Step 1. Insert the Windows 7 installation disk or USB flash drive
As long as you have (or can use) a Windows 7 DVD or recovery disc/drive, you can use it to format your computer's “C” drive. You do not need to use the disc that came with the computer purchase package. If you want, borrow a disc from a friend or create a system recovery disc that can be loaded using a Windows 7 PC.
- You will be formatting the “C” drive through a device that does not display the drive letter. Therefore, make sure you know the size of the “C” drive and the remaining free space. If you format the wrong drive or partition, you will end up losing data. To check the size of the drive, go to “ Computer ” from the desktop or the “Start” menu, right-click the “C” drive, then select “ Properties ”.
- Formatting the “C” drive will erase the Windows operating system and make the computer unbootable until you install a new operating system.
Step 2. Restart the computer
Click the menu Start ”, select the arrow next to “Shut Down” option, and click “ Restart ”.
Step 3. Press any button that is prompted
When it restarts, the computer will read the installation disc.
If your computer doesn't load a mounting disc or drive, see articles on how to set your computer to load a USB fast drive or load your computer from a CD to learn how to change the boot order through the BIOS
Step 4. Select the language on the "Install Windows" page and click Next
Step 5. Click the Install Now button
Now you can see the message " Setup is starting ".
Step 6. Accept the license terms from Windows and click Next
To move to the next page, check the box next to the “I accept the license terms” option.
Step 7. Click the Custom (advanced) button
A list of installation options will be displayed.
Step 8. Click the Drive options (advanced) button
This button is on the " Where do you want to install Windows? " page.
Step 9. Select drive “C” and click Format
Note that you will not see the letter “C” on the drive. If you only see one partition, select that partition. Otherwise, select the partition that matches drive "C" statistics (e.g. capacity, available free space, etc.). A confirmation message will be displayed after that.
Step 10. Click OK to delete data and format the drive
When the cursor again changes to an arrow, the drive formatting process is difficult to complete.
Step 11. Click Next to reinstall Windows 7 (optional)
After formatting the drive, you may need to reinstall the operating system before it can load the computer. If the desired operating system is Windows 7, click Next ” and follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall the operating system.
If you don't want to reinstall Windows 7, simply remove or remove the installation media and shut down the computer
Method 2 of 2: Using a System Recovery Disc or Drive
Step 1. Insert the Windows 7 system recovery disc or drive
If you don't have Windows 7 installation media, you can load your computer from a system recovery disc or USB drive. Even if you don't currently have one, you can create system recovery discs using any Windows 7 computer (including computers with drives that need formatting). Here's how to create system recovery media:
- Click the menu " Start" and select " Control Panel ”.
- Click " System and Maintenance ”.
- Click " Backup and Restore ”.
- Click " Create a system repair disc ”.
- Follow the instructions shown on the screen.
Step 2. Restart the computer
Click the menu Start ”, select the arrow next to “Shut Down” option, and click “ Restart ”.
Formatting the “C” drive will erase the Windows operating system and make the computer unloadable until you install a new operating system. Make sure you don't mind these conditions before proceeding
Step 3. Press any button that is prompted
When it restarts, the computer will read the installation disc.
If your computer doesn't load a mounting disc or drive, see articles on how to set your computer to load a USB fast drive or load your computer from a CD to learn how to change the boot order through the BIOS
Step 4. Specify the language settings and click Next
Step 5. Select Use Recovery Tools That Can Help Fix Problems Starting Windows
This option is one of two options displayed on the screen.
Step 6. Click Next
A list of recovery tools that you can use to repair Windows will appear.
Step 7. Click Command Prompt
This option is at the bottom of the "System Recovery Options" window.
Step 8. Enter the command to format the “C” drive
Type in the format c: /fs:NTFS and press Enter key to start the process. A confirmation message will be displayed.
If you don't want to use the ntfs file system, replace it with a different file system, such as FAT32
Step 9. Press Y. button and Enter.
All data on drive “C” will be deleted. Once the formatting is complete, you will be taken to a new line asking you to enter a volume/drive name.
Step 10. Name the drive and press Enter key
Just give the drive a name so you can easily identify it next time. After the drive is named, the formatting process is complete.
- For example, if you plan to install Windows 10 on drive “C”, name the drive as Win10.
- If you don't want to name the drive, press Enter without typing any text.
Step 11. Install a new operating system (optional)
Once the “C” drive is empty, remove the system recovery disc/drive and insert the installation media for the desired operating system (eg Windows 10 or Linux DVD) and restart the computer to start the installation. If you don't want to install any operating system, simply remove or remove the installation media and shut down the computer.
