Formating & Re-installing Win Xp

[bojovan]

I need to know how to format my hard drive so I can do a clean install of my Windows XP Professional. I have made several attempts without any success.

[liam858]

Useful Guides:

XP Pro Clean Install

XP Clean Install

Attended Install XP



Liam

[bojovan]

Useful Guides:

XP Pro Clean Install

XP Clean Install

Attended Install XP



Liam

I went here: Windows XP System Setup Disk Look for bootdisk essentials and made the single disk. Now that I have the disk and boot to it I am having a problem finding the HD to format... Or what to do next?

[SuperSparks]

I went here: Windows XP System Setup Disk Look for bootdisk essentials and made the single disk. Now that I have the disk and boot to it I am having a problem finding the HD to format... Or what to do next?

I don't understand any of that Do you have a normal Windows XP CD or one of these pesky "Recovery CD's"?

[bojovan]

I don't understand any of that Do you have a normal Windows XP CD or one of these pesky "Recovery CD's"?

I have a Normal Windows XP CD...

[liam858]

I went here: Windows XP System Setup Disk Look for bootdisk essentials and made the single disk. Now that I have the disk and boot to it I am having a problem finding the HD to format... Or what to do next?

Could you explain this a little better please, i'm a little confused, little more info please.



Liam

[SuperSparks]

If you have a normal Windows CD, then all you need to do is boot with the CD in the drive and let Setup run. It will take care of the partitioning and formatting during the Windows installation, there is no need to format the drive first.

If the computer isn't booting from the CD, you probably need to go into your BIOS Setup and change the boot order of your drives. You should see which key you need to press during the initial POST screen immediately after you power up. Once you're in Setup, go to "Advanced BIOS settings" or similar, and change the boot order to:

1st boot devive = Floppy

2nd boot device = CDROM

3rd boot device = HDD 0

Then you should be able to boot from the Windows CD without problems.

[bojovan]

If you have a normal Windows CD, then all you need to do is boot with the CD in the drive and let Setup run. It will take care of the partitioning and formatting during the Windows installation, there is no need to format the drive first.

If the computer isn't booting from the CD, you probably need to go into your BIOS Setup and change the boot order of your drives. You should see which key you need to press during the initial POST screen immediately after you power up. Once you're in Setup, go to "Advanced BIOS settings" or similar, and change the boot order to:

1st boot devive = Floppy

2nd boot device = CDROM

3rd boot device = HDD 0

Then you should be able to boot from the Windows CD without problems.

Will this install a fresh new Windows XP OS or just mask over the old. I have had no luck at all with so called fixes.

[SuperSparks]

You get the choice to do either. If you choose one of the formatting options, then it will wipe everything and you start again from afresh.