How can I access my Hard Drive to format and install Windows 7?

How to Format a Computer with Windows 7 Warning - Formatting hard drive information does not permanently erase the data. Even after a computer has been formatted, deleted files can be easily recovered. If you want to permanently wipe your hard drive by completely overwritting hard drive data, check out various programs that will ZERO out the drive.
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To format your hard disk during Windows 7 installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

1. Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then shut down your computer.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.
4. On the Install Windows page, enter your language and other preferences, and then click Next.
5. If the Install Windows page doesn't appear, and you're not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings. To learn how to do this, see Start your computer from a Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms, and then click Next.
On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Custom.
On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, click Drive options (advanced).
Click the partition that you want to format and click Format.
If you have more than one partition on this hard drive and want to get rid them to make one big drive again, then select a partition and click on the Delete option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the Unallocated Space partition and click Format.
Pick the formatting option that you want.
When you've finished formatting, click Next.
Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.
If you do not want to reinstall Windows 7, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.

This information has provided by, youc an also find instructions for other operating systems here: How to Format Computer

The O.S is corrupted and you want to format the HDD of your Laptop.before formatting backup your all data,so that you can easily format and install new O.S.

Laptop Hard Drive Recovery
Laptop Data Recovery Laptop Hard Drive Recovery

Formatting hard drive When booting from a Windows installation CD select the option to install Windows then you (can either delete the existing partition/s then create a new partition then you) can format the hard disk. After formatting the hard disk you can abort the Windows installation if you do not want proceed to install Windows.
You should be able to use the Windows 7 installation CD to delete the existing partition, create a new partition and format the new partition and then install Windows 7.

You can format it by right clicking on the drive, or type diskmgmt.msc in search. There you will have full access to deleting and creating partitions.

Hi
To "format C" means to format the the C drive, or the primary partition that Windows or your other operating system is installed on. When you format C, you erase the operating system and other information on the C drive.
However, it's not a straightforward process to format C. You can't format the C drive like you can format another drive in Windows because you're within Windows when you perform the format. To format C from within Windows would be like lifting a chair in the air while sitting on it - you can't do it.
The solution is to format C from outside of Windows, meaning you need a way to format a drive from somewhere other than your Windows installation. The easiest way to do this is to boot to an operating system (with formatting abilities) from a CD/DVD/BD drive, flash drive, or floppy drive.
This might all sound very complicated but it's actually quite easy to format C. Below are 5 completely free ways to format your C drive:
Note: If you're trying to format your C drive because you want to replace or reinstall Windows, you do not need to format C ahead of time. Formatting is done automatically during the Windows installation. Skip this article entirely and instead see How To Clean Install Windows.
Important: Formatting your C drive does not permanently erase the data on the drive. If you want to completely erase the information on the C drive, see Option 5 below, Wipe the Drive Clean With Data Destruction Software.
1. Format C From a Windows Setup Disc
The easiest way to format C is by completing part of a Windows installation. It's not easiest as far as number of steps goes, but since most of us have a Windows Setup DVD lying around, we have easy access to a means to format drives outside of Windows.
Important: You can only format C this way using a Windows 7 Setup disc or a Windows Vista Setup disc.
However, it doesn't at all matter what Windows operating system is on your C drive, including Windows XP. The only requirement is the disc you use to format C - either a Windows 7 or a Windows Vista Setup DVD. Feel free to borrow a friend's disc if you'd like to try this method but you only have Windows XP... or some other operating system.
2. Format C From a System Repair Disc
If you don't have access to a Windows Setup DVD, but you do still have access to a working copy of Windows 7, you can create a System Repair Disc and then boot to that disc and format C from there.
You can only format C using a System Repair Disc if you have access to Windows 7 to create the System Repair Disc. If you don't have access to Windows 7, find someone who does and create the repair disc from their computer.
Note: A System Repair Disc created from Windows 7 can format a C drive that has any Windows operating system on it, including Windows XP or Windows Vista.
3. Format C From Recovery Console
If you have a Windows XP Setup CD, you can format C from the Recovery Console.
The biggest caveat here is that you must also have Windows XP installed on your C drive. However, if you don't have access to Windows 7 or Windows Vista, this option may be your best to format C.
This Recovery Console method to format C also applies to Windows 2000. Recovery Console does not exist in Windows Vista or later, nor does it exist in Windows ME, Windows 98, or earlier.

a good working hard drive will install windows on any computer that has no issues
If you have Linux installed on yours you need to format your hard drive only to install windows 7

it wont work in windows 7. It works only in XP,2000 & 2003.

You will get the detailed information to format the Hard Drive and install the Windows 7 Operating System in the below link:


http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html


Hope this helps.

If you formatted your hardrive you don't have windows anymore. The format erased it. You'll need to get your Windows CD out and re-install.