How to Format Win XP in HP Laptops

The Windows XP operating system comes with a bootable CD, which makes it simple to format your HP laptop. A bootable CD is used when you want to remove all information from the hard drive. The Windows XP CD boots directly to the startup installation process, but you can also use it to run the format utility, which erases all information from the drive. The CD contains the utility, and you follow the instructions for the format utility after you back up your files. 

 

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP installation CD

Instructions

1. • 1
     Insert the CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive. Turn your computer off, wait five seconds and power on the machine. The CD boots directly to a blue screen. Press the "Esc" key on your keyboard to escape the installation and return to DOS.
     
     
   • 2
     Type "format c: /s" in the command prompt and press "Enter." The "/s" switch copies the system files to the drive, so you can properly boot to an operating system instead of receiving errors from the computer.
     
     
   • 3
     Press the "Y" key on your keyboard to confirm that you want to delete the files on the hard drive. The time it takes to format a hard drive depends on the amount of storage space on the device.
     
     
   • 4
     Remove the Windows XP CD and reboot the machine. You can now reinstall a new operating system or use the DOS command prompt.