Wondering how to reformat Windows XP? If you’ve got a Windows XP disc, reformatting is simple and relatively easy.

Back up everything you want to save.
When you reformat your computer, you’ll lose all the data currently on it. Back up any data you want to save before you reformat. You’ll have to reinstall software and copy your data back onto your fresh hard drive once you’ve reformatted.

Load the XP disc into your computer.
To reformat your Windows XP computer, load the Windows XP operating system disc into your computer. Some manufacturers offer system restore discs instead of XP operating system discs; consult your manufacturer’s instructions for specifics if you have restore discs instead of an operating system disc.

Reboot your computer, and enter BIOS.
With the disc in the drive, reboot your computer and enter the system BIOS. Getting into BIOS varies depending on your hardware, so consult your computer documentation to find out how to enter BIOS. For many systems, you get into BIOS by pressing a function button during startup, like F3, but you’ll still need to check your documentation. You must press the appropriate button early in the boot process, or you’ll miss your chance to boot to BIOS and have to reboot your computer to try again.

Boot to disc.
Once you’re in BIOS, follow the prompts to tell your computer to boot to disc. In some cases, you’ll have to specify your computer’s CD ROM drive letter by selecting it from a list. Save the BIOS settings, and press the appropriate command to exit BIOS. Your computer should automatically boot to the Windows XP operating system disc from there.

Delete existing partitions.
When you boot to the disc, the setup screen shows you the partitions that are already installed on your system, and you will need to delete these partitions to start from scratch. Press the D key to delete the partition that contains your existing Windows installation, and the L key to confirm the deletion.

Install a new partition.
When your hard drive is empty, you can press the Enter button to install Windows XP. By pressing Enter, the system assumes you want to install a new partition. Select the “Format to NTFS File System” option, and press Enter. The setup program installs the new partition, and begins installing Windows XP.

Follow the prompts, and install Windows XP.
At this point, the install process is fairly well automated. You may need to make a few selections during the install process, so just follow the prompts to make the appropriate selections. You do need to enter your Product Key, so make sure you have that handy for the installation process.

Install Windows XP updates.
Once you’ve reformatted your computer and installed Windows XP again, you’re still not entirely done. You must still install the Windows XP updates. Do this before you install any other software. You’ll probably need to reboot your computer several times as you install all of the updates, but once you’ve got them installed, your computer has the most up-to-date security features and Windows software. From there, you can re-install your software and restore your old data from your backups.