How to Format a Laptop Hard Drive

Formatting a hard drive is necessary after buying an extra or replacement drive or when a virus or bad file corrupts the drive in your computer. Formatting is needed for drives used by all computers, but this article will only tell you how to format a laptop hard drive.

Windows OS

1. 1
   Go to your laptop manufacturer's website and locate updated drivers you will need. These can usually be found on support and/or download pages.
2. 2
   Download the latest drivers available for your laptop for the specific operating system you want to install. If necessary, you can use a different computer to access these files.
3. 3
   Put the driver files onto an external storage device such as a CD or USB drive, because these drivers will be erased from the hard drive when you go to format it.
4. 4
   Insert a Windows installation or recovery CD into your CD-Rom drive. Restart your computer by selecting the "Restart" option on the "Turn off Computer" tab.
5. 5
   Consult your owner's manual for the location of your "access" key, because the location varies between brands.
6. 6
   Press the access key while the machine is restarting to reach the BIOS setup in your laptop. Sometimes the timing can be tricky, so start hitting the indicated key as soon as the computer restarts.
   • Check your BIOS settings to confirm your CD-Rom drive is your primary booting device. If needed, select that option and press "Save." Your laptop should then restart.
7. 7
   Wait for your laptop to start in Windows installation/recovery mode.
8. 8
   Select "Format" and "Use NTFS File System" for the type of partitioning it needs. This format is the most compatible with the latest Windows systems.
9. 9
   Let the installer finish running, responding to the remaining command prompts by answering "yes, continue," or by inputting your desired features.
10. 10
    When your computer restarts again, do not touch your keyboard at the "press any key to reboot from CD" prompt to allow your system to finish installing.
11. 11
    Remove the recovery/installation CD from your CD-Rom drive after the installation is complete. Your laptop can reboot from its own drive instead of from the CD.
12. 12
    Install your drivers from the external storage device. Your computer is now ready to go.

Mac OS (Erase and Reinstall)

1. 1
   Insert your Mac OS X Install DVD into the optical drive. Alternately, if your laptop came with a MacBook Air Software Reinstall Drive, put it into one of the USB ports.
2. 2
   Press the "C" button continuously as the computer starts up. If a "mouse" prompt appears, turn on your wireless mouse.
3. 3
   Choose a language and press the right arrow key.
4. 4
   Click on the "Utilities" menu and select "Disk Utility." Choose the drive you want to erase. In most laptops it is called "Macintosh HD" and click "Erase."
5. 5
   A prompt box will ask if you really want to erase the drive. Select yes. After it is done, select "Quit Disk Utility" from the "Utility" menu.
6. 6
   Click "Continue" when the Installer screen comes up and agree to the user license.
7. 7
   Choose the drive you had just erased and click "Install."
   • When the dialog box comes up telling you your OS has installed, click "Continue" and then "Restart." The "Setup Assistant" will boot up.
8. 8
   Select your country/region from the selection screen after the machine restarts and select "Continue."
9. 9
   Choose which keyboard layout you want to have and press "Continue."
10. 10
    Select an option from the "migration" screen. You can transfer information from another Mac back onto this laptop if you want or continue with the process.
11. 11
    Turn on your wireless capabilities if the screen appears and you want to use them. You may need to type in a password if your network is protected.
12. 12
    Create your user accounts for your computer. Remember your passwords and continue with the process.
13. 13
    Click "Go" on the "Thank you" screen to finish the assistant program and eject the install DVD by moving its icon into the trash bin.
14. 14
    Reinstall your applications using the "Applications Install Disk" or "MacBook Air Software Reinstall Drive."
15. 15
    Double click "Install Bundled Software" in the dialog box and follow the prompts to finish installing all your applications.