, you will be taken to your repaired install of Windows.

Because certain system files were replaced, some of your installed programs may not function, and may need to be reinstalled. Some of your devices may need to have their drivers reinstalled. To see which devices are not installed properly, open the Start Menu and right-click My Computer. Select the Hardware Tab, and then click Device Manager. If there are devices with a yellow exclamation point, then they may need their drivers reinstalled. Method 2. Windows Setup will automatically restart your computer and Windows setup will launch again when you restart.

Choose between a quick format that leaves data on your computer but marks it inaccessible, or a full format that will delete all data on the drive. Windows XP automatically installs after the drive is formatted. Immediately after Windows installs you should plan on spending some time getting Windows up-to-date. That essentially means you take the guts out of the Windows XP CD, download all the Windows updates, and burn a new CD which you then use to format and re-install Windows.

But, it's much simpler than it sounds and if you're not an advanced user, we suggest you use the method described above for the best results even though you will have to invest a little more time.

It will take you between one hour and three hours depending on the speed of your connection, your computer, and how many device drivers and Windows updates you have to download to complete the format and reinstallation of Windows XP. So make sure you do it when you have plenty of time to finish the job.

If you don't have a Windows XP CD, your computer most like came with a so-called "Recovery" CD or some kind of recovery program included on the hard drive. Any time you do a "recovery" using a recovery disk, you're essentially formatting and returning your computer to the exact state it was in when you bought it.

Also, it takes a lot of time and effort to format a hard drive by using the bootable media as there are other ways to do it. Chances are that your Windows XP drive would have different partitions as well. While formatting a non-system partition is extremely easy, a lot of people struggle to format the Windows drive. Any drive that is not the Windows partition can easily be formatted. This will open the Disk Management application with a list of all the partitions on your system and their details.

You can simply select any non-system partition from here, right-click, and choose to format it. Once you click on the Format button, a dedicated wizard would launch on your Windows XP system. Here, you can select the type of file format or partitioning style to format the Windows XP hard drive without its CD. This means you can format Windows XP hard drive without its CD if you have the firmware installed and the setup files present on the system. Since this will delete all the saved data on your system, it is recommended to back up your files.

You can copy them to an external storage unit or simply upload them to the cloud. Now, you can just launch My Computer on your system and browse to the Windows drive, which is C: in most cases. This will launch the Windows XP setup wizard on the screen that you can easily follow. Jay White Website administrator I started Dumb Little Man many years ago so great authors, writers and bloggers could share their life "hacks" and tips for success with everyone.

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