How to erase my hard drive and start over

Updated: 12/30/2021 past Computer Hope

Computer hard drive

Most computers have a arrangement restore disc or congenital-in restore process on the difficult drive to reset the computer to the original or default settings (factory reset). Resetting, formatting, or restoring, a calculator helps eliminate bug with reckoner software, including corrupt programme 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 like new. Once the steps below are completed, you cannot restore any lost information. Back upwards whatever files yous practice non want to lose before proceeding with the restore process.

  • How to format a hard 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 bulldoze 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 administrator login proper noun or countersign isn't needed.

Windows xi

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

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

Tip

If you don't see 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, type settings and printing Enter.

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

Windows 11 Settings - System option

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

Windows 11 Settings - Recovery options

  1. Choose the Keep my files or Remove everything choice, depending on if you desire to preserve your files or delete everything and start over.
  2. Follow the prompts to begin the recovery procedure.

Windows is reset, keeping your files intact or erasing everything, depending on the option you selected higher up in footstep half dozen.

Windows x

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

  1. Press the Windows fundamental, blazon Settings, and so printing 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, then click the Become started button (B).

Starting the recovery process Windows 10.

  1. Cull the Continue my files or Remove everything option, depending on if y'all desire 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 eight

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall Windows 8.

  1. Printing the Windows fundamental+C to open the Charms menu.
  2. Select the Search choice and type reinstall in the Search text field (exercise not printing Enter).
  3. Select the Settings option.
  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 you want to fully make clean your drive screen, select But remove my files to exercise a quick deletion or select Fully make clean the drive to have all files erased.
  7. On the Set up to reset your PC screen, click Reset.

Your files or all files on the difficult drive are removed, depending on the pick you selected in step half-dozen, so Windows 8 is reinstalled.

Windows 7 and Vista

To restore a Windows 7 or Vista computer, you must take a set of restore discs for the estimator or an original Windows 7 or Vista installation disc. If you do not have a set of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to order a new set or restore discs.

Annotation

Earlier post-obit the steps below, make sure the computer is set up to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to boot from a CD or DVD in a reckoner.
  1. Insert the Windows vii or Vista installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the calculator.
  2. When you see the message "Printing any central to boot from CD," press a key on the keyboard.
  3. Press Enter at the Windows Setup welcome screen.
  4. When prompted, press any key on your keyboard.
  5. On the Install Windows screen, select your preferred language and other preferences, so click Side by side.
  6. On the License Agreement screen, have the terms and agreements, and then click Adjacent.
  7. On the Installation Type screen, choose the Custom option.
  8. Select the Bulldoze Options (advanced) selection.
  9. For Disk 0, delete all partitions. When all partitions are deleted, a single entry named "Unallocated space" should be seen.
  10. Click Deejay 0 and select Next.

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

Windows XP and 2000

To restore a Windows XP or 2000 calculator, you lot must have a set up of restore discs for the reckoner or an original Windows XP or 2000 installation disc. If you do not have a fix of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to social club a new set or restore discs.

Annotation

Earlier following the steps below, make sure the figurer is ready to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to kick from a CD or DVD in a computer.
  1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM bulldoze and restart the calculator.
  2. When you run across the message "Printing whatsoever cardinal to kick from CD," press a central on the keyboard.
  3. Press the Enter fundamental at the Windows XP Setup welcome screen, then press F8 to take the Terms and Agreements.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a hard drive partition to format and install Windows XP.
  5. Later on formatting the hard drive, which erases all data, see our steps for reinstalling Windows.
  • How to install the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Before versions of Windows and DOS

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

Formatting the drive

  1. Place the bootable diskette or disc inside the computer and reboot to get to the DOS prompt. In some cases, y'all may demand to kicking the reckoner with CD-ROM support or printing a primal to boot from the deejay.
  2. At the MS-DOS prompt, type format c: /s and printing Enter.

Note

If the "format c: /southward" command does not piece of work, you may need to download the format.com file to your boot disk.

  1. The computer asks "Are you sure you want to erase everything on drive c:?" If yous are ok with doing this, enter "Y" for yes and press Enter.
  2. The computer begins the formatting procedure. While the reckoner is formatting, brand sure no errors are encountered.
  • I'm 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. Later on entering this command, it should return you to the MS-DOS prompt with no message. This step is not required, only recommended.
  • Do you have boosted information on fdisk /mbr?
  1. Once dorsum at the MS-DOS prompt, reboot the computer with the boot disk still inserted and follow the steps below to reinstall Windows on the hard bulldoze.

Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT can exist installed in different means. We recommend Windows NT exist installed using the steps below as we feel that these steps by far are the easiest style to install Windows NT iv.0.

First, we recommend all users wanting to install Windows NT use the /b switch, which allows the users to not need to create the diskettes. We do, nevertheless, recommend the user create the emergency recover diskettes if they have non 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. Identify the CD into the computer.
  2. Type X: (where Ten is the CD-ROM drive, often the D:).
  3. Once at the advisable drive, type cd winnt and press Enter to get to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. One time at the X:\WINNT> prompt, type winnt /b.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Windows 95 with a fill-in CD

  1. Place the CD in the calculator.
  2. Blazon X: (where X is the CD-ROM bulldoze, oftentimes the D:).
  3. Once at the appropriate bulldoze, type cd win95 and press Enter to get to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. Once at the Ten:\WIN95> prompt, type 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 can add boosted switches to the setup command line. These switches are on our Windows 95 setup switches folio.

Windows 95 with floppy diskettes

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

Windows 3.10

  1. Identify the offset diskette of Windows iii.x 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.

MS-DOS

  1. Place the first 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 complete the installation.