How to erase my hard drive and start over?

Erase your device’s hard drive. Wiping hard drive of your computer can be an effective measure to restore operating efficiency of your computer. You may face issues with the freshly installed system as compared to old installation. The main reason can be unnecessary programs, corruption of system files and temporary files. Make sure to copy your important files to a storage device. 

Feel free to choose between an external hard drive and a flash drive. It will help you to start over in a real sense.

Backup Files

Before wiping your hard drive, you have to backup relevant documents and files on this computer. Drag the contents of the document folder on external storage, such as a flash drive or a hard drive. You can use cloud storage to secure your files.

Save Serial Numbers of Software

Once you erase your hard drive, every installed software program will be lost. After installing a new operating system, you can reinstall these programs. To avoid possible troubles, note down serial numbers and name of software installed on the disc.

Download Drivers

No doubt, Windows 10 PC will detect all hardware and install their drivers. It can be risky to depend entirely on an operating system. You must download the crucial drivers for the network adapter or wireless adapter of your computer.

Reset Your PC

Windows 10 offers a built-in method to wipe a disk drive and restore it in a fresh state. It is an efficient method to protect your valuable data. You are free to choose: preserve your files or remove everything. 

Go to “Start – Settings – Update and Security – Recovery”, tap “Get Started” and choose this option. Now, you have to follow on-screen instructions to restore your Windows 10 to a fresh state.

Format Your PC

If you want to sell your computer to another person, you have to erase its hard drive before refreshing its operating system. It will help you to protect your data. In case you don’t have Windows 10, a clean installation of this latest operating system is necessary. 

To install Windows 8 PC , you will need an installation media to insert in your computer. Feel free to use a flash drive or DVD. Microsoft store is a reliable place to buy installation media. Restart your PC and hit any key once prompted to boot from an installation media.

You have to follow prompts to format your computer and install a new operating system. After wiping an old operating system, your hard drive is ready to install new files, apps and programs.