reformatting hard drive???

i would like to reformat my hard drive but since my pc is a bit old i dont have the disc that came with it. can i still reformat my pc without it ans still use it after. i have the disc to my other pc (can that one be used?) on this pc to get the operating system back on it?

reason i would like to do this is my pc is acting really wierd... ie not working properly and it is running to slow...


can someone help?

thanks
Cristine

 

Yea, you can so long as you have a format utility. Usually an operating systems disk will come with one. I usually like to use a third party tool like partition magic or spfdisk(which is on the ultimate boot cd)

Keep in mind that if you want to install windows XP, Microsoft has copy protections on it that will only allow you to install it on one computer at a time. Also you will need to make a list of all the hardware and make sure you have the drivers for all of them.

 

would you be able to walk me thru it with baby steps and patience?

 

A windows xp install is just a matter of following the instructions as they come up.
But you say the big issue is that your computer is running slow.
Might I suggest that you follow the instructions in the spyware area of this bulletin board? That is almost for sure why your computer would be running slower than normal. It takes a while, but not much more than it takes to do a fresh install with all the updates. Plus you will learn quite a bit by the time you finish running all the scans.
Either way, good luck!

 

I second the spyware thing,

 

The instruction for spyware removal are HERE

Post back and let us know if you wish to reformat or have problems with the spyware tutorial.

 

ok i will try that and get back to you

thanks!!!