Expert: Bryan Garmon - 12/23/2000

Question
I have been told I have too much clutter on my hard drive which is taking up memory needed to run other programs.  I have been getting an error message when I attempt to get on the internet.  I am being told that my modem is in use.  Could you please give me the step by step process I will need to follow in order to dump everything off my hard drive.  I understand that I will have to reload all my software programs.  I have back up of all the data needed.

Thanks very much for your help!  

Answer
It sounds like you are asking how to format your hard drive. Formatting means erasing everything on the hard drive and starting from nothing. You're correct that this means you will need to re-install the Operating System, then all the programs on your computer and finally the data.

To do so, boot the computer using a boot disk. Your computer might have come with one, but if not, check out http://www.bootdisk.com/ to find out how to create them or simply download one from there. If you're installing Windows NT or Windows 2000, you can actually boot directly from the NT or Win2K install disk and format the drive from within the installation. Windows 98 can boot from the CD, but I'd suggest booting with the option to boot computer with CD-ROM support. then get to dos and follow the next step.

Once you boot the computer to DOS, type in "FORMAT C: /S"
(no quotations.) Just follow the intructions onscreen and your hard drive is now formatted.

Now install the OS of your choice. then install the apps, and then copy your data over.