WIndows xp

[PatTheRat]

I want to reinstall windows xp, and a lot of people say to format first. What exactly does this mean? Ive reinstalled before using a floppy which starts the installation process, then I put in 3 cd's which have xp and my software on it. Any ideas?

[QmunkE]

Formatting will remove ALL data from your hard drive. If you don't have anything you need to keep, then formatting before reinstalling your operating system is the preferred option, since it is the best way to ensure no junk is left over from the old install.

If you don't feel comfortable formatting, just install XP over the top of your old install. Should work okay, but some programs will need to be reinstalled as they will not have embedded themselves into the registry.

[Potatoman]

QmunkE is spot on - Just so you know, when you chuck the XP disk in, it will format the disk for you automatically. It will ask you first to confirm so you dont do it by accident.

[marmaduke]

Be very, very careful about reformatting. As QmunkE says, it will erase everything from the drive. All files, all programs. But if that's the route you want to take, and everything is backed up, then it's preferable. But know that everything will be lost from the hard disk!