How to erase my hard bulldoze and kickoff over

Updated: 12/30/2021 by Estimator Hope

Computer hard drive

Nigh computers have a system restore disc or built-in restore process on the hard drive to reset the computer to the original or default settings (manufacturing plant reset). Resetting, formatting, or restoring, a computer helps eliminate issues with computer software, including corrupt program files and virus infections. Instructions on how to restore your figurer back to the original software are provided below.

Alarm

Restoring your reckoner erases all the information on the hard drive and makes information technology like new. Once the steps below are completed, you cannot restore whatsoever lost data. Back up any files you lot practice not desire to lose before proceeding with the restore process.

  • How to format a difficult drive, SSD, or USB flash drive.
  • How to make sure all information 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 difficult bulldoze and reinstalling Windows

To erase your hard drive and reinstall Windows, select a link beneath for your version of Windows and follow the steps.

Tip

If you're erasing everything and reinstalling Windows, an administrator login name or password isn't needed.

Windows 11

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

  1. Open up the Showtime carte du jour.
  2. Select the Settings app (Windows 10 Settings icon.).

Tip

If y'all don't see the Settings app in the Kickoff 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 System choice in the left navigation menu.

Windows 11 Settings - System option

  1. Scroll downwardly 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 button.

Windows 11 Settings - Recovery options

  1. Choose the Keep my files or Remove everything option, depending on if you want to preserve your files or delete everything and get-go over.
  2. Follow the prompts to begin the recovery process.

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

Windows ten

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

  1. Press the Windows central, type Settings, and then press Enter.
  2. In the Settings window, select the Update & security choice.

Update & Security icon.

  1. Select the Recovery (A) choice in the left navigation pane, and then click the Get started button (B).

Starting the recovery process Windows 10.

  1. Choose the Proceed my files or Remove everything choice, depending on if yous 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 8

Follow these instructions to erase and reinstall Windows 8.

  1. Press the Windows central+C to open the Charms menu.
  2. Select the Search selection and type reinstall in the Search text field (practise non press 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 clean your drive screen, select Just remove my files to do a quick deletion or select Fully clean the bulldoze to have all files erased.
  7. On the Ready to reset your PC screen, click Reset.

Your files or all files on the hard drive are removed, depending on the option you selected in stride 6, and and then Windows 8 is reinstalled.

Windows 7 and Vista

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

Notation

Before following the steps beneath, brand sure the computer is fix to boot from the CD-ROM drive.

  • How to boot 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 estimator.
  2. When you see the message "Press any key to boot from CD," press a key on the keyboard.
  3. Press Enter at the Windows Setup welcome screen.
  4. When prompted, press any primal on your keyboard.
  5. On the Install Windows screen, select your preferred linguistic communication and other preferences, then click Next.
  6. On the License Agreement screen, have the terms and agreements, and then click Next.
  7. On the Installation Type screen, choose the Custom option.
  8. Select the Drive Options (advanced) choice.
  9. For Deejay 0, delete all partitions. When all partitions are deleted, a single entry named "Unallocated space" should be seen.
  10. Click Disk 0 and select Next.

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

Windows XP and 2000

To restore a Windows XP or 2000 estimator, y'all must take a set of restore discs for the computer or an original Windows XP or 2000 installation disc. If you lot do non have a prepare of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to order a new set or restore discs.

Note

Before post-obit the steps below, brand certain the computer is set to boot from the CD-ROM bulldoze.

  • How to boot from a CD or DVD in a computer.
  1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive and restart the reckoner.
  2. When you see the message "Press any central to boot from CD," press a key on the keyboard.
  3. Press the Enter key at the Windows XP Setup welcome screen, then printing 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, run into our steps for reinstalling Windows.
  • How to install the Microsoft Windows operating arrangement.

Earlier versions of Windows and DOS

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

Formatting the drive

  1. Place the bootable diskette or disc inside the computer and reboot to get to the DOS prompt. In some cases, you may need to boot the estimator with CD-ROM support or press a key to kick from the disk.
  2. At the MS-DOS prompt, type format c: /southward and printing Enter.

Annotation

If the "format c: /s" control does non work, you may demand to download the format.com file to your boot disk.

  1. The computer asks "Are yous certain y'all want to erase everything on drive c:?" If y'all are ok with doing this, enter "Y" for yes and printing Enter.
  2. The computer begins the formatting process. While the calculator is formatting, make certain no errors are encountered.
  • I'm getting bad sectors, clusters, or missing allocations.
  1. In one case the format process is completed successfully, at the MS-DOS prompt, type fdisk /mbr and printing Enter. After entering this control, information technology should return you to the MS-DOS prompt with no message. This stride is not required, but recommended.
  • Do y'all have additional information on fdisk /mbr?
  1. In one case dorsum at the MS-DOS prompt, reboot the estimator with the boot deejay however inserted and follow the steps beneath to reinstall Windows on the hard drive.

Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT tin be installed in different ways. Nosotros recommend Windows NT be installed using the steps below as we feel that these steps by far are the easiest way to install Windows NT 4.0.

First, we recommend all users wanting to install Windows NT utilise the /b switch, which allows the users to not need to create the diskettes. We practise, however, 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. Place the CD into the computer.
  2. Type X: (where X is the CD-ROM drive, oft the D:).
  3. Once at the appropriate drive, type cd winnt and printing Enter to go to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. Once at the 10:\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 computer.
  2. Blazon Ten: (where 10 is the CD-ROM drive, often the D:).
  3. Once at the appropriate drive, type cd win95 and press Enter to get to the Windows 95 directory.
  4. In one case at the 10:\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 process, you lot tin add boosted switches to the setup command line. These switches are on our Windows 95 setup switches page.

Windows 95 with floppy diskettes

  1. Place the showtime diskette of Windows 95 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.

Windows 3.x

  1. Place the get-go diskette of Windows 3.x in the reckoner.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and press Enter to brainstorm the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

MS-DOS

  1. Place the outset MS-DOS diskette into the reckoner.
  2. At the A:\> prompt, type setup and printing Enter to existence the installation.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.