How do I erase everything from my hard drive and start over?

Get a Linux Distribution or Windows Disk or whatever OS you prefer and install it over your current partition and it'll format your hard drive.

http://www.ubuntu.com/ (suggested)

Hiya Cynth - First off, you had better have a full copy of the operating system. Either XP or Vista, and I mean the full copy, not just an upgrade version.

You should also go into device manager and identify all the drivers on your system and download those drivers for the motherboard, the video, the audio, the ethernet to a data CD or DVD disk.

You don't have to wipe the hard disk clean if you don't want to because, XP, for example will give you the opportunity to delete the partition and reformat it which wipes it clean as a whistle.

You can use a tool like DBAN to wipe the hard disk if this is really important to you, just in case you want to do a thorough job and be sure. DBAN is free and a lot of people use it.

http://www.dban.org/

Make sure you back up all your files, photos, work, and STUFF that you want to keep. I would recommend saving your FAVORITES and also make a copy from your c:\windows\fonts directory and save all your old fonts to backup.

Reboot and either 1, use DBAN as instructed or 2, do the following:

I assume you have XP -

Hold down DEL, F1 or F2, go into BIOS and change the BOOT ORDER to CD/DVD ROM first boot device, hard disk second device, floppy/removable 3rd boot device. Make sure ACPI is enabled in power settings.

Insert your XP installer CD (IT MUST BE THE FULL VERSION, NOT AN UPGRADE! YOU ARE WARNED) into the CD drive.

Save changes in BIOS and reboot

Wait for the CD to be detected and the installer to start. When the installer starts (XP ONLY), hold down F5. Make sure you know if you have a single or dual/multicore process and in the little box that pops up, select:

monocore processor with ACPI enabled (single core processor)

multicore processor with ACPI enabled (dual or quad core processor)

If you have a SATA drive, you will need to have the SATA drivers on a floppy disk and ready. When the installer says it cannot detect hard disk it will ask if you have drivers, insert the floppy and select the first driver from the floppy to install SATA drivers.

In the hard disk detection section, select CREATE PARTION, and create a PRIMARY PARTITION.

Then select, FORMAT PARTION USING QUICK FORMAT, format the drive NTFS.

The rest of the install should go like a breeze and you are done. Make sure you have the KEY for your copy of the operating system.

You will have to register the key.

Once booted into the operating system for the first time, then unplug the computer from the net. Install your drivers from the CD or DVD's you made. Install your firewall and antivirus programs. Hook the computer back up to your cable or DSL modem, so you are now protected.

Goto Microsoft update and download and install all updates, including any service packs you may need.

Install your software - And that is it.

For Vista help, consult another person here.

Also, if you have a dell or HP, or a brand name, check to see if there are any restore CDs that will let you do just this.

Some will have the restore CDs on the hard drive and allow you to burn them off. If this is the case, wiping the hard drive would leave you in a bad situation of course.

If you don't know your CD key, there are programs that can retrieve your keys from the computer. Magic Jelly Bean finder is one.

Of course, backup ANY AND ALL important data before doing this.

Have the drivers in hand before doing this as well (if you a restore CD and the same hardware, this should not be an issue)

If you have Vista it should have given you the option to create a recovery disk (may have been a few depending on what kind). Use those and the steps are the same as XP. Also You should have a partition listed as 'Drive D' or 'Recovery D' on the hard drive. It does the same thing. However I've only done that one on XP and never on Vista. Anyone else know?

Well before you do that, you should find out what are your graphics card driver and sound driver and if you need anything else. Then buy your system OS cd (if you havn't already) and put it into your computer. Turn it off. Turn it on and boot into the cd and do a clean reinstall of your os.

You have to format your system.

Steps to format:

FIRST OF ALL SWITCHON YOUR SYSTEM GO IN TO SETUP BY PRESSING DEL OR F10 WHICHEVER YOUR SYSTEM SHOWS ON SCREEN.

SET CD ROM AS FIRST BOOT DEVICE, PRESS F10 TO SAVE SETTING.

NOW INSERT WINDOWS XP (BOOTABLE) CD IN TO CD ROM AND RESTART THE SYSTEM.

PRESS ENTER WHEN SCREEN SHOW THIS MAASSAGE "PRESS ANY KEY TO BOOT FROM CD''.

NOW SETUP WILL START

PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE.

PRESS F8 TO ACCEPT LICENSE AGREEMENT.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION FLASHING IN THE GREY INFORMATION BAR ON YOUR SCREEN.

i do not think that is possible because of protocols, and copyrights of operating system programmers and for-matters and other legal systems designers.