To completely clear the hard drive or one of its partitions, it is recommended to use the formatting process. It can be accomplished using various proven methods.
Necessary
Windows installation disc
Instructions
Step 1
In a situation when you need to format a hard disk partition on which the operating system is not installed, use the standard utilities of the Windows operating system. Go to the "My Computer" menu.
Step 2
Right-click on the partition or whole disk that you want to format. Select Formatting. Specify the cluster size of the future volume and the type of its file system. Add a volume label if necessary. Click the "Start" button to start formatting the partition.
Step 3
If you need to format the system partition of the hard disk, then the task is a little more complicated. Remove the hard drive from the system unit. Connect this hard drive to another computer. Turn on this PC.
Step 4
Start your operating system. Go to the "My Computer" menu. Repeat the algorithm described in the second step. Turn off your computer. Install the hard drive in the first PC.
Step 5
If you do not have the ability to connect the hard drive to another computer, then format the system partition while installing another operating system. Insert the disc containing the Windows installation files into the drive. Turn on your computer.
Step 6
Start the process of installing a new operating system. When the installation process comes to selecting a hard disk partition, select the local disk on which the operating system to be removed is installed.
Step 7
In the next window, select "Format to FAT32" or "Format to NTFS". Install the new operating system on the selected partition.
Step 8
The Windows Seven and Vista installer allows you to fine-tune the health of your hard drives. First, click the “Disk Settings” button to bring up a menu of additional functions.
Step 9
Select the hard disk or its partition on which the operating system is installed. Click the Format button. Specify the partition for installing a new operating system. Click the Install button.
