How to format a computer

How to Format a Computer with Windows 7

Warning - Formatting hard drive information does not permanently erase the data. Even after a computer has been formatted, deleted files can be easily recovered. If you want to permanently wipe your hard drive by completely overwritting hard drive data, check out WipeDrive.
To format your hard disk during Windows 7 installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

1. Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then shut down your computer.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.
4. On the Install Windows page, enter your language and other preferences, and then click Next.
5. If the Install Windows page doesn't appear, and you're not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings. To learn how to do this, see Start your computer from a Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms, and then click Next.

On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Custom.

On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, click Drive options (advanced).
Click the partition that you want to format and click Format.

If you have more than one partition on this hard drive and want to get rid them to make one big drive again, then select a partition and click on the Delete option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the Unallocated Space partition and click Format.

Pick the formatting option that you want.

When you've finished formatting, click Next.

Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.

If you do not want to reinstall Windows 7, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.

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How to Format a Computer with Windows Vista

Warning - Formatting hard drive information does not permanently erase the data. Even after a computer has been formatted, deleted files can be easily recovered. If you want to permanently wipe your hard drive by completely overwritting hard drive data, check out WipeDrive.
To format your hard disk during Windows Vista installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows Vista installation disc or USB flash drive.

1. Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows Vista installation disc, and then shut down your computer.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.
4. On the Install Windows page, follow any instructions that are displayed, and then click Install now.
5. If the Install Windows page doesn't appear, and you're not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings. To learn how to do this, see Start Windows from a CD or DVD.

On the Get important updates for installation page, we recommend getting the latest updates to help ensure a successful installation and to help protect your computer against security threats. You will need an Internet connection to get installation updates.

On the Type your product key for activation page, do one of the following:

1. If you are reinstalling Windows Vista, you should enter your product key now.
2. If you are not reinstalling Windows Vista, you can skip this step.

On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms.

On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Custom.

On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, click Drive options (advanced).

Click the partition that you want to format and click Format
If you have more than one partition on this hard drive and want to get rid them to make one big drive again, then select a partition and click on the Delete option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the Unallocated Space partition and click Format

Pick the formatting option that you want.

When you've finished formatting, click Next.

Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows Vista, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.
If you do not want to reinstall Windows Vista, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.

OneDrive and Office Online

Introduction

Microsoft Office Online is a suite of online applications that lets you create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and more. You can store the documents you create—plus any other files you want—on Microsoft OneDrive, an online file storage service. Both of these tools are accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection, and both are free.
In this lesson, you'll learn more about the features and advantages of Office Online and OneDrive. You'll also get an idea of what to expect from the rest of this tutorial.

OneDrive was previously known as SkyDrive; Office Online was previously known as Office Web Apps. You may occasionally see references to SkyDrive and Office Web Apps while using these services.

 

What is Office Online?

Office Online is a free basic version of the most popular programs in the Microsoft Office suite. It lets you create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and more without having to buy or install software. There are four Office Online apps:

• Word: For creating text documents
• Excel: For working with spreadsheets
• PowerPoint: For creating presentations
• OneNote: For taking and organizing notes

You don't need to install anything on your computer to use Office Online. Instead, you work with it online using a service called Microsoft OneDrive.

What is OneDrive?

OneDrive is a free online storage space you can use as your own personal online hard drive. When you create a document with Office Online, it will be saved to your OneDrive. You can store other files there too. Some people refer to this type of online storage as the cloud. Since Office Online and OneDrive are based in the cloud, you can access them from any device with an Internet connection at any time.

Check out our lesson on Web Apps and the Cloud to learn more about the basics of cloud computing.

Once you’ve used Office Online and OneDrive to store files in the cloud, you can edit and share them without ever having to download them to your computer. You can also upload files from your computer, including photos and music. You can even sync your computer and OneDrive so any changes you make to your files are automatically copied between the cloud and your computer. As you can see below, working with the cloud makes all of these things possible.

To use Offline Online and OneDrive, you'll need a Microsoft account. Getting a Microsoft account will also give you access to features like email and instant messaging. You'll learn how to create an account in our lesson on Getting Started with OneDrive.

Google Drive and Docs

Google Drive is a free service from Google that allows you to store files from your computer online and access them anywhere using the cloud. Google Drive also gives you access to one of Google's most popular services, Google Docs.
Google Docs is a free, web-based application for creating documents, spreadsheets, and more. In this lesson, you'll learn more about Google Drive and Google Docs and how the cloud can help you in your everyday life.