David
Favorite Answer
No it isn’t the same, formatting is preparing a hard drive for use by an operating system by erasing the data (or marking it as deleted) and setting up a suitable file system (NTFS, FAT32 etc).
That said when you reinstall Windows there is usually an option to format the hard drive during the install process anyway.
sirjester099
Why would you install an operating system that is both ancient and no longer supported?
That means you cant get online and be safe from hackers
?
no. formatting a hard drive will erase everything on the hard drive including the operating system. The you will have to Reinstall the operating system.
two different actions.
h
No, formatting is clearing the hard drive so you see an empty drive. XP will need the drive formatting before or during the installation.
keerok
No.
Formatting is laying new tracks on the disk so that data can be written on it in an organized fashion. The process deletes everything stored in the hard drive.
Installing a program is the process of setting up a software program to run in a computer. Installation eventually must follow formatting to make the computer usable.
Make sure the old PC is within a few years before and after XP came out or else you will have trouble with getting drivers to run the hardware.