BleepingComputer.com: Reformatting hard drive?

How exactly do I reformat my hard drive? What files are changed to factory settings (if any)?

If you reformat your hard drive it will remove the entire contents of the drive so it will contain absolutely no files - so in that regard, no files will be changed to factory settings...

Perhaps you have in mind to do a Factory Reset, so the computer is returned to its new state, as it was when it left the factory? If so, let us know the brand and model of computer and we should be able to find out if it has the facility to do this, and how it is done. If you are unsure of the type of computer or it is an unbranded "generic' system, you can Publish a Snapshot using Speccy.

There are some considerations involved with attempting to reformat or reset a system, so it would probably be best to explain the circumstances behind your question so we can advise you more accurately.

Formatting completely erases your hard drive. What problems are you having that are causing you to consider a format?

Yes Factory Reset is what I was thinking of. Sorry for the confusion. I have an HP dv5-1002nr.

The problem is that as of about 5 days ago, my antivirus won't start up and provide protection. It says my protection is disabled and I have to restart to regain protection, but doing so doesn't fix the problem. I'm paranoid and thinking there might be some infection on here that's preventing it from starting up and I just wanted to know how to perform a Factory Reset if the problem persists and I can't figure out how to fix it.


Edit: I just got off the phone with my antivirus provider and they said they'd send me an email with a hot fix for my problem (something with the registry), so I'll try that out and see if it works.

Edit #2: I uninstalled and reinstalled Trend Micro Titanium and that seems to have solved the problem with it.

This post has been edited by friedchocolatesoda: 01 April 2011 - 08:41 PM