4 Ways To Format A Pc

If you’re trying to securely erase the data on a drive before disposing of it, see the Securely Formatting a Drive section of this article instead.

Windows 7 - You can download an ISO file for Windows 7 be entering your product key here. You’ll then be transferring this ISO file to a blank DVD or USB drive using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool which you can download here. Windows 8 - You can download the Windows 8 Media Creation tool from Microsoft here. This program will download and create Windows installation media on either a blank DVD or USB drive (4GB or larger). Run the tool and follow the prompts to create the installation media. Windows 10 - You can download the Windows 10 Media Creation tool from Microsoft here. Run this program to download and create your Windows 10 installation disk on either a blank DVD or USB drive. Most users should download the 64-bit version of the tool. If you aren’t sure, see How to Check if Windows is 32-Bits or 64-Bits.

Windows 7 (and older) - Reboot your computer and press the BIOS, SETUP, or BOOT key that is displayed when the computer first starts. The most common keys are F2, F11, F12, and Del. In the BOOT menu, set your installation drive as the primary boot device. Windows 8 (and newer) - Click the Power button in the Start screen or menu. Hold ⇧ Shift and click Restart to reboot into the “Advanced startup” menu. Select the “Troubleshoot” option and then “Advanced options”. Click “UEFI Firmware Settings” and then open the BOOT menu. Set your installation drive as the primary boot device.

You can delete partitions on the same drive to combine them all into a single unallocated partition. This will delete any data on the partitions. Click the “Drive options” button to see the “Delete” option for partitions. If you delete all of your partitions, you’ll need to create a new one before it can be formatted. Select the unallocated space and click “New” to create a new partition. You’ll be able to set the size of the partition out of the available free space. Note that you typically cannot create more than four partitions on a single drive.

Press ⊞ Win+R and type diskmgmt. msc to launch Disk Management. In Windows 8 and 10, you can right-click on the Start button and select “Disk Management”. It may take a few moments for all of your installed hard drives to appear. If you’re trying to securely erase the data on a drive before disposing of it, see the Securely Formatting a Drive section of this article instead.

Select “GPT” if the new disk is 2TB or larger. Select “MBR” if the new disk is smaller than 2TB.

You cannot format the “Boot” partition in Windows, as this is the partition that Windows is installed on. Formatting will delete all of the data on the disk, so make absolutely sure you select the correct one.

Press ⊞ Win+R and type diskmgmt. msc to quickly launch the Disk Management utility. You can also right-click the Start button in Windows 8 and 10 to select Disk Management from the menu.

You can download DBAN from dban. org. The free version will be suitable for most users. You cannot use DBAN to securely wipe solid state drives (SSDs). You’ll need to use a paid program like Blancco instead.

Windows 7 (and older) - Reboot your computer and press the BIOS, SETUP, or BOOT key that is displayed at the manufacturer logo screen. The key is usually F2, F11, F12, or Del. Open the BOOT menu and set your optical drive as the primary boot device Windows 8 (and newer) - Click the Power button in the Start screen or menu. Hold ⇧ Shift and click Restart to reboot into the “Advanced startup” menu. Select the “Troubleshoot” option and then “Advanced options”. Click “UEFI Firmware Settings” and then navigate to the BOOT menu. Set your optical drive as the primary boot device.

If you want to be extra sure that everything is absolutely erased, press M on your selected drive and select “DoD 5220. 22-M” or “Gutmann Wipe”. These will take a lot longer to complete, but the wipe will be even more secure. [7] X Research source