How to Reformat a Windows Computer

1. Prepare an emergency Microsoft Windows boot floppy disk or CD (if you do not already have one) by pressing F1 on your computer. F1 displays the help function on your computer screen. This is critical for your reformat.
2. Go to the DOS prompt by booting a computer with your floppy or CD (either the one you made in the first step or one you already had in storage). The next few steps do not involve Windows, but you will be in DOS. If you cannot get to DOS, restart your computer with the windows or recovery CD in the drive and follow the on screen prompts.
3. Type FDISK in all caps with no spaces at the DOS prompt. (It is usually A:)It will look like A:>FDISK on your screen. There will not be any graphics, only a sentence displayed.
4. Select choice number 4 on the computer screen to begin finding and deleting the active DOS partition on your hard drive. It is easiest if you just follow the numbers for the reformat process.
5. Select option 3,3 on that menu and select enter on your keyboard. Your mouse will not work at this point.
6. Select choices 3 then 2 on that same menu on your screen and then press enter on your keyboard.
7. Select choice 3, 1 on that same menu on your computer screen and hit enter. This will be your last step in deleting the active partition in DOS. Now you are ready to create a new partition on your hard disk.
8. Create a partition during the reformat by selecting:
Choice 1, 1
then 1, 2 and make this the active DOS partition on a computer (This may take a few minutes).
9. Depress your ESC (escape) key on the upper left hand side of your keyboard and restart the computer by turning it off with the button on the tower. You will not corrupt your computer by doing this.
10. Ensure the floppy (or Windows CD) is still in the drive, then turn the computer back on using the same button you did to power it down.
11. At the DOS prompt type (After the A:, which is already there)
A:>format C:(This begins the reformat process on your hard disk drive). Depending on the size, this process can take around 45 minutes.
12. Type sys C: at the DOS prompt. At this point, your hard drive reformat has been completed, but an operating system (Windows) still needs to be reinstalled.
13. Insert the Microsoft Windows CD in drive and type: setup.exe. This should redirect you to the Windows Installation home page. Windows Setup should start. If it does not, repeat this step.
14. Follow the prompts to restart as needed or just let the Windows installation process continue unattended. When Microsoft Windows is installed on your computer you can remove the disk and begin reinstalling the Internet and Software programs as needed.
Drag and drop your backed up items in the folders, as needed.