Windows 7: How can I format my hard drive?

So I upgraded my PC and replaced the hard drive. It has been sitting on the shelf for a long time so I'd like to format it and reinstall windows 7 onto it. I don't have a clue how to do this, can I just unplug the hard drive on my other PC and plug the old one in just to format it, reinstall windows, and then go back to the other hard drive?

Hello Fintar, and welcome to the SevenForums,

Please see this tutorial on how to preform a clean install of Windows 7.
For the formatting part, in step seven of the above linked tutorial you can see how to access the advanced drive options, and the options in the highlighted box in the screenshot underneath step eight will include an option to format the drive.


Good luck and keep us posted,
Nommy

You can format HDD on install of Windows.

For Legacy BIOS:
Clean Install Windows 7

For UEFI/BIOS firmware:
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with

Hi, and thanks for replying. What I'm worried about is something rather complicated. The old parts from my PC will be used to build a second PC, with all the same parts but I want to wipe the drive because it has a load of junk on it. However, what I'm wondering is, would I be able to format it using a different PC, then put the drive back into the main computer? (I'd rather not install it on my main PC because it has a virus and I don't want it to infect my secondary hard drive)

Clean the HD Drive, using Step one in this tutorial:
SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

Hello Fintar,

Regarding the main PC with a virus, you could make a thread on this forum, and we will help you there to safely remove the virus.

Is the HD that you want to format infected or which one do you mean?
Because if that's the case, it'd be best to create a thread on the system security subforum that I just linked first to completely remove it, and then you could simply preform a clean install on your main machine, without unplugging the HD.


Nommy

EDIT: Theog his fix will also work.

You can wipe the HD with Diskpart Clean Command accessing DISKPART At PC Startup or delete all partitions during install from the booted installer as suggested by Nommy. Either method will suffice. Then create your partitions to commence install.

No, you DO NOT have to format it on another pc, just install it in the pc you want to use and format it during the install. Windows will do it for you, but a great tool we like to recommend for partitioning is the Partition Wizard Boot CD.

Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to manage partition directly with partition manager bootable CD.

USE partition magic if you cannot get ahold of HDclone

But personally if i understand you correctly you will be using the infected HDD on a new computer and installing windows onto it


IF so just format it AS your installing windows from the installation screen

when you load up from the windows cd the 2nd screen is installation options pick option 2 then click advanced then simply delete all partitions on the drive and format click next and windows will install on that freshly formatted screen

Partition magic is not compatible with Win7. Use the method I posted to wipe the HD to prepare for Clean Reinstall.