Computersight -

When do you need to format your system-drive?

- if your computer is slow and there is no way to fix this via regedit.exe/CCleaner

- if a virus makes your computer zombie, the best way to defend you against these attacks if your Anti-Virus software doesn’t work to formatting your drive(s).

- if you want to do back your previous changes you used e.g. 2 years ago; doing this back (themes,icons,registry entries,hidden bin, etc.) with softwares could take a lot of time.

What should you do before formatting?

Firstly if you have time, select the files you need and don’t need or just save all your datas to a removeable driver (USB driver/CD/DVD/BlueRay/Floppy, etc.)

Remember to (if you have more partitions), formal all when computer is infected. If it isn’t, you can save datas to 1 partition you wont format.

Be sure you have an original Windows Xp Install-disk with valid CD-key (serial-number).

If your computer is slow, you mustn’t format as first step… before this you should use defragmentation or something to prevent this obstackle.

When you are ready to format…

Then restart your computer and when the screen is blank, press Delete/Insert/Ctrl+Shift+Delete. This depends on the type of computers. In my case only Delete works. Then a blue screen will appear. You can navigate with the arrow keys to choose the “Advanced BIOS Features” from the list. Press enter and change the First Boot Device to CD/DVD depending on the type of your reader.

Image via Wikipedia

Place the disk to reader and press the button obviously Save the settings, usually with F12 key. This is written at the bottom of screen. Restart your computer.

You can see your CD is loading. Be patient, it may take 5-10 minutes. A list will appear allowing you to choose between some drives, set it to the previously used one and it will be formatted. Once it’s completed you should wait and wait.

Setting up your internet-connection

When the installer almost done its job, you have to write some of your connection datas in few forms. Those will be the following things: type of modem, connection-type, username, password. Remember! If you had good internet connection last time, you don’t have to give these entries except username and password. These could be different. The prev. settings will work without doing anything

Users

You have to choose a username yourself and for the other users of computer. You will be the only administrator, but! there is an “Administrator”-named user too, that don’t require password, but you should set one. Most of the viruses uses this vulnerability.

Your graphical settings and last steps

Yes! You done it. But your monitor will use 800*600 px. Set this by right-clicking desktop. Set the monitor-refreshment time too by clicking on “Settings” tab, and “Advanced” button. Restart your computer, withdraw your CD and change BIOS settings (First boot device) back to the 0th sector of hard disk.

Written by Dark Antirex, 2009.

Image via Wikipedia