

Unfortunately, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) CDs don’t always present the same choices as genuine Microsoft CDs. Simply open Windows Explorer, right-click on the drive of choice, and choose “Format” from the menu options.


For example, if the operating system is located on the C:\ drive, but the computer also has a D:\ hard drive, Windows can reformat D:\ for you. If the drive that you wish to reformat does not contain the operating system, you can reformat a computer from inside Windows using Windows Explorer® and built-in tools. This article focuses on Windows® systems and can serve as an overview of general information, but reading a step-by-step tutorial is recommended, especially if your hard disk is partitioned into several drives.Ī screenshot of a BIOS configuration screen. Once this is done, reformatting is fairly simple and straightforward, though it does require a few steps and a few tools. Therefore, before you reformat a computer take the time to backup data you would like to keep to a secondary drive or other media. Reformatting a computer will erase the hard drive, resulting in the permanent loss of all data on that drive.
