format hard drive

[deck99]

I am currently running xp home. I want to wash my entire hard drive and reload xp home. what are the steps to format my hard drive with xp home?

Thanks,

deck99

[doctorgonzo]

Just stick your Windows XP Home CD in the drive and reboot. You can wipe the drive when you reinstall. You don't need a separate step.

[deck99]

Thanks Dr. Gonzo.

So let me get this straight. If I put the XP disk in and reboot will it ask me if I want to reload XP? Does it automatically format the drive or does it ask me if I want to? Does it completetly erase all former files or are they just hidden away somewhere. I am going to sell this system and I want to erase everything I have ever had on it.

Thanks,

deck99

[doctorgonzo]

If you really want to get rid of everything on it because you are selling it, then you may want to go to your HD manufacturer's website and download their zero-fill utility. That will overwrite your HD, which will pretty much erase everything on there now (pretty much meaning not entirely, but for all intents and purposes). Then, after you have zero-filled the HD, install Windows.

[Markoman01027]

Yes, Doctorgonzo is right.

With WIN2K/WINXP you do not get FDISK or FORMAT..Because the software installation does that for you..

So if you want to format the drive..you 1) Let WINXP setup do it for you, 2) Get a Zero-Fill utility from your manufacturer's website.

The setup program of winxp is pretty much straightforward and you should use that to partition/format your hard drive.

[Confused]

I haven't reloaded XP yet, but from reading post here it will give you the option to format and reload. If you are having problems, you could use Fdisk to delete partitions and them boot from your XP CD.
Chas

[ktkendall]

Originally posted by Confused I haven't reloaded XP yet, but from reading post here it will give you the option to format and reload. If you are having problems, you could use Fdisk to delete partitions and them boot from your XP CD. Chas

Yes you could do that!

[mike breck]

If you want to completely erase your data from the HD so it can never be recovered by using standard recovery software, then use a Zero Fill Utility.

If you want to boot from your XP CD-Rom to delete partitions and format, remember to change the boot sequence in the BIOS to boot from theCD-Rom drive first.

HTH