How to Reformat Your Hard Drive

There comes a time in every drives life when it just becomes too cluttered. Sure you could manually delete all those useless files, but who has time for that? The best way to do this is to reformat your hard-drive. WARNING: By reformatting your hard drive, you lose all information that is still on it. This includes, games, personal files, Office Suites, and anything else you have added besides Windows 95/98.

*Note: We must make clear that the procedures given in this article are advice. We absolutely cannot be held responsible for any unintended mishaps that may occur with your system. We have reinstalled Windows dozens of times on different computers, and this article relates our experience with the procedure.

Preparation is Key: Backing Up

Now, the first step in reformatting your hard drive is backing up your information. It is recommended that you use a Zip Drive, or any other high capacity removable media (CD's, Tapes, Super disks). When you perform your backups, make sure you are using brand-new diskettes. A good idea is to print out the important information. Hard copies are much harder to destroy than diskettes. Also, re-creating your documents from hard copies, while time-consuming, is much better than losing the data altogether.

System Information

You need to write down is pertinent system information. Each hardware peripheral on your computer needs a driver -- a driver is the software that allows Windows to communicate with your hardware peripheral. Do you have a sound card? Then you need to make sure that you know which company makes it. Do you have a scanner? Then make sure that you have the CD-ROM or diskette that came with it. You also need to know the manufacturer and model of your video card, your printer, your joystick, your DVD-ROM drive (if you have one), your digital camera (if you have one), and any other peripheral that works with your computer.

If you cannot find the diskette or CD-ROM that came with your peripheral, then you should look on the Internet for a current driver. Every decent hardware maker now has a Web site with drivers you can download directly.

If you do not know the manufacturer or model name of your peripherals, you can find out from the Windows Device Manager.

1) Click on Start, choose Settings, and then choose Control Panel.

2) Double-click on the System icon.

3) Click on the Device Manager tab.

Inside of the Device Manager window click on the "+" sign next to a device type to see the type of device you have installed. For example, our display adapter (video card) is a RIVA TNT made by nVidia. The network card is an EtherExpress made by Intel. I can find current drivers for each of these devices by going to the company's respective Web sites. If I clicked on the "+" sign next to "Sound, video and game controllers", you will see information on the SoundBlaster sound card and the Microsoft Joystick.

Dial-Up Networking Settings

If you use a modem, be sure to keep a record of your dial-Up Networking settings. Open Dial Up Networking connection properties in My Computer, and copy down your ISP's phone number. Be sure you know your login name and password. If you have a cable modem or DSL, your interface to the Internet is most likely a network card -- be sure you have drivers for that card, and that you've copied all the important settings from the Network Control Panel.

Personal Files

Unless you have saved every file, every MP3, and every picture onto a disk, there is bound to be some files that you're going to want to back-up. The default directory is My Documents, however, certain people use their desktop for the same purpose. It is always wise to back-up favorites/bookmarks, and any email messages you need. Internet Explorer has an Import/Export feature to back up, and then reinstall, your favorites, as well as cookies. Outlook Express has the same Import/Export feature for e-mail messages. Netscape users can just back up C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\USER_NAME\bookmark.htm. Last but not least, if you use any sort of instant messaging service, you might want to back your 'buddy list' up. AOL's instant messaging client also has an import export feature, and ICQ users can just go to their help Web site, and follow their instructions.

Before you start, there are a few things you need:

• Windows 98 Startup Disk
  This whole project could end terribly if you reformat your hard drive, and you don't have this disk. To create one, launch the Add/Remove Software window in your Control Panel. Once the window is launched, go to the Startup Disk tab, hit create disk, and follow the directions. Since it includes CD-ROM drivers, the Windows 98 Startup Disk will enable you to launch a painless Windows installation from a DOS prompt. If you’re new for Startup Disk’s, please refer to our Boot Disk article

• Windows 98 CD
  This is necessary for re-installing Win98. Just like any other program, Windows WILL be deleted. If you are without this CD, you will have no chance of getting your computer back up and running. However, you are not limited to Windows. You can install other Operating Systems, such as Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows Me, BeOS, and Linux. Any of these should work, just make sure that your system is compatible, and that you have the right drivers.

• Drivers
  Every piece of hardware requires a driver to tell it what to do. While some drivers are on the Windows 98 CD, it is recommended that you go online and search for all of your necessary drivers. Even if you have them on disk, it’s always a good idea to have the most up to date version.

Before this point, we did not delete any files, or do anything that could render your computer useless. All that is about to change. Before we proceed, it is recommended that you test your startup disk. Shut down windows, insert the disk, and restart your computer. Answer 'yes' to the question about CD-ROM support. Now, if the disk works, its time to begin!

Clean Sweep

Now the real fun begins! We’re will proceed into DOS to reformat Windows. Click on your Start Menu, and then click on Shut Down. Next, click on the bullet that reads “Restart in MS-DOS mode.” Then select “ok.”

Windows should shut down and your screen should become black and display a few words or information. This program is called Command Prompt, which allows you to input basic commands without a graphical user interface. In our scenario, we’re using Command Prompt to reformat your hard drive when Windows is not running.

You should be presented with a prompt of: C:\Windows>

At the prompt, type CD\. If that doesn’t work, type CD..

You will now see a C:\>. Type format c: /s and then hit Enter.

The /S saves your important system files. If you receive an error when typing in /s, remove the /s and only type: format c:. Next, hit the “Y” key to proceed reformatting your hard drive. After completion, it will ask you for a volume label. You can type up to 11 characters to name your hard drive, or simply hit Enter key to assign the default name, C:.

You are now ready to re-install Windows. Congratulations, you got through the toughest part: preparation. The rest is easy, because Windows does most of the work for you.

Turn off your computer and put the Windows Startup Disk in the A: drive.

Turn your machine back on and allow your computer to access the floppy diskette. While your computer is accessing the drive, insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM. When the options appear, select “Start Computer with CD-ROM support” which is choice number one. This enables Windows to obtain the vital information and drivers from the CD to install Windows. The installation process takes anywhere from 30 - 70 minutes to completely install, depending on the options you pick and the speed of your computer. While Windows is installing on your computer, remove the floppy diskette. When Windows is completely reinstalled, then you can start re-installing your software applications.

Reinstalling Windows takes time and loads of preparation, but in the end, your machine will run like new! Windows will start faster and run quicker, finally free of years of application bloat. I hope this guide makes the reinstall process a bit easier for you. Just by following the preparation instructions, you'll have saved yourself days of frustration and heartache. At the very least, we hope you keep your sanity during this process!

From JM Tech Support