How to Format Windows 8

Method 1 of 2:

Formatting a Hard Drive to Install Windows 8

Backup any important data. Formatting your hard drive will delete everything on it, so make sure that all of your important files are backed up somewhere safe. Click here for instructions.
Insert your Windows 8 DVD. The easiest way to format your hard drive is to reinstall your operating system, which will format the drive in the process. You will need your Windows 8 installation DVD in order to do this.^[1]
1. Note: This guide will walk through the steps for formatting and installing Windows 8, but you can use this method with any version of Windows or Linux. Most versions of both Windows and Linux have very similar installers that will guide you through the process.
2. If you only have an ISO file for your operating system, click here for instructions on burning it to a DVD so that you can boot from it.
Restart your computer.
Open your computer's BIOS menu before Windows boots. The key to open the BIOS menu is typically F2, F10, F11, or Del. Your computer will display the proper key before Windows loads.
1. If your computer is booting too fast to enter the BIOS, click here for instructions on forcing the Advanced Startup menu to appear.
Open the BOOT menu in your BIOS. This will allow you to change the order of devices that your computer tries to boot from.
Set your DVD drive as the primary drive. This will make your computer try to boot from the DVD first, allowing you to start the Windows 8 installation.
Save your changes and exit the BIOS. Your computer will reboot.
Press any key when prompted to start the Windows 8 installation. The setup program may take a few minutes to load.
Click the "Install now" button. This will begin the installation process.
Enter your Windows 8 product key. This is a 25-character key that is unique to your copy of Windows. You will need this key in order to proceed with the installation.
1. You can usually find the key on your installation disc's case, affixed to your computer, or in the confirmation email for your online purchase.
Click "Custom" asked what kind of installation you want to do. This will allow you to format your drive before reinstalling Windows 8.
1. In general, it is recommended that you never select an "Upgrade" installation. While this will save your data and installed programs, it will often lead to errors and software conflicts.
Click "Drive options (advanced)". This will not be present if you are installing Windows 8.1.
Select the partition that you want to format for Windows 8. If you are reinstalling Windows 8, select the drive that currently contains Windows 8.
Click "Format". This will format the drive using the NTFS file system, which is the file system used by the Windows operating system.^[2]
Click .Next to proceed with the Windows 8 installation. For more details on installing Windows 8, click here.

Method 2 of 2:

Wiping and Formatting the Drive

Download DBAN. DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) is a free hard driver eraser that will completely wipe the entire hard drive containing Windows 8. The hard drive will be empty and need to be either initialized by another operating system for storage or have an operating system installed on it.
1. This will delete everything on the drive, so make sure anything you need to save has been properly backed up. You will not be able to use data recovery software on the drive afterwards to retrieve anything you forgot.
2. If Windows 8 is your only operating system, you won't be able to use the computer until you install a new operating system or reinstall Windows 8.
3. Do not use this method if you have a solid state drive (SSD). If you are formatting an SSD, the best way is to simply reinstall your operating system on it. Do not use traditional data-wiping methods when trying to completely format an SSD. These can drastically reduce the lifespan and may not actually remove any data.
Burn the DBAN image to a blank DVD. DBAN is downloaded in ISO format, which is a disc image file. This allows you to burn it to a disc so that you can boot your computer from it. You can use a free burning tool like ImgBurn to burn the ISO to a disc. Click here for detailed instructions.
Reboot your computer. You will need to open your BIO settings to change the boot order.
Press your BIOS setup key before Windows loads. This is typically F2, F10, F11, or Del. Your computer will display the proper key before Windows loads.
1. If your computer is booting too fast to enter the BIOS, click here for instructions on forcing the Advanced Startup menu to appear.
Open the BOOT menu in your BIOS. This will allow you to change the order of devices that your computer tries to boot from.
Set your DVD drive as the primary drive. This will make your computer try to boot from the DVD first, loading DBAN.
Save your changes and exit the BIOS. Your computer will reboot and DBAN will start.
Press .↵ Enter to start DBAN. DBAN will take a few moments to load.
Use the arrow keys and then press .Space to select the drive you want to erase. If you have multiple drives, be absolutely sure that you have the right drive selected. You can use the drive sizes to help determine which drive is which.
Set your wipe settings. There are several settings you can change, but most users can simply leave everything at default.
1. Press P to open the "PRNG" menu. This stands for Pseudo Random Number Generator, which is the algorithm used to wipe the drive. There are two different algorithms to choose from.
2. Press M to open the "METHODS" menu. These are the number of passes that DBAN will make over the drive. More passes means a more secure erase, but also significantly increases the time it will take. If you're just wiping the drive to reinstall, you can choose one of the lighter-security methods. If you're wiping to erase sensitive data before recycling the drive, select one of the more secure methods.
3. Press R to set the number of "ROUNDS". This is the number of times the wipe process will be run. More rounds means a more secure wipe.
Press .F10 to start wiping the drive. DBAN will use the methods you picked to begin overwriting all of the sectors on your drive. You will be able to see the time remaining in the upper-right corner.
Use or dispose of your newly-wiped hard drive. Now that your hard drive is wiped, you can move on to doing whatever it is you want to do with it.
1. If you want to reinstall Windows 8 or install another operating system on it, click here. This will format the drive and install the operating system. If you wiped your only hard drive with an operating system installed, you'll need to install an operating system before you can use it again.
2. If you want to use the drive as storage for another operating system, click here for instructions on formatting it for use as storage.
3. If you want to recycle your computer, click here.
4. If you want to sell your computer, click here.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 04 March 2020

You should read it

May be interested

How to format the hard drive on Windows
formatting a hard drive means erasing all information on the drive and setting up a file system so that the operating system can read and write data to the drive.
Instructions on how to format the USB simple and safest
- format usb is a fairly simple task and is usually done by computer users. however, few people really understand the nature of formatting usb and the format options really differ.
How to Format a PC
formatting a drive will delete all of the data on it and create a new file system. you'll need to format a drive in order to install windows on it, or to start using it if you're installing an extra drive. you can format a drive to quickly...
Instructions on how to format USB on Macbook
do you know how to reformat your usb drive using a mac? if you do not know, please refer to the article below to understand how to format usb properly.
How to Convert MOV files to MP4 format
this article shows you how to convert mov format video files to mp4 format. you can use an online converter to do this, or download and use the free handbrake program. both of these options are available on windows and mac computers.
Quick formatting of words appears many times on Word
to copy the format of the paragraph, we can use the format painter tool. however, if you quickly format a phrase that appears multiple times in word, you can do it faster.
Which USB format is reasonable?
how to know mac, xbox and windows can read your files? the following article will provide the perfect solution for your usb drive.
Link to download Format Factory 5.5.0.0
format factory is a comprehensive, free, multimedia file conversion software for personal or commercial use. it allows users to change the format or file extension of video, audio, image or text file so that it runs on another application or operating system.
How to format and format a hard drive on a Windows computer
when you need to format the hard drive for your windows computer, don't worry and rush. you need to understand correctly about hard drive format and how to format the hard drive below
What is the difference between Quick Format and Full Format?
when you right-click on a drive, you'll see an option called format. if you select it, a window will open allowing you to format the drive. the default is full format. an option to select quick format is also available.