When you reformat a computer, it means that you will be completely erasing and resetting the content of the internal memory. The internal part is referred to as a hard drive and so when you reformat a computer you will be reformatting the hard drive, which holds your computer operating system and all your personal files. That is why before formatting your Windows Vista computer system, you should back up your work on a CD or a memory stick. Reformatting your Windows Vista computer means that you will have to reinstall all your programs once again, after the reformatting process takes places.
Tips on Formatting Your Hard Drive
Although the whole formatting process can take up to an hour, formatting your hard drive is not that complicated if you follow the simple steps below. No matter the reason you would like to format your computer, you must first back up all your information.
Windows Vista does not come with recovery disks so you will need to create one to protect your computer from viruses. To create a recovery disk is relatively easy. You will need about seven CDs (equivalent to 3 DVDs). To create a recovery disc, click the ‘Start button’ and type ‘recovery’ in the ‘Start Search’ option. Then follow the process in the recovery disk creation. Then insert the ‘recovery Disks’ in the CD/DVD tray in your computer tower and turn the computer off and on again. The screen should now offer you different options to boot but you should choose the hard drive option. You then have to follow the instructions on the screen always keeping an eye out for choosing the reformatting options as opposed to selecting the recovery process selection. Eraser disks are also available if you want to ensure that your disks are clean.
Reinstalling Windows Vista after Reformatting
To reinstall Windows Vista you will need to have the Vista Drivers CDs or latest downloads which you will need to save on a USB or similar memory retainer disk but do not save this in the ‘C’ partition. Always double check that Vista is compatible with your hardware. Insert the Vista Drivers in the DVD compartment. Turn off the computer and restart it. If the Windows Vista Setup does not begin loading automatically, you will need to restart your compute again. This time press F2 or F8 when the Boot screen shows up. Then select the ‘Boot from DVD’ option. Your Windows Vista should begin to install the Vista system onto your computer.
Once you have completed this process, you should have a new install of your Windows Vista operating system with all the default settings. Enjoy your newly installed computer!
