My Google search for ""does installing windows format the hard disk" returns:
No results found for "does installing windows format the hard disk". I was quite surprised.
I'm hoping to get a quick answer here. Does an install format the hard disk, and destroy all data, including non-os/s data? -Or do you specifically have to say "format" at some point so you know you are losing everything? [I tried to go to SP3, but it doesn't work on my computer. My SP2 disk is fired. I only have a SP1 disk, with a seperate SP2 package. I can't get to Safe Mode to uninstall SP3 ("Windows XP Setup cann run under Safemode. Setup will restart now.). I don't want running the SP1 disk to destroy any non-o/s data.]
Thanks.
Best Answer
There is a specific procedure to perform a repair installation to get Windows working again, and your data should be preserved. However, you should backup your data first, just in case something goes wrong.
Be sure to follow the instructions exactly, or else the Windows installation may format your drive.