how can we completely format our hard disk?
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When installing a hard disk drive (commonly called a hard drive) for the first time, attempting to remove errors from your drive, getting rid of a nasty virus, or even cleaning a hard drive because you are selling or donating your computer -- those are just a few of the many reasons why one might consider formatting their hard drive. \nFormat actually means to prepare a storage medium, usually a disk, for reading and writing. When you format a disk, the operating system erases all bookkeeping information on the disk, tests the disk to make sure all sectors are reliable, marks bad sectors (that is, those that are scratched or otherwise damaged), and creates internal address tables that it later uses to locate information. You must format a disk (floppy or hard disk) before you can use it. \n\nWhen you take a disk that has been formatted and run it through the format process again, it is referred to, logically, as "reformatting". \n\nKey Steps to Formatting\n\nBack it Up!\nBefore the format process, you want to make sure that if your goal is hard drive recovery, you back up as much personal data and information from your hard drive as you need. In some instances where a virus has caused serious system damage, this may not be possible, but if your format is planned ahead of time you certainly can copy and archive data off your hard drive before you start the format process.\n Key Terms To Understanding Hard Disk Formatting\nformat\nTo prepare a storage medium, usually a disk, for reading and writing. \n\nhard drive\nA magnetic disk on which you can store computer data. The term hard is used to distinguish it from a soft, or floppy, disk. \n\nvolume\nA fixed amount of storage on a disk or tape. \n\npartition \nTo divide memory or mass storage into isolated sections. In DOS systems, you can partition a disk, and each partition will behave like a separate disk drive.\n \n\nHow to Format\nIf you purchased your computer from systems vendor such as a Dell , HP Compaq or Gateway system, you most likely will have a set-up or a restore-and-recovery CD (also referred to as a master CD) which came with the system. If this is the type of system you use, then a format is an easy process as the master CD will format the hard drive, reinstall your Windows operating system, and install any software and programs which came with the system. If you no longer have your master set-up CD, you should contact the manufacturer to get a replacement. \n\nIf you aren't using this type of mass-market system, then a hard drive format will consist of you formatting the hard drive manually, installing your Windows OS from CD, then installing your software programs and hardware drivers. Before you begin the formatting process, it is important to make sure you have all your driver CDs located, Windows CD and your software CDs to ensure a smooth set-up.\n\nIt's also important to know about your operating system before you format. For example, if you're going to be reinstalling Windows 98 or Windows Me then you should have a Windows 98 or ME start-up disk to complete the procedure. In this instance, you would restart the system with the start-up floppy in the drive. Upon system boot, you will choose to have CD-ROM support. Once the files load you can then choose to run the format command on your main drive (usually C drive). If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, the Windows installation process offers "format your hard drive" as an option. Here you would ensure your computer is set to boot from CD-ROM (a setting in your system BIOS), insert the Windows CD and restart the computer. From there you will be on your way to reformatting.\n\nThe Format Command\nFormat is a Microsoft DOS command. It's a command line you can run to remove information from a computer disk, floppy disk or hard disk. It is an external command found in many of the Windows Operating systems. Hard drive formatting is done in three steps: \n\n(1) Low-leve
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To format the hard drive before you dispose of it (ie get rid of all the data stored on it) get a magnet and rub it across the disk (silver part in the second image in the link below). This should erase all data on it.\n\nGOOGLE IMAGE RESULTS FOR HARD DRIVE:\nhttp://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=hard+drive&btnG=Search\n\nHope this Helps!
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For windows based system>>>\nXP- Start Menu>Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt \nNow write  (format c:) c is the name of the drive, replace with the letter of ur drive that u wan2 format.\n\nWin 98- Start Menu>Programs>Command Prompt or Start ur computer in DOS mode and write the same command as XP\n\n\n\nRemember formatting a drive will erase all data from it.\n\n\nNeo
465783
Format your harddisk and install all software again.
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(m)\n\ngoto the following link to format a disk step by step \n\nhttp://www.uth.tmc.edu/scriptorium/howto/format/disk.html
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Formatting erases everything, so if you are in Windows and want to format the disk with Windows while you are in it, it obviously wouldn't work. \nThe most user freindly way to format a hard drive (if you only have one) in my opinion is to go to the website of the manufacturer of the hard drive, download their floppy disk utility and boot from that to format the drive.
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You can use a program like CCleaner (freeware) and manually uninstall all of your programs. You can then reformat the drive. If you perform an OS reinstall, don't select repair. Reinstall the OS fresh, and that will remove everything and start over.
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before deleting data, plz save all ur necessary data.\n\n1. Right click on hard drive. e.g. C:&#92;> and click on "Format"\n2. Mark "Quick Format" and click on "Start" button.\n3. Repeat this process for every drive... thats it... \n\nThis thing u can also do from command Prompt\n\n1. C:&#92;> Format\nthat drive will be formatted\n\n2. apply 1st step for every drive.
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If you want to format a hard drive , first copy the essential files in a CD. Then start fomatting any drive.  I can give you a link that deals with hard drive problems. Some hard drive problems can be easily fixed yourself by using easily available tools. I found the info at http://fixit.in useful
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Never. Try AntiVirus. Or if you certainly want to remove it fine. Never format hard drive without having full knowledge on this. No then call an assistant from the company of your computer model. Yes if u are sure then restart your computer and keep pressing F8. And choose Run in Command Prompt (or Prompt or other). Then open the C dive by typing C: then type format /s (remember to put /s otherwise your hard disk is then a total waste). I would strongly recommend a technician. G LUCK
199207
You can use a linux live CD to format almost any partition scheme you want (live meaning that the OS runs off of a CD), here is one I use regularly, it has saved my computer/data several times, you will need a CD burner, and burning software that can burn .ISO disc image files (like NERO, or Record Now!):\nhttp://slax.linux-live.org/\n\nIf you want to completely wipe/zero out your hard drive, you can use this software (note that your hardrive will be completely erased, and all data on it will be unrecoverable, even by the best professionals):\nhttp://dban.sourceforge.net/\n\n............AND\ngojurokusai, I know what you are talking about, what it is saying, is that if you have formated a drive as NTFS, you cannot change it back to FAT32 without loosing data, however, you can "upgrade" your EXISTING FAT32 to NTFS without loosing any data, not to say that you cannot completely erase/reformat a NTFS partition, however you will loose all data... But with the proper tools, you can now go back to FAT32 from NTFS...\n\nWhich brings up a good point, if your willing to cough up about 40-60$, you can easily do about anything, with any kind of partition you can imagine, this is probably the easiest route to go, The utility is "Partition Magic", and it is made by "Norton/Symantec". Here is a link to the product:\nhttp://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/system_performance/pm80/index.html\n\n..and if that don't help you, PRAY!\n\nBest of Luck!
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Format the HDD with the NTFS format
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Formatting would be your best bet. Though there are certain commercial softwares which do this for you and then rewrite junk on the drive so that all previous info is lost but since nothing important is there a simple reformat would do. In order to do it you would have to boot into the command prompt. if you are using a certain brand like Dell or HP they have system restore which allows you to reset your computer to the day you bought it thus in effect starting out on a clean slate for any new user.\nI would personally recommend this(provided of course you have this feature)\n\nCheck out the link on Cnet about deleting data, it also has some links for softwares which will help you erase your HardDisk.
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Just reformat it as you would any device, plug it in, go to my computer, right click on it and format!
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Latch onto an external hard drive...shove all your important files in it. then basically wipe the whole damn hard drive, and reinstall the operating system. and when you do...partition your hard drive
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right click on the drive and select format
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there is no way to do it if format hard drive doesn't work