Formatting a hard drive along with the install of a new OS is the best option. The vast majority of operating system installations provide a "format" option as part of the installation process.

February 9, 2009 So you want to install the Windows 7 beta on your IdeaPad S10, or another netbook without an optical drive. A Google search will turn up hundreds of guides, but we've read nearly all ...

I have a Toshiba Satellite from 3-4 years ago with XP Home installed. I have the original system restore CD for this model laptop, which would reinstall the factory image if used. The laptop does work ...

A partition separates a section of a physical disk into another virtual drive. When you split a hard drive into two partitions, you're creating a separate disk that your operating system (like Windows ...

Optical drives are still practical for many users, whether to play old CDs and DVDs, install software, or create backups—especially with modern laptops, which are usually supplied without a drive.