How to format a hard drive

Do you have problems trying to format a hard drive? Well, the Windows operating system provides some good tools for doing this ... but many users still think that formatting a hard drive is a mystery.

Well, it doesn't have to be. This article will teach you the simple steps to format a hard drive. Whether you are using Windows or DOS, the process is not difficult.

So read on and learn the steps right now ...

Formatting A Secondary Hard Drive

Let's assume you have the Windows operating system (Windows 95/98 or later) and intend to format a secondary drive to create a new and blank hard disk. The process is pretty straightforward - here's what you do:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon.
   
2. Click on your secondary drive icon and select it. Then open the File menu and select the Format option.
   
3. Windows will display a window displaying the formatting options. Select the Format Type then enter a suitable disk label. If
   
4. If you wish to be able to boot from this second drive, make sure you check the Copy system files box.
   
5. Next, you simply click in Start. Windows will warn you that all data will be deleted - just confirm and say OK.

Voila! In a few minutes your secondary hard drive will have been formatted.

Formatting The Primary Hard Drive

If you want to format the primary (boot) hard drive, then you cannot do it in Windows. You need to use DOS - here are the steps:

1. Insert a bootable floppy disk into the A: drive. A bootable floppy is easily created in Windows - check this article to see how to do it.
   
2. Switch on the computer. After some clacking sounds, the screen will show the A:\ prompt.
3. Now type in the command cd c:\ to switch over to the C: drive.
4. Now you need to enter the command format c: \s. what does this do? Well, it formats the hard disk and transfers the appropriate system files to make it a startup disk.
5. After a few minutes, the format should be done. Enter the new volume label.
6. Now simply eject your startup floppy disk and restart the computer. The hard disk should now be able to boot to the C:\ prompt.
   

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has taught you how to easily format a hard drive. As you can see, the process is not that difficult. Practise a few times and you'll get the hang of it. Good luck!