How to erase my difficult drive and start over

Updated: 12/30/2021 by Reckoner Promise

Computer hard drive

About computers take a system restore disc or congenital-in restore process on the hard drive to reset the computer to the original or default settings (manufacturing plant reset). Resetting, formatting, or restoring, a computer helps eliminate issues with figurer software, including corrupt program files and virus infections. Instructions on how to restore your reckoner back to the original software are provided below.

Warning

Restoring your computer erases all the information on the hard drive and makes information technology similar new. Once the steps below are completed, you cannot restore any lost data. Back up whatever files you lot do non want to lose before proceeding with the restore process.

  • How to format a difficult drive, SSD, or USB flash drive.
  • How to make sure all data is erased on a computer hard drive.
  • Why am I unable to restore my computer using restore disc?
  • How to reset a lost or forgotten Windows password.

Erasing the hard drive and reinstalling Windows

To erase your hard drive and reinstall Windows, select a link below for your version of Windows and follow the steps.

Tip

If y'all're erasing everything and reinstalling Windows, an ambassador login proper name or password isn't needed.

Windows 11

Follow these instructions to erase or uninstall and reinstall Windows 11.

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Select the Settings app (Windows 10 Settings icon.).

Tip

If you don't see the Settings app in the Start card, click the magnifying glass icon on the taskbar. In the text field at the top of the search window, type settings and printing Enter.

  1. In the Settings window, click the Arrangement option in the left navigation menu.

Windows 11 Settings - System option

  1. Scroll downwardly on the correct side of the window and select the Recovery choice.
  2. On the right side of the Recovery window, under Recovery options, click the Reset PC button.

Windows 11 Settings - Recovery options

  1. Choose the Keep my files or Remove everything option, depending on if you want to preserve your files or delete everything and beginning over.
  2. Follow the prompts to brainstorm the recovery process.

Windows is reset, keeping your files intact or erasing everything, depending on the choice you selected in a higher place in step half-dozen.

Windows 10

Follow these instructions to erase or uninstall and reinstall Windows ten.

  1. Printing the Windows key, blazon Settings, so press Enter.
  2. In the Settings window, select the Update & security option.

Update & Security icon.

  1. Select the Recovery (A) option in the left navigation pane, so click the Get started button (B).

Starting the recovery process Windows 10.

  1. Choose the Keep my files or Remove everything option, depending on if you want to preserve your files or delete everything and showtime over.

Reset this PC options.

  1. Follow the prompts to brainstorm the recovery process. In one case the process completes, Windows is reset.

Windows eight

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall Windows eight.

  1. Press the Windows cardinal+C to open up the Charms menu.
  2. Select the Search pick and blazon reinstall in the Search text field (practise not press Enter).
  3. Select the Settings pick.
  4. On the left side of the screen, select Remove everything and reinstall Windows.
  5. On the Reset your PC screen, click Next.
  6. On the Do y'all want to fully clean your bulldoze screen, select Just remove my files to do a quick deletion or select Fully clean the drive to have all files erased.
  7. On the Ready to reset your PC screen, click Reset.

Your files or all files on the hard drive are removed, depending on the option you selected in stride six, and and then Windows 8 is reinstalled.

Windows 7 and Vista

To restore a Windows seven or Vista computer, you must have a set up of restore discs for the reckoner or an original Windows seven or Vista installation disc. If you practise non have a ready of restore discs, contact the calculator manufacturer to order a new set or restore discs.

Note

Earlier following the steps below, make certain the computer is set up to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to boot from a CD or DVD in a figurer.
  1. Insert the Windows 7 or Vista installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.
  2. When you see the bulletin "Press whatsoever key to boot from CD," press a key on the keyboard.
  3. Printing Enter at the Windows Setup welcome screen.
  4. When prompted, press whatever key on your keyboard.
  5. On the Install Windows screen, select your preferred language and other preferences, and so click Next.
  6. On the License Agreement screen, accept the terms and agreements, and then click Next.
  7. On the Installation Type screen, cull the Custom option.
  8. Select the Drive Options (advanced) selection.
  9. For Disk 0, delete all partitions. When all partitions are deleted, a unmarried entry named "Unallocated space" should exist seen.
  10. Click Deejay 0 and select Next.

The Windows installation procedure starts past creating a new division, formatting the partition, and installing Windows on the hard drive. The formatting process erases the difficult drive before installing Windows.

Windows XP and 2000

To restore a Windows XP or 2000 computer, you lot must have a set of restore discs for the computer or an original Windows XP or 2000 installation disc. If you do not have a set of restore discs, contact the figurer manufacturer to gild a new prepare or restore discs.

Note

Before following the steps below, make certain the computer is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to kicking from a CD or DVD in a estimator.
  1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the estimator.
  2. When y'all see the bulletin "Printing whatsoever key to boot from CD," press a key on the keyboard.
  3. Press the Enter central at the Windows XP Setup welcome screen, so printing F8 to accept the Terms and Agreements.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a difficult drive partitioning to format and install Windows XP.
  5. After formatting the hard bulldoze, which erases all data, see our steps for reinstalling Windows.
  • How to install the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Earlier versions of Windows and DOS

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall MS-DOS 5.0+, Windows iii.x, 95, 98, ME, or NT 4.0.

Formatting the drive

  1. Place the bootable diskette or disc inside the figurer and reboot to get to the DOS prompt. In some cases, you may demand to boot the computer with CD-ROM support or press a fundamental to kicking from the disk.
  2. At the MS-DOS prompt, blazon format c: /s and press Enter.

Note

If the "format c: /due south" control does not work, you lot may need to download the format.com file to your kick deejay.

  1. The computer asks "Are you sure you desire to erase everything on drive c:?" If you lot are ok with doing this, enter "Y" for aye and press Enter.
  2. The calculator begins the formatting procedure. While the computer is formatting, make sure no errors are encountered.
  • I'thousand getting bad sectors, clusters, or missing allocations.
  1. Once the format procedure is completed successfully, at the MS-DOS prompt, type fdisk /mbr and press Enter. Later on entering this command, it should render y'all to the MS-DOS prompt with no bulletin. This step is not required, but recommended.
  • Practice you have additional information on fdisk /mbr?
  1. In one case dorsum at the MS-DOS prompt, reboot the computer with the kicking disk all the same inserted and follow the steps below to reinstall Windows on the hard drive.

Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT tin can be installed in different ways. We recommend Windows NT be installed using the steps below as nosotros feel that these steps by far are the easiest way to install Windows NT 4.0.

Outset, we recommend all users wanting to install Windows NT utilise the /b switch, which allows the users to not need to create the diskettes. We practise, however, recommend the user create the emergency recover diskettes if they have not already been created after the installation of Windows NT.

Finally, before the installation of Windows NT, we recommend you run smartdrv, which helps the installation of Windows NT run a lot faster.

  1. Place the CD into the estimator.
  2. Type X: (where X is the CD-ROM drive, often the D:).
  3. One time at the appropriate bulldoze, type cd winnt and press Enter to get to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. Once at the X:\WINNT> prompt, type winnt /b.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Windows 95 with a backup CD

  1. Identify the CD in the calculator.
  2. Type 10: (where X is the CD-ROM bulldoze, often the D:).
  3. Once at the advisable drive, type cd win95 and printing Enter to get to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. Once at the Ten:\WIN95> prompt, blazon setup to begin the installation.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

If you are encountering issues during the setup procedure, you lot can add together additional switches to the setup command line. These switches are on our Windows 95 setup switches page.

Windows 95 with floppy diskettes

  1. Place the first diskette of Windows 95 in the computer.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and press Enter to begin the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Windows 3.ten

  1. Place the first diskette of Windows 3.x in the reckoner.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and press Enter to brainstorm the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

MS-DOS

  1. Place the start MS-DOS diskette into the computer.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and press Enter to beingness the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.