Help

**PoleDancer** · 04-03-10

Yes i no this is off topic and ban me if you want but this is the only part of the forums that gets read

Formatting a pc....

How the fudge do you do it?

What do I need?

Any help please

/Star

**Infamous** · 04-03-10

a windows disc

**Interwobble** · 04-03-10

Moved to off topic.

Back up data.
Insert Windows disk.
Restart PC.
Push F2 or Del at the BIOS screen, whatever you are prompted to do to enter "setup".
Change the boot disk order, make your CD drive the primary boot disk. Should be set as your HDD at the moment.
Run the Windows installer (With Win7 and Vista, formatting is dead easy. It's under "Advanced" settings or something).
Set up any partitions (If you want them).
Click install.

Once Windows is done, change the boot order of your disks back to your HDD in the BIOS.
Install drivers for your chipset, GPU and sound card. Download Firefox, Java, Flash plugins. Download the Foxit reader. Download AVG Anti-virus (free edition).
Job done.

**PoleDancer** · 04-03-10

Originally Posted by Interwobble

Moved to off topic.

Back up data.
Insert Windows disk.
Restart PC.
Push F2 or Del at the BIOS screen, whatever you are prompted to do to enter "setup".
Change the boot disk order, make your CD drive the primary boot disk. Should be set as your HDD at the moment.
Run the Windows installer (With Win7 and Vista, formatting is dead easy. It's under "Advanced" settings or something).
Set up any partitions (If you want them).
Click install.

Once Windows is done, change the boot order of your disks back to your HDD in the BIOS.
Install drivers for your chipset, GPU and sound card. Download Firefox, Java, Flash plugins. Download the Foxit reader. Download AVG Anti-virus (free edition).
Job done.

Right im like a 5 year old when it comes to this stuff

You got msn?

x

**Interwobble** · 04-03-10

Negative. Follow that guide and you can't go wrong. The only scary sounding bit is changing the disk boot order, but it's so easy to do you'll laugh at yourself for being worried about it.

**PoleDancer** · 04-03-10

Back up data? - Is there anything i 100% need? Cause I want to destroy everything on my comp!

BIOS screen - thats the black screen with writing? I get to push f12 f8 etc?

I have XP will the Windows Installer still be ok?

Set up anypartitions? - WTF is this?

How do i change the boot up order?

Install drivers for chips? - WTF... from where?

Mucho Love Em x

**Interwobble** · 04-03-10

Originally Posted by PoleDancer

Back up data? - Is there anything i 100% need? Cause I want to destroy everything on my comp!

BIOS screen - thats the black screen with writing? I get to push f12 f8 etc?

I have XP will the Windows Installer still be ok?

Set up anypartitions? - WTF is this?

How do i change the boot up order?

Install drivers for chips? - WTF... from where?

Mucho Love Em x

Formatting will erase all data on the HDD. (Well, sort of, I won't get technical). Back up your save games, photos, music and if you have it, your "drivers" folder. (Most laptops come with a folder of drivers, it'll be in your root directory). C:/Drivers I'd guess at.
If this is a desktop you will have the drivers you need on the disk that came with the machine.
If you nolonger have this disk, use another PC to make a new driver disk. Go online to the manufacturers websites and download them. E.g., I have a GForce 295. Therefore would go to Welcome to NVIDIA - World Leader in Visual Computing Technologies and select the 295 series of drivers. Do the same for your motherboard, sound card etc...
XP is a bitch to install, well that's a lie, Win7 is just really easy. It'll guide you through it once you get into it.
Yes, the BIOS is the screen you are thinking of, on your machine it may well be F8, it varys.
Once you have a retro 80's looking screen come up, scroll along until you find "Boot disk priority". Push enter or whatever, then move the CD drive to where the HDD currently is in the ranking.
If you don't know what a partition is, you won't need one.

Doing what they call a "full" install of WinXP should format your PC. I can't be sure though because it's been a while since I last did it. It may have a little button that says "format" like in Vista/7. If I'm wrong just log in as usual, click start, run, "cmd". Click in the black box. Type Format C:\

**Interwobble** · 04-03-10

YouTube - How to Format and Reinstall Windows xp

First video I found on the tube.

**PoleDancer** · 04-03-10

Ok ive just tried to do what you said i get to the part where Windows is starting then i get the blue screen of death!

Tried it 3 times all got to the same place

Any idea?

x