Freelance Resource: How to Format Your Computer

For most freelancers, the computer is their shop. So, under these circumstances, think about we have to spend time waiting for the neighborhood computer engineer to embark on a epic journey to get your computer back in working condition.  Surprisingly, the computer is not a beast that has to be tamed. And I am telling you this with a rich eleven year experience of assembling cards into CPUs, changing HDDs that have conked out, and playing with software as if they were toys. 

If your computer is not working, there is a big chance that something is wrong with your operating system and not your hardware. Ninety percent of operating system problems and hard disk problems can be solved with a format of the hard disk. If you are wondering how to format your computer, here is a step by step way to format the computer:

Before the Format:

Backup:

If you are using a Windows computer, chances are that all your documents and important work is saved in your C:, which is also the default drive for your computer, which would basically mean that is the drive which will get completely wiped out in case of a format. Therefore, make sure that you take all your data from the C: that will not be infected by the format. If you have only a C:,  it is a good idea to invest in the USB hard drives or a memory stick so that you can at least transfer your important data into a alternate storage drive. 

Once that is done try to remember whether your machine has settings which have to input for certain devices to work properly. For example, your Internet connection would need you to input a IP address,  or have a specific process through which you can make the internet work on your machine. 

Later on, you should check whether you have all the CDs that arrived with your machine. The CDs will be of your Operating System and the required drivers for the internal components, right from your DVD Drive to your Sound Card. Of course, Windows has the generic drivers for almost every hardware component today, but it is always better to have the correct drivers for the component. 

That's it, now you are ready to format your computer. 

Put in the OS CD/DVD into the Drive. 

Restart

If your system is set on 'Boot from CD' you will get a message that the CD is Booting. If the system is not 'Boot from CD' you will have to:

Press the DEL or F8  button during the start up process a few times. This depends on the motherboard that you have.

Scroll down to where it says 'Set Boot Device'. 

Select the DVD drive that you have. 

Save and Exit. 

The machine will reboot. 

When it starts, you will have again have to press F8 to agree to the Windows License. 

It will then start to recognize the number of Windows installations on your machine and will ask you whether you wish to repair the previous installation. Press ESC to pass. 

 If you do not want to go through the process of creating a partition and just want your machine to work, select the C: and it will format the C: and begin installing your OS. Select the NTFS or FAT formatting, which depends on how your hard disk is partitioned.

That's basically it, after this, you have to follow the instructions on the screen to install the OS.