How to Format a Laptop With Windows XP
- 1). Insert a blank re-writable disc or connect a USB memory drive to your laptop if you want to save any existing data before formatting the hard drive. Open the "Start" menu, click "All Programs," and then navigate to "Accessories."
- 2). Click "System Tools" and then select "Backup." Choose "Advanced Mode" and then navigate to the "Backup" tab.
- 3). Click "New" and then follow the prompts on the screen to back up the data you still need. Insert the Windows XP recovery disc into your laptop's disc drive.
- 4). Restart the Windows XP operating system. Press "Enter" when the Welcome to Setup screen appears. Press "F8" to accept the license agreement terms and then press the "Escape" key.
- 5). Press the down arrow key to highlight the laptop hard drive's existing partition. Press "Enter." Highlight "Format With NTFS File System" and tap the "Enter" key.
- 6). Press "Enter" again to confirm the choice. Follow the remaining prompts on the screen to re-install the Windows XP operating system, set up a new profile, and set the time zone information.
- 7). Transfer the data you backed up earlier from the re-writable disc or USB memory drive to the laptop's hard drive.
