Reformat Instructions for Windows 7

You have just purchased your windows 7 computer. You are enjoying all of those awesome features, and you are extremely excited. Suddenly, without warning you have been infected with a worm, a virus, or other malicious software that is so bad that you need to reformat your hard drive in order for things to even work at all. You are worried because since Windows 7 is so new, you will not be able to find reformat hard drive instructions for Windows 7. Now you can stop worrying, below is a complete guide that contains very detailed reformat hard drive instructions for Windows 7.

Preparation Instructions for Reformatting a Hard drive with Windows 7

Before the reformatting process can take place, you need to be sure that you have Windows 7 operating system CD along with the Product key, as the CD is necessary for reinstalling the software onto your computer's hard drive, and the product key is necessary for validating your copy of windows. You can normally find the product key on a sticker that is on your computer. For laptops, the sticker is usually located on the bottom and for desktops; the product key is located on the side, front, or back of the desktop's tower. Once you are sure you have both your product key and your operating system CD, you need to make sure you bios are set to boot from the CD. IN order to see that this is the case, you must access the bios by either tapping f8, f12, or the delete key, whichever the manufacturer has set for your computer to access the bios. The only way that you will find this out is by tapping each one of these keys when you power on the computer. Most of the time, though, the bios are set to be accessed by pressing f12 simultaneously while pressing on the power button. Keep pressing the respective key until you see the bios come up. When they do, you will want to look for the boot menu. You will be able to access this menu by seeing the option right when the bios come up and then pressing enter on it. When the boot menu appears, select the option that says "boot from the CD." Do this by going there and putting the cursor on that option. You can leave the other options as they are. When the boot order is set to where you want it, you will need to save your settings, turn off the computer, restart it, put the CD in the CD drive, and then turn it off. Now, you are ready to begin reformatting the hard drive.

How to Format a Hard Drive with Windows 7

The first step on how to format a hard drive is to power on the computer and simultaneously press the space bar continuously until you see the screen where the reformatting process will begin. At this screen, you will have the option to either repair or install a new copy of Windows 7. You will want to select the option to install a new copy of windows. You will then weight for the installation process to begin. For awhile, the CD will run through until it reaches some options that will give you the opportunity to create a new partition or delete existing ones. This is where the next step will occur.

The second step on how to format a hard drive is to use the commands to delete all partitions because you will be asked where you want to install your copy of Windows, but you do not want any of these partitions to remain. In order to do this, you will need to use your up and down arrows to select the partitions, and press the D key and delete them. You will then be taken to another screen where you will press the L key to finalize the deletion of all partitions.

The third step on how to format a hard drive with Windows 7 is to select the blank space to format the new partition. You will select this space with your arrow keys, and you will then be presented with options that enable you to choose the size that your new C partition will be. You will want to choose the maximum size, as this is the default, and it is the best option.

The fourth step on how to format a hard drive with Windows 7 is to choose where you will install the new copy of Windows. You will see the C partition that you have just created, and it should be the only one present. Select this partition and you will then be ready to proceed to the next step in the reformatting process.

The fifth step on how to format a hard drive with Windows 7 is to choose which type of file system you will use. You will want to choose the NTFS, as it is much better in that it is quicker and more secure. From this point on, you will want to take a break of about a half an hour or so, as this is how long the installation process will take. You can return in a bit to enter your product key and then continue with the process.

The sixth step on how to format a hard drive using Windows 7 is to set up your system for use. This is very easy because all you will have to do is follow all the prompts. You will be asked to set the time, choose your region, and choose a password to name a few of the number of prompts you will need to follow. Once all of the prompts have been followed and you are at your desktop, you will then proceed with the final step of the process.

The seventh and final step on how to format a hard drive with Windows 7 is to install all of the drivers. You will do this by taking the model number or product number, depending on how it is listed on the sticker that is on your PC and go to your computer's manufacturer's website to download and install all of the drivers so your computer will work properly. If you have issues with this, you can also use the Driver Guide or driver Agent website, which will enable you to scan your computer for the latest drivers that are needed in order for all of your devices to work properly, such as your sound and video cards. When all of your drivers have been installed, your computer will be up and running.

Now that you have completed all of the reformat hard drive instructions, and the process has been completed, your computer will be running just as it did when you first got it. No more will there be any corrupting errors taking over your computer's functions, causing you frustration because now, the reformatting process has made both you and your computer free.