If you only have one computer, and it's the one you are currently using to read this web page, before you start this process you must first use your working Internet connection to download, to floppies or other removable media, drivers and other applications you will need to complete the re-load. You can find drivers for many devices at DriverGuide.com.

Of course, if you can, backup to floppies or other removable media, all the data you wish to keep from your old hard drive. Remember, you can't backup programs, only data! You will need to re-install your programs from their original CDs or floppies.

I recommend that you do a little more than just re-format your hard drive. Western Digital has some free tools that will work on many other manufactures IDE & EIDE hard drives, and will test and restore the drive back to a factory-fresh condition. Make a Bootable Floppy Disk and place a copy of Western Digital's Data Lifeguard Tools on it.

From Western Digital you will, by clicking the above link, download “dlgdiag.zip” a 184K compressed file. If you don't have an unzip utility, such as WinZIP, etc, already installed on the machine you will be using to download this file, you will need one.

I recommend FreeZIP ver 1.4.8, it is a tiny (292K) program that integrates with Windows Explorer and allows you to un-zip compressed files. You can download it from Here. When the “File Download” box opens, select “Run this program from its current location”. After it has been downloaded you can, by using Windows Explorer, simply right click on any ZIPed file and select “UnZip here”.

Western Digital's Lifeguard tools may not work on some non-Western Digital drives. If this is true in your case, simply download WDClear and use it instead. It is also a ZIPed file, and will require WinZIP or FreeZIP. Unzip it and place the resulting files on your boot floppy, just as you would the Lifeguard tools. From the DOS prompt, of the target machine, type WDCLEAR and press enter. REMEMBER This will destroy ALL data on your hard drive, and return it to a factory fresh condition.

After you have all the tools, drivers and software at the ready and have backed up all your important data, do the following: Remember, once you start this process it is irreversible, you MUST complete it or you will not have a working computer.

Special Note: If you are installing Windows 98 and expect to boot from the CD-ROM, and have more than one physical hard drive installed in your computer, you will need to temporarily disable all but the first H/D. Windows 98 expects the CD-ROM to be drive D: during the install process. (You can disable a hard drive by simply unplugging the logic cable from the drive.)

1. Set the CMOS so your computer will boot from the floppy disk first. For more information on setting the CMOS see the lower right sidebar.
    
2. Insert the bootable floppy, with the WD Lifeguard tools (or WDClear) on it, into the floppy and boot the computer.
    
3. Run the "Lifeguard" drive test and if all is OK, write zeros to the drive.(Or run WDClear which will write zeros)
    
4. If you are installing Windows 98 AND your computer's BIOS supports booting from the CD-ROM: Set your computer's BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM first, then insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM and reboot your computer. Boot from the CD-ROM and follow the instructions. If you are asked about large drive support, select "Yes". Skip to step 11.
    
5. If your computer does not support booting from the CD-ROM or you are not installing Windows 98, do steps 6 through 10.
    
6. Reboot your computer from the bootable floppy disk and type FDISK and press Return. If you are asked about large drive support, select "Yes". Then take the defaults by pressing Enter on each screen.
    
7. After FDISK is complete, reboot your computer with the bootable floppy and type: FORMAT C:  /S  /U  /V:DRIVE_1 and press Enter. (One space between each switch. /V is a forward-slash-V and NOT an "N") Remember these are forward-slashes NOT back-slashes and colons NOT semicolons .
    
8. After the format is complete, remove your floppy and reboot your computer. It should come up a C:> DOS prompt.
    
9. Install your CD-ROM drivers and reboot your computer.
    
   Many CD-ROMs require that, before you install their drivers, you have an AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS file, as well as a copy of MSCDEX.EXE, in the root of your C: drive.
    
   I make a floppy, on another machine, or before I start, and place a copy of MSCDEX.EXE, which you should find somewhere on any working PC, and an empty (0-byte) AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS file on the floppy. Then I simply pop that floppy in the drive and type
    
   COPY A:\*.*   C:\
    
   then press enter. After this you should be able to install the CD-ROM drivers. If, during the CD driver install, you are asked where the MSCDEX is located, respond with: C:\
    
10. Insert your Windows CD and type d: (Where "d" is your CD-ROM drive) and press Enter. Type Setup and press Enter.
    If your computer complains that some things are missing for the test it wants to do, by-pass the test by reading the on-screen instructions.
    Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows.
     
11. Your computer may need to restart once or twice throughout the install. If you are installing Windows 98SE by booting from the CD-ROM, there will come a time where you must select Boot from the Hard Drive at about the second or third restart.
     
12. The basic installation of Windows should now be done. Remove the CD-ROM and do a normal shut down then, restart your computer. During the memory test, get into the CMOS setup and change the boot sequence to boot from the C: drive first.
     
    Helpful Hint
     
    To eliminate the need for the Windows CD-ROM during the installation of drivers and other programs, copy the WIN folder from the CD to your hard drive. See the sidebar Moving your CD to the Hard Drive.
     
13. Windows 98SE will likely detect many of your peripherals such as video, sound, modem, etc, and install basic drivers for them. Some may not be detected, or if you are installing another version of Windows, you will need to install the drivers for your particular devices. I suggest you check and/or install the drivers in the following order. 1. Video. 2. Sound. 3. Modem. 4. All others.
     
    Even if Windows 98SE installs basic drivers, you may want to reinstall them from the latest versions you previously downloaded.
     
14. Once all the drivers are installed and tested, you are now ready to setup your Internet account and reinstall all your programs and data.
     
15. We recommend, as with drivers, that before you reinstall any of your old programs you check with the manufacture of each to see if they have an upgraded version available.