Format drive without CD-ROM

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Lunny

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Hi everyone :wave:

Is it possible to format a HDD without a cd? I heard that you could use your flash drive to install a new OS, or even your HDD.

Any explanation on how to do that would be great.
 
What do CD's have to do with wiping a harddrive?
Yes you can install an OS with a flash drive. You boot into a properly configured flash drive and simply install the same way you would with a CD.
Are you looking for a tutorial?
 
i think he's looking for tutorial. :)

anyway, if you're installing on older computer, which does not have "USB boot" in the BIOS menu, you must plug the USB flash drive first, then it will show as harddrive in the boot priority page. i've been looking anywhere when i installed my old laptop using this method.
 

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Hi everyone :wave:

I heard that you could use your flash drive to install a new OS, or even your HDD.

Any explanation on how to do that would be great.

hellokitty[hk],

The presumption was that he wanted to install a new OS without a cd rom. I assumed he meant from XP or Vista to Windows 7 and that he was posting from the said computer. You may be right that he is posting from one computer and intends to install an OS on another computer that does not already have an OS installed.

Nevertheless, if he does not have the ability to boot from a USB drive, he would need a virtual cd drive from an already existing Windows installation. I can think of no other way.
 
Format and installing an operating system are two different things, hence the confusion in some of the posts in this thread.
 
The first thing you need to do is re-partition your hard drive exactly the way you want it. Use Partition Wizard Home Edition it is free: http://www.partitionwizard.com/.
Of course you can't do that if you don't have an OS previously installed.

Installing off a USB isn't much more useful, in fact it is exactly the same, except you need to boot into a USB instead of a CD-drive.
 
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