How to Reset a Computer's Hard Drive
- 1). Back up your personal data and files onto some type of storage media such as an external hard drive or a DVD-R. Remember, formatting will erase everything on the hard drive.
- 2). Gather all of the manufacturer driver disks that came with your PC hardware. For example, many video cards require additional drivers to enable advanced features.
- 3). Gather all of your software installation disks. Any programs or applications that you use will need to be reinstalled after you reset your hard drive.
- 4). Load the operating system installation disk into the CD/DVD drive; then restart the computer.
- 5). Choose to allow the operating system to format, and partition the hard drive with the default settings. If you are familiar with partitioning a hard drive, you can also choose to manually partition the drive.
- 6). Select a user name and password when prompted. Setting up an administrative account is very important for security purposes.
- 7). Wait for the installation to complete; then remove the installation disk and restart the computer. Allow the operating system to load, and then log in with your new account.
- 8). Install additional hardware drivers and programs using the installation disks you gathered. Load your personal data and files into the new operating system from the external storage media.
Source...