How to Freshly Reformat Windows XP
- 1). Back up all important data on your hard drive to another medium such as CD, DVD, or a zip or flash drive. This includes any document files, downloaded program files, and pictures and music files you want to keep.
- 2). Click on the "My Computer" icon on the desktop.
- 3). Right click on "Drive C." Choose the "Format" option from the display.
- 4). Click on "Start" from the Format option screen. This will wipe out the data on your hard drive, including the system files for Windows XP.
- 5). Place your XP installation disk in the CD or DVD drive and reboot your computer.
- 6). Follow the instructions on screen to reload Windows XP on the freshly formatted hard drive.
- 7). Reload any necessary software and copy your back-up data files to the computer.