This article explains how to format a hard drive on different operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows 7, and Mac OS. It also advises backing up important data before formatting and suggests using operating system installers if formatting within the operating system is not possible.
Formatting a hard drive is usually easy, as most operating systems come with software that allows you to format the drive. If your computer doesn’t have an operating system yet, most operating system installers have functions that format a hard drive. On Mac OS®, you format a hard drive using the disk utility function. You format a hard drive on the Windows XP® operating system using the Disk Utility feature, found in the computer management menu. Before formatting a hard drive, you should always back up all important data to a separate storage medium.
To perform disk functions such as formatting in the Windows 7® operating system, you must be logged in as an administrator. This is the password you assigned when setting up your Windows 7® operating system and may be the password you use to log into your Windows® operating system. From the start menu, open the control panel, then the system and security menu, then the administrative tools. Choose computer management by double clicking, then storage, located on the left. Click Disk Management, then right-click the disk that needs to be formatted. Click format to access the menu for choosing formatting settings, then click OK to proceed.
On a Mac®, from the Disk Utility menu, select a drive, then select the partition. From the partitions menu, you can choose the number of partitions you want the drive to have, give the drive a name, and select the type of formatting you want to use on the drive. After setting these parameters, click the Apply button to format the drive. This process is essentially similar on both Tiger® and Leopard® for Mac® operating systems.
Windows XP® users looking to format a hard drive should start by right clicking on ‘My Computer’ and selecting Manage. Click the storage menu, then select Disk Management. Delete each partition on the drive you want to format by right-clicking the partition within the drive and selecting Delete. Right click on the now empty drive and select the new partition. Proceed through the new partition manager to format and repartition the drive.
If you cannot format a hard drive from within the operating system due to errors or other problems, you can try formatting the hard drive using the operating system installers. Installers for operating systems such as Windows XP® often offer the user the option to format and repartition hard drives before installing the operating system. These programs can also be used to format the drive without reinstalling the operating system.
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