How to erase my hard bulldoze and start over

Updated: 12/thirty/2021 by Reckoner Hope

Computer hard drive

Most computers have a arrangement restore disc or congenital-in restore process on the hard drive to reset the computer to the original or default settings (manufactory reset). Resetting, formatting, or restoring, a computer helps eliminate bug with computer software, including corrupt program files and virus infections. Instructions on how to restore your computer back to the original software are provided below.

Warning

Restoring your calculator erases all the information on the hard bulldoze and makes it like new. One time the steps below are completed, y'all cannot restore any lost data. Back up any files you exercise not want to lose before proceeding with the restore procedure.

  • How to format a hard drive, SSD, or USB wink drive.
  • How to make sure all data is erased on a figurer hard drive.
  • Why am I unable to restore my estimator 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 you're erasing everything and reinstalling Windows, an ambassador login name or password isn't needed.

Windows 11

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

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

Tip

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

  1. In the Settings window, click the Organization selection in the left navigation menu.

Windows 11 Settings - System option

  1. Gyre downwards on the right side of the window and select the Recovery choice.
  2. On the right side of the Recovery window, nether Recovery options, click the Reset PC button.

Windows 11 Settings - Recovery options

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

Windows is reset, keeping your files intact or erasing everything, depending on the option you selected above in step vi.

Windows 10

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

  1. Press the Windows fundamental, type Settings, and then 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, and and so click the Go started push button (B).

Starting the recovery process Windows 10.

  1. Cull the Keep my files or Remove everything selection, depending on if you want to preserve your files or delete everything and start over.

Reset this PC options.

  1. Follow the prompts to begin the recovery process. Once the process completes, Windows is reset.

Windows 8

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall Windows eight.

  1. Printing the Windows key+C to open the Charms carte du jour.
  2. Select the Search selection and type reinstall in the Search text field (do 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 Side by side.
  6. On the Practice you want to fully make clean your drive 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 Prepare to reset your PC screen, click Reset.

Your files or all files on the hard drive are removed, depending on the choice yous selected in stride 6, and then Windows viii is reinstalled.

Windows vii and Vista

To restore a Windows 7 or Vista calculator, yous must accept a set up of restore discs for the computer or an original Windows seven or Vista installation disc. If you do not have a prepare of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to social club a new prepare or restore discs.

Note

Before post-obit the steps below, make certain the calculator is set to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to kicking from a CD or DVD in a computer.
  1. Insert the Windows 7 or Vista installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the computer.
  2. When you encounter the message "Press any central to kick from CD," press a fundamental on the keyboard.
  3. Printing Enter at the Windows Setup welcome screen.
  4. When prompted, printing any key on your keyboard.
  5. On the Install Windows screen, select your preferred language and other preferences, so click Next.
  6. On the License Agreement screen, accept the terms and agreements, so click Next.
  7. On the Installation Blazon screen, cull the Custom option.
  8. Select the Drive Options (avant-garde) option.
  9. For Disk 0, delete all partitions. When all partitions are deleted, a unmarried entry named "Unallocated space" should be seen.
  10. Click Disk 0 and select Adjacent.

The Windows installation procedure starts by creating a new partition, formatting the partitioning, and installing Windows on the hard drive. The formatting process erases the hard bulldoze earlier installing Windows.

Windows XP and 2000

To restore a Windows XP or 2000 figurer, you lot must have a set of restore discs for the calculator or an original Windows XP or 2000 installation disc. If you do non accept a gear up of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to order a new prepare or restore discs.

Note

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

  • How to boot from a CD or DVD in a reckoner.
  1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM bulldoze and restart the calculator.
  2. When you see the bulletin "Printing any primal to boot from CD," press a central on the keyboard.
  3. Press the Enter key at the Windows XP Setup welcome screen, then press F8 to accept the Terms and Agreements.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a hard drive partitioning to format and install Windows XP.
  5. After formatting the hard bulldoze, which erases all information, see our steps for reinstalling Windows.
  • How to install the Microsoft Windows operating arrangement.

Before versions of Windows and DOS

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall MS-DOS v.0+, Windows 3.x, 95, 98, ME, or NT 4.0.

Formatting the drive

  1. Place the bootable diskette or disc inside the reckoner and reboot to go to the DOS prompt. In some cases, y'all may need to boot the computer with CD-ROM support or printing a key to boot from the disk.
  2. At the MS-DOS prompt, blazon format c: /s and press Enter.

Note

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

  1. The estimator asks "Are you sure you desire to erase everything on bulldoze c:?" If you are ok with doing this, enter "Y" for aye and press Enter.
  2. The calculator begins the formatting process. While the computer is formatting, make sure no errors are encountered.
  • I'k getting bad sectors, clusters, or missing allocations.
  1. Once the format process is completed successfully, at the MS-DOS prompt, type fdisk /mbr and press Enter. After entering this command, it should return you to the MS-DOS prompt with no message. This step is not required, but recommended.
  • Do you take additional information on fdisk /mbr?
  1. One time dorsum at the MS-DOS prompt, reboot the reckoner with the boot deejay still inserted and follow the steps below to reinstall Windows on the difficult drive.

Windows NT iv.0

Windows NT can exist installed in unlike ways. Nosotros recommend Windows NT exist installed using the steps beneath as we experience that these steps past far are the easiest way to install Windows NT 4.0.

First, nosotros recommend all users wanting to install Windows NT apply the /b switch, which allows the users to non demand to create the diskettes. We do, however, recommend the user create the emergency recover diskettes if they accept not already been created after the installation of Windows NT.

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

  1. Place the CD into the computer.
  2. Type X: (where X is the CD-ROM drive, frequently the D:).
  3. In one case at the appropriate drive, blazon cd winnt and press Enter to become to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. Once at the Ten:\WINNT> prompt, type winnt /b.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to consummate the installation.

Windows 95 with a backup CD

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

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

Windows 95 with floppy diskettes

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

Windows iii.x

  1. Identify the first diskette of Windows 3.x in the computer.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and printing Enter to begin the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to consummate the installation.

MS-DOS

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