Formatting a disk prepares the surface of the drive to accept and store data. Computers are often formatted before they are sold, donated, or returned to an employer.
Likewise, computers with viruses or errors can be formatted and returned to their "out of the box" settings.

How to Format a Computer with Windows XP

1. To format a computer with Windows XP or 2000, insert Windows CD and restart your computer.

2. Your computer should automatically boot from the CD to the Windows Setup Main Menu.

3. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.

4. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.

5. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.

6. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition.

7. Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.

8. Select the format option that you want to use for the partition (Recommended: NTFS), and then press ENTER.

9. After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue installing Windows.


How to Reinstall Windows XP

1. To reinstall Windows XP or 2000, imply insert Windows CD and restart your computer.

2. If your hard drive has not been formatted, Windows XP will walk you through the formatting process described above

3. Your computer will automatically boot from the CD and begin the installation process