Formatting a partition on your hard drive is a drastic measure; it erases everything on the partition. If your hard disk only has one partition, then formatting means reinstalling Windows and all your software. In other words, formatting is not a solution for minor annoyances. However, sometimes formatting is the only practical solution for fixing constant file error messages, disk damage inflicted by virus, or even chronic slow system performance.
To format a partition that doesn't contain your Windows files:
- Back up everything you don't want to lose.
- Go to Start | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Disk Management.
Right-click the block that represents the drive you want to format, select Format, and click OK (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Disk Management gives you a picture of all your hard drives and partitions.
If you want to format the partition that holds Windows, just reinstall Windows XP.
- Make sure you have the CD and serial number for any software you have to reinstall.
- Make sure you have the hardware drivers for any hardware you've added or updated.
Place the Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM drive. When the Welcome screen appears, select Install Windows XP (see Figure 2).
If the Windows installation program doesn't automatically start, open the CD in Windows Explorer and double-click the file Setup.exe.
Figure 2: Select Install Windows XP from the Welcome screen.
In the next window under Installation Type, select New Installation (Advanced). Windows XP will walk you through the installation process (see Figure 3). When given the opportunity, choose to delete the old partition; Windows will create a new partition and format it.
Figure 3: Select New Installation (Advanced) to begin the installation process.
