How to Format Laptop With Windows Vista?

Posted on March 12, 2010

This article gives a step by step procedure on how to format laptop with Vista. It deals with the complete cleaning of the existing Windows Vista installation and starting afresh on your laptop.

  1. Step
    1

    Ensure that you have backed up all necessary files, as the reformatting of Windows Vista will clean all data on your laptop. Ensure that your BIOS has its boot setting to boot up from a DVD.

  1. Step
    2

    Insert the DVD into the respective drive and start/restart your laptop. (If your laptop does not have a CD drive, visit How to Format Hard Drive Without CD)

  1. Step
    3

    As the laptop boots up, it will display the following message:-
    Press any key to boot from CD or DVD.
    Press any key immediately. The laptop will give you just about 5 seconds to press any key. In case you don’t press any key within 5 seconds, it will continue with starting up.

  1. Step
    4

    The laptop will then start loading files. You’ll have to wait for a while, till it finishes with this and proceeds to display a window with the following settings:-

      *Language to install.

      *Time and currency format.

      *Keyboard or input method.

    After you set these fields, click “Next”.

  1. Step
    5

    You’ll then be taken to a window that asks you to “Install Now”. Click on this.

  1. Step
    6

    The next screen will present the License terms, which you will have to accept by clicking on the check-box, and then click “Next”.

  1. Step
    7

    You will then be asked about which type of installation you want. There will be 2 options here:- Upgrade and Custom.
    Click on Custom.

  1. Step
    8

    The screen that will follow will ask about where you want to install Windows. This screen will also show you hard drive details of your laptop. The hard drive depicted by Disk 0 will be displayed on the next screen, along with its partitions*1 if any. Then again, if there are multiple hard drives, these will also be depicted as Disk 1, Disk 2 and so on. For starting afresh for a complete reformat and re-install of Windows, you can delete all partitions. Select a partition, click on Drive Options, and you’ll see the options like “Delete”, “New”, “Format” etc. Click on “Delete” to delete the partition.

  1. Step
    9

    Similarly, select and delete each partition. Once all partitions are deleted, you’ll see the unpartitioned hard drive depicted as “Disk 0 Unallocated Space” in the window.

  1. Step
    10

    Create a new partition by clicking on “New”. You’ll be given the option to set the amount of space to be allotted to the each partition during creation. Usually, 2 partitions are required – C: and D:, with each set to half the capacity of the total available hard drive storage capacity.

  1. Step
    11

    Once all necessary partitions are created, select the partition in which you want the OS to be installed (usually the partition 1 or C: ), and click “Next”. The installation of the OS then starts. The laptop will restart automatically at certain junctures. After the installation completes, you will be prompted with a few more questions.

  1. Step
    12

    Once you’re through with the installation and reach your desktop, you might have to install some new drivers by running Windows Update.

These sum up the steps on how to format laptop with Windows Vista.

For other options of formatting laptop visit – How to Format Laptop?

partitions*1 – If there are partitions in it, these details will also be displayed.
* Disk 0 Partition 1 (C:)
* Disk 0 Partition 2 (E:)
* Disk 0 Partition 3 (F:)

Windows Vista comes with integrated restoration programs. Therefore sometimes the partition that has this program on it, might not be displayed in the above list (which is usually the partition numbered as 1). In such cases, the partition numbering starts from 2.

Filed under How To

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