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Forsakyn

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19 years ago

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Forsakyn

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August 21st, 2007 15:00

Reformatting Hard Drive question (XPS Gen 5)

Hi... I have an XPS that's been acting up (it was formerly a work machine, now it's a home machine) - it has a lot of software that it doesn't need anymore, and realistically the best solution is just to reformat the hard drives (two 80 GBs) and reinstall Windows.
 
Can someone point me to a step-by-step guide for reformatting and making sure I do it properly? I searched some under technical support (FAQs, etc) but couldn't find anything. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
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    cademetz

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    Posted August 21st, 2007 15:00

    Are you referring to the single act of reformatting, or the entire process of re-installing Windows?
     
    For simply formatting the hard drives, the primary drive (whatever drive Windows is installed on) can be formatted during the Windows installation. I would recommend NOT doing a quick format. A quick format only erases the MFT.
     
    For reinstalling Windows, here's a very high level guide:
    1. Back-up any data you need
    2. Download drivers for all devices
    3. Boot from Windows CD
    4. Walk through Windows setup
    5. Install drivers
    6. Install Programs

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