How to Join Pinterest

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Pinterest is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. For the time being, Pinterest is an invitation-only site, though presumably it will eventually become open to public registrations. But don't fret! Getting an invitation and signing up is pretty darn easy.</span><br> </h1><div class="imageBlock" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:535px"><img alt="The Pinterest home page." height="301" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/00/317600.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"><div class="imageCaption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> The Pinterest home page.</div></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">To get started with Pinterest, your first stop is the <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Pinterest home page</a>. You have two options for joining Pinterest at the time of this writing: requesting an invitation from Pinteresst, or getting a friend who is already on Pinterest to invite you.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">To sign up on Pinterest, you must register via either a Facebookaccount or a Twitter account.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">How to request an invitation from Pinterest</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Requesting an invitation is quite simple:</p><ol class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> On the Pinterest home page, click the large, red Request an Invite button at the top.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">A form appears.</p><img alt="image1.jpg" height="250" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/01/317601.image1.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"></li> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Enter your e-mail address and click the Request Invitation button.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Now you just have to wait for Pinterest to send you an invite. You'll receive a confirmation e-mail letting you know you're on the wait list. A formal invitation will arrive in your inbox in a day or two.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> If you don't receive the confirmation e-mail within minutes, check your e-mail'sspam folder. If the confirmation e-mail goes into spam, the chances are good the actual invitation will land in the spam folder as well, and you'll miss it. If the confirmation e-mail did land there, use your e-mail provider's method for reporting that an e-mail is not spam.</p> </li></ol><h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Ask a Pinterest member for an invitation</h2><p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> The quicker and easier method of getting an invitation is to ask for one from a friend who's already a Pinterest member. The great advantage to this method is that you get instant gratification because you receive your invite immediately (rather than being on the wait list). The disadvantage is that you need to know someone who is a Pinterest member. That might not be as difficult as you think, however; Pinterest has over 4 million users.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Here are a few ways to find a friend to ask to invite you:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:24px"><b>Post a status update on Twitter or Facebook that you're seeking an invitation to Pinterest.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Search for </b>Pinterest<b> on Twitter to see whether someone you know is a member already.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Check the </b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pinterest" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Pinterest page on Facebook</b></a><b> for people you know.</b>When you click the Like button, you'll see a list of your friends who are Pinterest fans. From there, you can message a friend and ask for an invitation.</p> <img alt="image2.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/02/317602.image2.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="531"></li> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Browse Pinterest.com to see whether someone already there is a friend of yours.</b> You can either visit the home page pins to see whether you recognize any names (a long shot) or type a name into the Search field in the top-left corner of the screen. When you get the results, click People to view search results by users' names.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:24px"><b>Post on other social networks, such as Google+, to see whether someone is a member of Pinterest.</b></p></li></ul>

How to Join Pinterest

Pinterest is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. For the time being, Pinterest is an invitation-only site, tho...

Read more »

How to Join Pinterest

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Pinterest is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. For the time being, Pinterest is an invitation-only site, though presumably it will eventually become open to public registrations. But don't fret! Getting an invitation and signing up is pretty darn easy.</span><br> </h1><div class="imageBlock" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:535px"><img alt="The Pinterest home page." height="301" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/00/317600.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"><div class="imageCaption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> The Pinterest home page.</div></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">To get started with Pinterest, your first stop is the <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Pinterest home page</a>. You have two options for joining Pinterest at the time of this writing: requesting an invitation from Pinteresst, or getting a friend who is already on Pinterest to invite you.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">To sign up on Pinterest, you must register via either a Facebookaccount or a Twitter account.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">How to request an invitation from Pinterest</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Requesting an invitation is quite simple:</p><ol class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> On the Pinterest home page, click the large, red Request an Invite button at the top.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">A form appears.</p><img alt="image1.jpg" height="250" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/01/317601.image1.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"></li> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Enter your e-mail address and click the Request Invitation button.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Now you just have to wait for Pinterest to send you an invite. You'll receive a confirmation e-mail letting you know you're on the wait list. A formal invitation will arrive in your inbox in a day or two.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> If you don't receive the confirmation e-mail within minutes, check your e-mail'sspam folder. If the confirmation e-mail goes into spam, the chances are good the actual invitation will land in the spam folder as well, and you'll miss it. If the confirmation e-mail did land there, use your e-mail provider's method for reporting that an e-mail is not spam.</p> </li></ol><h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Ask a Pinterest member for an invitation</h2><p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> The quicker and easier method of getting an invitation is to ask for one from a friend who's already a Pinterest member. The great advantage to this method is that you get instant gratification because you receive your invite immediately (rather than being on the wait list). The disadvantage is that you need to know someone who is a Pinterest member. That might not be as difficult as you think, however; Pinterest has over 4 million users.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Here are a few ways to find a friend to ask to invite you:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:24px"><b>Post a status update on Twitter or Facebook that you're seeking an invitation to Pinterest.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Search for </b>Pinterest<b> on Twitter to see whether someone you know is a member already.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Check the </b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pinterest" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><b>Pinterest page on Facebook</b></a><b> for people you know.</b>When you click the Like button, you'll see a list of your friends who are Pinterest fans. From there, you can message a friend and ask for an invitation.</p> <img alt="image2.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/02/317602.image2.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="531"></li> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Browse Pinterest.com to see whether someone already there is a friend of yours.</b> You can either visit the home page pins to see whether you recognize any names (a long shot) or type a name into the Search field in the top-left corner of the screen. When you get the results, click People to view search results by users' names.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:24px"><b>Post on other social networks, such as Google+, to see whether someone is a member of Pinterest.</b></p></li></ul>

How to Join Pinterest

Pinterest is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. For the time being, Pinterest is an invitation-only site, tho...

Read more »

What Is Pinterest?

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><i style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Pinterest</i><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. Unlike other social bookmarking sites, such as Digg and StumbleUpon, content shared on Pinterest is driven entirely by visuals. In fact, you can't share something on Pinterest unless an image is involved.</span><br> </h1><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Like every other social media site, Pinterest has its own lingo:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">When you share something on Pinterest, each bookmark is called a <b>pin</b>.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> When you share someone else's pin on Pinterest, it's called a <b>repin.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You group pins together by topic onto various <b>boards </b>or<b>pinboards</b> in your profile. Each board mimics a real-life pinboard.</p> </li></ul><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You can share images you find online, or you can directly upload images onto Pinterest. Using the Pin It button, you can share directly in your browser from any web page. You can also share your pins on Twitter and Facebook.</p> <div class="imageBlock" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:535px"><img alt="The Pinterest home page." height="301" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/97/317597.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"><div class="imageCaption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> The Pinterest home page.</div></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The first time you visit Pinterest, you may notice immediately that it's an aesthetically pleasing site. You can see how much it relies on visually stunning photos. The second thing you may notice is that you can't join without an invitation. Presumably, the site will eventually become open to public registrations, but it's currently in invitation-only mode.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You don't have to have a Pinterest account to look around the place, though. If you hover over the word<i>Everything</i> right at the top of the screen, a pop-up box will give youlinks to things people have pinned in various categories, from Architecture to Humor to Weddings & Events.</p>

What Is Pinterest?

Pinterest   is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. Unlike other social bookmarking sites, such as Digg and Stu...

Read more »

What Is Pinterest?

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><i style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Pinterest</i><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. Unlike other social bookmarking sites, such as Digg and StumbleUpon, content shared on Pinterest is driven entirely by visuals. In fact, you can't share something on Pinterest unless an image is involved.</span><br> </h1><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Like every other social media site, Pinterest has its own lingo:</p><ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">When you share something on Pinterest, each bookmark is called a <b>pin</b>.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> When you share someone else's pin on Pinterest, it's called a <b>repin.</b></p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You group pins together by topic onto various <b>boards </b>or<b>pinboards</b> in your profile. Each board mimics a real-life pinboard.</p> </li></ul><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You can share images you find online, or you can directly upload images onto Pinterest. Using the Pin It button, you can share directly in your browser from any web page. You can also share your pins on Twitter and Facebook.</p> <div class="imageBlock" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;width:535px"><img alt="The Pinterest home page." height="301" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/97/317597.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="535"><div class="imageCaption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> The Pinterest home page.</div></div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The first time you visit Pinterest, you may notice immediately that it's an aesthetically pleasing site. You can see how much it relies on visually stunning photos. The second thing you may notice is that you can't join without an invitation. Presumably, the site will eventually become open to public registrations, but it's currently in invitation-only mode.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You don't have to have a Pinterest account to look around the place, though. If you hover over the word<i>Everything</i> right at the top of the screen, a pop-up box will give youlinks to things people have pinned in various categories, from Architecture to Humor to Weddings & Events.</p>

What Is Pinterest?

Pinterest   is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. Unlike other social bookmarking sites, such as Digg and Stu...

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How to Unblock MySpace Users

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You can unblock</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">MySpace</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">users from your</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Blocked</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Users list — where you can see all the users you've blocked. So, if you change your mind about who you want to keep out of your MySpace space, you follow a few simple steps.</span><br> </h1><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;overflow:hidden"> <div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)">1</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:20px;display:inline"> After you log in, click the Edit Profile link below the greeting on your profile's home page.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> In the Settings: Account window, click the Privacy link.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You see the Settings: Privacy window, where you can access the Blocked Users list.</p> </div><div class="clear" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;clear:both"></div></div><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> <div class="stepFigure" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 10px;padding:0px;border:0px;float:right"><a href="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/82/90282.image0.jpg?h=332&w=535" rel="lightbox" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><img alt="" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/83/90283.image1.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;"></a><div class="enlarge" style="margin:1px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;text-align:right"> <img alt="" src="http://media.wiley.com/spa_assets/R16B060/site/dummies2/include/images/icons/enlarge.gif" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;"> <a href="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/82/90282.image0.jpg?h=332&w=535" rel="lightbox" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Enlarge</a></div> </div><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"><div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)"> 2</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;display:inline">Click the View List link in the Blocked Users section.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">When you click the View List link, you're taken to the Blocked Users window, where all blocked users are listed.</p></div><div class="clear" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;clear:both"> </div></div><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;overflow:hidden"> <div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)">3</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:20px;display:inline"> To unblock a user, click the Unblock User link.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">All the user profiles you've blocked appear in the Blocked Users window. You can unblock a user by clicking the Unblock User link to the right of the user's profile picture; that user is instantly able to contact you again.</p> </div></div>

How to Unblock MySpace Users

You can unblock   MySpace   users from your   Blocked   Users list — where you can see all the users you've blocked. So, if you change y...

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How to Unblock MySpace Users

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You can unblock</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">MySpace</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">users from your</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Blocked</span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> </span><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Users list — where you can see all the users you've blocked. So, if you change your mind about who you want to keep out of your MySpace space, you follow a few simple steps.</span><br> </h1><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;overflow:hidden"> <div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)">1</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:20px;display:inline"> After you log in, click the Edit Profile link below the greeting on your profile's home page.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> In the Settings: Account window, click the Privacy link.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You see the Settings: Privacy window, where you can access the Blocked Users list.</p> </div><div class="clear" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;clear:both"></div></div><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> <div class="stepFigure" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 10px;padding:0px;border:0px;float:right"><a href="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/82/90282.image0.jpg?h=332&w=535" rel="lightbox" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)"><img alt="" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/83/90283.image1.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;"></a><div class="enlarge" style="margin:1px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;text-align:right"> <img alt="" src="http://media.wiley.com/spa_assets/R16B060/site/dummies2/include/images/icons/enlarge.gif" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;"> <a href="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/82/90282.image0.jpg?h=332&w=535" rel="lightbox" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Enlarge</a></div> </div><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"><div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)"> 2</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;display:inline">Click the View List link in the Blocked Users section.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">When you click the View List link, you're taken to the Blocked Users window, where all blocked users are listed.</p></div><div class="clear" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;clear:both"> </div></div><div class="step" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><div class="stepHeading" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;overflow:hidden"> <div class="stepNumber" style="margin:0px 10px 0px 0px;padding:10px 0px;border:0px;font-size:1rem;font-weight:bold;float:left;width:30px;text-align:center;font-family:helvetica;background-color:rgb(255,254,0)">3</div><h2 class="stepTitle" style="margin:5px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:20px;display:inline"> To unblock a user, click the Unblock User link.</h2></div><div class="stepText" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">All the user profiles you've blocked appear in the Blocked Users window. You can unblock a user by clicking the Unblock User link to the right of the user's profile picture; that user is instantly able to contact you again.</p> </div></div>

How to Unblock MySpace Users

You can unblock   MySpace   users from your   Blocked   Users list — where you can see all the users you've blocked. So, if you change y...

Read more »

How to format a hard drive or disk

<div class="alert" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:2968px;background-color:rgb(255,204,204);font-weight:bold;text-align:center;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'Open Sans',sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px"> <br></div><div class="largeSection float-left" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;float:left;width:2166.625px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'Open Sans',sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px"><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> <span style="font-size:18px">How to Format a Computer with Windows 7</span><br></h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">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.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows page</b>, enter your language and other preferences, and then click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Next</b>.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> 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.</p> </li></ol><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Please read the license terms page</b>, if you <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">accept the license terms</b>, click I accept the license terms, and then click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Next</b>.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Which type of installation do you want?</b> page, click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Custom.</b></p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Where do you want to install Windows?</b> page, click Drive options (advanced).</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Click the partition that you want to format and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format.</b></p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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 <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Delete</b> option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Unallocated Space</b> partition and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b>.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Pick the formatting option that you want.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">When you've finished formatting, click Next.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.</p> </div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you do not want to reinstall Windows 7, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.</p></div></div><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"> <hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-Vista" name="format-Vista" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Format a Computer with Windows Vista</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">To format your hard disk during Windows Vista installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows Vista installation disc or USB flash drive.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows Vista installation disc, and then shut down your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> page, follow any instructions that are displayed, and then click Install now.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> 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 <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Start-Windows-from-a-CD-or-DVD" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">Start Windows from a CD or DVD.</a></p> </li></ol><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the Get important updates for installation page, we recommend getting the latest updates to help ensure a successful installation and to help protect your computer against security threats. You will need an Internet connection to get installation updates.</p> </div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Type your product key for activation</b> page, do one of the following:</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you are reinstalling Windows Vista, you should enter your product key now.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you are not reinstalling Windows Vista, you can skip this step.</p></li></ol><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Which type of installation do you want?</b> page, <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">click Custom</b>.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Where do you want to install Windows?</b> page, click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Drive options (advanced)</b>.</p> </div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Click the partition that you want to format and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b></p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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 <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Delete</b> option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Unallocated Space</b> partition and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b></p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Pick the formatting option that you want.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">When you've finished formatting, click Next.</p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows Vista, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you do not want to reinstall Windows Vista, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.</p><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"> </div><a id="format-XP" name="format-XP" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px">How to Format a Computer with Windows XP</h2> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The first step in learning how to format a computer with Windows XP or 2000, is to insert Windows CD and restart your computer.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Your computer should automatically boot from the CD to the Windows Setup Menu.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select the format option that you want to use for the partition (Recommended: NTFS), and then press ENTER.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue installing Windows.</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-ME" name="format-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Format with Windows 95, 98, or ME</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">To reinstall Windows, you need a <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Startup Diskette</b> and a <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Windows Installation CD</b>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Download the Startup Diskette Creator</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Note:</b> We recommend using the Startup Diskette available on this page. Other Windows Startup Diskettes may not work with the following steps.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Insert the Startup Diskette into the floppy drive and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Select option #1 - Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After a minute or so, you will see "A:>_".</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "fdisk" and press Enter.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If asked to enable large disk support, select Y for Yes. (Note: Some versions of Windows 95 may not be compatible with large disk support. Select N here if it does not support the FAT32 file system.)</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select Option #1 - Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive.</p></li> <li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select Option #1 - Create Primary DOS Partition.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The drive integrity will be verified.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Unless you are planning to make multiple partitions, select Y when asked if you want to use the maximum available size for the partition and to make the partition active.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The drive integrity will be verified again.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> When completed press the Esc key to exit fdisk.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Without removing the floppy disk, press the reset button on the computer or press the keys Ctrl then Alt then</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Delete and release them together. This will restart the computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Again, select the option to Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> When you see A:>, directly above it is a message about your CD-ROM drive. It will tell you the letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive, take note of it.</p><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> At the A:>, type "format C:" and press Enter.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press the Y key then the enter key when asked if you want to proceed with the format.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The format will probably take some time, so be patient.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">You will be asked to choose a Volume Label, which is a name for your hard drive. It has no effect on the operation of your computer, you may choose any name you like.</p> </li></ol><div style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:20px"><hr style="border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(204,204,204);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both"> </div><h1 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:26px;color:rgb(40,50,127)">Reinstalling older versions of Windows</h1><a id="Reinstall-XP" name="Reinstall-XP" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Reinstall Windows XP</h2><ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> To reinstall Windows XP or 2000, imply insert Windows CD and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If your hard drive has not been formatted, Windows XP will walk you through the formatting process <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/how-to-format-computer.php#format-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">described above</a></p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Your computer will automatically boot from the CD and begin the installation process</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="Reinstall-ME" name="Reinstall-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Reinstall Windows 95, 98, or ME</h2><ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> After formatting your hard drive as described above, insert the Startup Diskette into the floppy drive and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Select option #1 - Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After a minute or so, you will see "A:>_".</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Place the Windows Install CD into the CD-ROM drive.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "E:" (where E is the letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive) and press Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "dir" and press Enter. You will see something like the following:</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Volume in drive E is 020409_1121 Directory of E: WIN98_SE <DIR> 04-09-02 11:21a 0 file(s)0 bytes 1 dir(s)0 bytes free</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">WIN98_SE is a directory, as indicated by the "<DIR>" after it.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "cd WIN98_SE", replacing WIN98_SE with the result from above, then press the Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "dir" and press the Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you see: SETUP <DIR> somewhere in the output, then type "cd SETUP" and press the Enter key. Otherwise, skip this step.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Type "SETUP" and press the Enter key to begin the Windows setup program.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Simply follow the prompts to install Windows.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Remove the Windows Startup Diskette when prompted.</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-WipeDrive" name="format-WipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><a id="Diskette" name="Diskette" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> WipeDrive: Wipe All Data Before Formatting</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Deleted files can be recovered even after a computer has been formatted!</b></p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">A recent study of 129 old hard drives (many of them formatted) revealed <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">more than 5,000 credit card numbers</b>, medical correspondences, love letters, pornography, bank account information, and other confidential data. To protect yourself from identity theft, erase ALL data before formatting a hard drive.</p> Do you need to know:<p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"></p><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer before selling or donating a system.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> How to format a computer to erase personal data before returning it to an employer.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer with an operating system damaged by viruses or spyware.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer in compliance with government regulations (including HIPAA).</p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Learn how to format a computer to US Department of Defense specifications. WipeDrive is one of only five DoD approved products that knows how to format a computer using the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">DoD 5220.22-M standard for disk sanitation</b>. This standard involves far more than an ordinary drive format and includes multiple overwrites with random characters.</p> <h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px">How to Format a Computer Securely With WipeDrive</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> WipeDrive is an easy-to-use disk sanitizing tool that boots from a CD or floppy disk.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Learning how to format a computer is as easy as inserting the WipeDrive disk and restarting your system.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">WipeDrive will automatically load with prompts indicating how to format computer hard drive data to Department of Defense specifications.</p> </div><br>

How to format a hard drive or disk

How to Format a Computer with Windows 7 Warning  - Formatting hard drive information does not permanently erase the data. Even after a c...

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How to format a hard drive or disk

<div class="alert" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:2968px;background-color:rgb(255,204,204);font-weight:bold;text-align:center;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'Open Sans',sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px"> <br></div><div class="largeSection float-left" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;float:left;width:2166.625px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'Open Sans',sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19px"><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> <span style="font-size:18px">How to Format a Computer with Windows 7</span><br></h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">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.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows page</b>, enter your language and other preferences, and then click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Next</b>.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> 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.</p> </li></ol><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Please read the license terms page</b>, if you <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">accept the license terms</b>, click I accept the license terms, and then click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Next</b>.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Which type of installation do you want?</b> page, click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Custom.</b></p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Where do you want to install Windows?</b> page, click Drive options (advanced).</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Click the partition that you want to format and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format.</b></p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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 <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Delete</b> option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Unallocated Space</b> partition and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b>.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Pick the formatting option that you want.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">When you've finished formatting, click Next.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.</p> </div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you do not want to reinstall Windows 7, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.</p></div></div><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"> <hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-Vista" name="format-Vista" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Format a Computer with Windows Vista</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">To format your hard disk during Windows Vista installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows Vista installation disc or USB flash drive.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows Vista installation disc, and then shut down your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> page, follow any instructions that are displayed, and then click Install now.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Install Windows</b> 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 <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Start-Windows-from-a-CD-or-DVD" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">Start Windows from a CD or DVD.</a></p> </li></ol><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the Get important updates for installation page, we recommend getting the latest updates to help ensure a successful installation and to help protect your computer against security threats. You will need an Internet connection to get installation updates.</p> </div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Type your product key for activation</b> page, do one of the following:</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you are reinstalling Windows Vista, you should enter your product key now.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you are not reinstalling Windows Vista, you can skip this step.</p></li></ol><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms.</p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Which type of installation do you want?</b> page, <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">click Custom</b>.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"> <div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">On the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Where do you want to install Windows?</b> page, click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Drive options (advanced)</b>.</p> </div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Click the partition that you want to format and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b></p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> 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 <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Delete</b> option for each partition. Once you have deleted all of the partitions, select the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Unallocated Space</b> partition and click <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Format</b></p> <div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Pick the formatting option that you want.</p></div></div><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">When you've finished formatting, click Next.</p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows Vista, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you do not want to reinstall Windows Vista, you can cancel the installation at this point and keep your newly formatted drives.</p><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"> </div><a id="format-XP" name="format-XP" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px">How to Format a Computer with Windows XP</h2> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The first step in learning how to format a computer with Windows XP or 2000, is to insert Windows CD and restart your computer.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Your computer should automatically boot from the CD to the Windows Setup Menu.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Use the ARROW keys to select the partition or the unpartitioned space where you want to create a new partition. Press D to delete an existing partition, or press C to create a new partition.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type the size in megabytes (MB) that you want to use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER to create the partition with the maximum size.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select the format option that you want to use for the partition (Recommended: NTFS), and then press ENTER.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to continue installing Windows.</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-ME" name="format-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Format with Windows 95, 98, or ME</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Warning</b> - 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 <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">WipeDrive</a>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">To reinstall Windows, you need a <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Startup Diskette</b> and a <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Windows Installation CD</b>.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Download the Startup Diskette Creator</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Note:</b> We recommend using the Startup Diskette available on this page. Other Windows Startup Diskettes may not work with the following steps.</p> <ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Insert the Startup Diskette into the floppy drive and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Select option #1 - Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After a minute or so, you will see "A:>_".</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "fdisk" and press Enter.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">If asked to enable large disk support, select Y for Yes. (Note: Some versions of Windows 95 may not be compatible with large disk support. Select N here if it does not support the FAT32 file system.)</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select Option #1 - Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive.</p></li> <li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Select Option #1 - Create Primary DOS Partition.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The drive integrity will be verified.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Unless you are planning to make multiple partitions, select Y when asked if you want to use the maximum available size for the partition and to make the partition active.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The drive integrity will be verified again.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> When completed press the Esc key to exit fdisk.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Without removing the floppy disk, press the reset button on the computer or press the keys Ctrl then Alt then</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Delete and release them together. This will restart the computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Again, select the option to Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> When you see A:>, directly above it is a message about your CD-ROM drive. It will tell you the letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive, take note of it.</p><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> At the A:>, type "format C:" and press Enter.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Press the Y key then the enter key when asked if you want to proceed with the format.</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">The format will probably take some time, so be patient.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">You will be asked to choose a Volume Label, which is a name for your hard drive. It has no effect on the operation of your computer, you may choose any name you like.</p> </li></ol><div style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:20px"><hr style="border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(204,204,204);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both"> </div><h1 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:26px;color:rgb(40,50,127)">Reinstalling older versions of Windows</h1><a id="Reinstall-XP" name="Reinstall-XP" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Reinstall Windows XP</h2><ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> To reinstall Windows XP or 2000, imply insert Windows CD and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If your hard drive has not been formatted, Windows XP will walk you through the formatting process <a href="http://www.whitecanyon.com/how-to-format-computer.php#format-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(81,141,211)">described above</a></p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Your computer will automatically boot from the CD and begin the installation process</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="Reinstall-ME" name="Reinstall-ME" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> How to Reinstall Windows 95, 98, or ME</h2><ol class="marleft" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;list-style-position:initial!important"><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> After formatting your hard drive as described above, insert the Startup Diskette into the floppy drive and restart your computer.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Select option #1 - Start the computer with CD-ROM support.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">After a minute or so, you will see "A:>_".</p> </li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Place the Windows Install CD into the CD-ROM drive.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "E:" (where E is the letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive) and press Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "dir" and press Enter. You will see something like the following:</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Volume in drive E is 020409_1121 Directory of E: WIN98_SE <DIR> 04-09-02 11:21a 0 file(s)0 bytes 1 dir(s)0 bytes free</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">WIN98_SE is a directory, as indicated by the "<DIR>" after it.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "cd WIN98_SE", replacing WIN98_SE with the result from above, then press the Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Type "dir" and press the Enter key.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> If you see: SETUP <DIR> somewhere in the output, then type "cd SETUP" and press the Enter key. Otherwise, skip this step.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Type "SETUP" and press the Enter key to begin the Windows setup program.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Simply follow the prompts to install Windows.</p></li><li style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12px"><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Remove the Windows Startup Diskette when prompted.</p> </li></ol><div id="EndSectionDiv" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:1299.96875px"><hr style="border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);height:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;color:rgb(255,255,255)"></div><a id="format-WipeDrive" name="format-WipeDrive" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><a id="Diskette" name="Diskette" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px"></a><h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px"> WipeDrive: Wipe All Data Before Formatting</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"><b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">Deleted files can be recovered even after a computer has been formatted!</b></p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">A recent study of 129 old hard drives (many of them formatted) revealed <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">more than 5,000 credit card numbers</b>, medical correspondences, love letters, pornography, bank account information, and other confidential data. To protect yourself from identity theft, erase ALL data before formatting a hard drive.</p> Do you need to know:<p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"></p><div id="BullitBackground" style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.8em"><div id="Listindent" style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 20px;padding:0px"> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer before selling or donating a system.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> How to format a computer to erase personal data before returning it to an employer.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer with an operating system damaged by viruses or spyware.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">How to format a computer in compliance with government regulations (including HIPAA).</p></div></div><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> Learn how to format a computer to US Department of Defense specifications. WipeDrive is one of only five DoD approved products that knows how to format a computer using the <b style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px">DoD 5220.22-M standard for disk sanitation</b>. This standard involves far more than an ordinary drive format and includes multiple overwrites with random characters.</p> <h2 style="border:0px;margin:0px 0px 5px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(53,53,53);line-height:24px">How to Format a Computer Securely With WipeDrive</h2><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em"> WipeDrive is an easy-to-use disk sanitizing tool that boots from a CD or floppy disk.</p><p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">Learning how to format a computer is as easy as inserting the WipeDrive disk and restarting your system.</p> <p style="border:0px;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 7px;font-size:13.5px;line-height:1.8em">WipeDrive will automatically load with prompts indicating how to format computer hard drive data to Department of Defense specifications.</p> </div><br>

How to format a hard drive or disk

How to Format a Computer with Windows 7 Warning  - Formatting hard drive information does not permanently erase the data. Even after a c...

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Change the Boot Order on Your PC

<div class="content-wrapper" style="margin:0px;padding:10px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-bottom-style:none;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> <div class="article-content" id="contenttype-html" style="margin:0px;padding:5px;border:0px"><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px"><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> When your PC is first starting up — also known as booting up — it looks for the operating system. Should you need to troubleshoot, it is helpful to know where it looks and in what order. Depending on the problem, you may need to change the order.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">The <i>boot order</i> is the sequence of storage devices that the computer'shardware checks to find an operating system. As luck would have it, an operating system can lurk in several places:</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Hard drive:</b> This is the main storage device for most PCs. More than one hard drive may be in your computer, and those hard drives may be<i>partitioned</i> into separate, <i>logical</i>drives. The <i>master boot record</i>(MBR) on the primary hard drive holds a map that indicates where the operating system can be found or provides a boot menu to select an operating system.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>SSD:</b> Eventually, the solid state drive will replace the hard drive as the PC's primary storage device. Internally, the SSD is composed offlash memory, just like a thumb drive or media card, but with a much higher capacity (and price). Externally, an SSD works just like a hard drive with an MBR and partitions.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Optical drive (CD-ROM/DVD):</b> Even when you don't choose the optical drive as the primary boot device, many PCs automatically detect a bootable disc in the optical (CD orDVD) drive. When that happens, an option is displayed on the screen, something like <span class="code">Press Enter to boot from the CD or DVD</span>. Press the Enter key to direct the computer to start from that disc on the fly.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Network (Ethernet):</b> Rather than load an operating system from the PC's own (local) storage devices, the network option directs the computer to load its operating system from the network. On start-up, the network adapter requests an operating system to load, which it then downloads from the server.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>USB device:</b> The USB device can be a thumb drive, a media card, or an external disk drive. This option is useful for laptops that lack optical drives, allowing you to install orupgrade your PC's operating system.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">You set the boot order in the PC's Setup program. Generally, the steps go like this:</p><ol class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Restart or turn on the computer.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Press the key or keys to enter the Setup program.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">As a reminder, the most common key used to enter the Setup program is F1.</p> <p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Ensure that you press the key to enter the Setup program or menu. Do not press the key to enter the boot menu, which is a different item.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Choose the menu option or options to display the boot sequence.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> The option may not be obvious from the Setup program's main menu, not to mention that the Setup program is in Text mode. Various computers I've researched display the menu that changes the boot order in these ways:</p><ul class="level-two" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px"> <li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Startup→Boot</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Boot→Boot Device Priority</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Advanced BIOS Features→(various priority submenus)</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> System→Boot Sequence</p><img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/58/290258.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto !important;" width="517"></li> </ul></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Set the boot order.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Use whichever keys or techniques are required in order to set the sequence in which the hardware searches the storage devices for an operating system.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> Save the changes and exit the Setup program.</p><p class="child-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">The computer restarts with the new settings.</p></li></ol><p class="Warning" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> You might see other options in addition to those that set the boot sequence search order. For example, you might see a way to exclude certain devices from being searched. This might be a good idea for USB media cards or for legacy floppy drives.</p> </div></div></div>

Change the Boot Order on Your PC

When your PC is first starting up — also known as booting up — it looks for the operating system. Should you need to troubleshoot, it is...

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