With the name of formatting, we are referring to a process that consists of erasing absolutely all the data that our computer has in the main storage. All storage drives can be formatted separately, but normally formatting a computer involves erasing the disk with the operating system information. It is a very common procedure when we are going to sell our computer or if we have an error that could not be corrected.
The procedure used to be more complex, but Nowadays operating systems like Windows 10 offer formatting and factory reset options in just a few steps. If you're thinking of selling your computer or zeroing out your storage drives for a blank installation of the operating system, formatting is the first step to avoid future inconveniences. Before you start, you can check what operating system you have, and from there, start the process.
Reasons to format a computer
The main reasons to perform a format are related to failures in the performance or operation of the device. Among the most common we find:
- It does not turn on.
- It takes a long time to turn on.
- Suddenly turns off
- Blue screens.
- Viruses or security problems.
- It works very slow.
- Inability to fix component compatibility errors.
The advantages of performing a format
If we are still not decided to carry out the formatting process, it may be useful to know the benefits of a fresh installation of the operating system. Performance improvements include:
- Elimination and system errors and increased computer speed.
- Hard disk space cleanup.
- Quick option if there are multiple errors or many actions are required for maintenance.
- It improves the performance of the hard drive by reorganizing its sectors.
Step by step, how to format a computer
Before you start the format, make sure you have backed up your important files and drivers for performance-critical components. In addition to having an installation medium for the Windows 10 operating system, in this case because we will format and install this Windows.
Once all this is done, we are going to start the format from Windows 10 itself, by accessing the Configuration menu. We select the option Update & Security – Recovery and the Get Started button within the Reset this PC sector.
The process is guided, with explanatory messages for each step. The system will ask us if we want to keep the files or remove everything. If we choose to keep the files, personal settings and apps will be deleted, but not the photo and video files. The true traditional formatting is when we choose to erase everything. In this new, clean partition of the hard drive, we will install the operating system from scratch and there will be no chance of errors repeating themselves, unless there is some physical aspect that has damaged our hardware.
How to format a computer if I can't access Windows 10
There are other alternatives to using the Windows Recovery tool. One possibility is turn on the computer, and once we reach the access screen, press the power button while pressing the Shift key and choose Restart. This opens the Troubleshooter from where we will have the option to Reset this PC available.
You can also select the option Restore to a previous point. In this case, it is not a format, but a return to the point of registration with the most recent configuration where everything was fine on our device. Some data may be lost but it does not count as a full format either.
Format a computer from the command prompt
Another option, from Windows, is access a CMD window (Command Prompt), and use the commands like in old MS-DOS to tell the system to start a final format of the operating system. In this case, we must insert the following commands:
- Diskpart
- List disk
- We look for the disk drive that we want to format and write the command select disk NUMBER
- Clean
- Create partition memory
- Format fs=ntfs
Then we wait for the process to finish and once it is finished, we will have formatted our disk to have it ready for a clean installation of Windows.
Format a computer with other apps
If you don't want to use the alternatives provided by Windows, there are also apps from third-party developers that do the same thing. One of them is GParted. The app works on both Windows and Linux systems. It weighs just 200 MB but requires that we also use another called TuxBoot.
Click Pre-Downloaded in TuxBoot and select the .ISO file that corresponds to GParted. In the Type section we choose USB Drive, and in Drive we choose the drive of the USB device that we will use to install Windows, it must already be connected to your computer. We give OK and the program will be installed.
Now you have to restart the pc and have it configured so that boot from usb stick, a simple modification that we make by accessing the BIOS with F2, F11 or F12 depending on the BIOS brand, as soon as the computer starts up. Select GParted Live (Default Settings) to configure the keyboard and wait for the system to boot. The interface is very simple to navigate, being able to choose which drive we want to format to leave it blank and be able to install Windows 10 again without any errors.