How do I reformate my hard drive?

audiobahn1000 · 09-05-2006, 04:06 AM

Ok I got a crap load of viruses and spywear within two days of getting my new computer. So I just reinstalled windows. I choose the "new install" option not the repair option. So I ran a new virus scan and adwear scan with my new version of Windows. The anti virus and anti spywear program is still detecting viruses and spywear and its detecting them in files that existed with the first Windows install but not the second. SO that tells me that Windows did not delete the old files on the hard drive when I reintalled windows. So I a going to do it myself. When I was running the Windows installer it game me the option to delete hard drive partitions. I only have one partition and its the whole hard drive. I tried to delete it but it said I could not delete the partition because it contained files required for Windows the Windows installation. So how do I reformat the whole hard drive and start from scratch?

Impr3ssiv3 · 09-05-2006, 06:27 AM

well on your windows XP disc you have to option to do a reformat. you can either do a quick and simple format or an in depth long one, which would be the best for you. just select that option for when you go to install windows and you should be fine

PC eye · 09-05-2006, 07:49 AM

How large is your hard drive? and what make? Fortunately an XP drive can be wiped by two different methods. One is Active KillDisk a freeware that will write binary 0s to the drive wiping "everything" off of it. The faster method takes a few minutes of time to download the needed files to prepare a boot floppy to use FDISK found on 98 and ME startup floppies. If you are stuck without a floppy drive download GPart the Gnome Partition Editor to delete the existing partition after burning the iso image to a cd-r.

09-05-2006, 04:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
audiobahn1000 Gold Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 443	How do I reformate my hard drive? Ok I got a crap load of viruses and spywear within two days of getting my new computer. So I just reinstalled windows. I choose the "new install" option not the repair option. So I ran a new virus scan and adwear scan with my new version of Windows. The anti virus and anti spywear program is still detecting viruses and spywear and its detecting them in files that existed with the first Windows install but not the second. SO that tells me that Windows did not delete the old files on the hard drive when I reintalled windows. So I a going to do it myself. When I was running the Windows installer it game me the option to delete hard drive partitions. I only have one partition and its the whole hard drive. I tried to delete it but it said I could not delete the partition because it contained files required for Windows the Windows installation. So how do I reformat the whole hard drive and start from scratch?

09-05-2006, 06:27 AM	#2 (permalink)
Impr3ssiv3 Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,231	well on your windows XP disc you have to option to do a reformat. you can either do a quick and simple format or an in depth long one, which would be the best for you. just select that option for when you go to install windows and you should be fine __________________ The Shit: Antec P180B ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 nForce 570 AMD X2 4200+ AM2 @ 2.42 CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2 800 2X1GB eVGA 256MB 7900GT KO BenQ 19" 2ms LCD Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS 3DMark03~19601

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09-05-2006, 07:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
PC eye banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 20,803	How large is your hard drive? and what make? Fortunately an XP drive can be wiped by two different methods. One is Active KillDisk a freeware that will write binary 0s to the drive wiping "everything" off of it. The faster method takes a few minutes of time to download the needed files to prepare a boot floppy to use FDISK found on 98 and ME startup floppies. If you are stuck without a floppy drive download GPart the Gnome Partition Editor to delete the existing partition after burning the iso image to a cd-r.