While most of these situations cannot be completely prevented, you can prevent or at least limit, amount of data you subject to deletion simply by performing routine system backups. Everyone is aware of possibilities of losing their computer files to viruses or errors, but even awareness isn't enough to encourage everyone to backup their files regularly.

Some of best recovery software programs can retrieve files even after you've formatted your hard drive. It's important that you attempt to recover your data before you start using computer after a format, because as your computer starts saving information, it could save new information over old data that you want to retrieve.

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To format your PC and reinstall windows 98 you need to do following:

1. Make sure that you have start up disk that came along with your operating system CD. You can also make a start up disk by going to Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs> Create Start up Disk, click on button and insert a floppy in your floppy drive. 2. Eject floppy disk after start up disk has been created. 3. Turn off your computer. 4. Insert start up disk in your floppy drive. 5. Restart your computer. 6. Instead of booting from hard disk, your computer will now boot from floppy and a menu will appear. 7. From menu select "Start without CD-ROM support." 8. After files are loaded and you are returned to prompt "A:/" type FDISK 9. The FDISK tool is loaded and allows you to delete existing DOS partition. 10. Choose file system you want to use. 11. Delete existing DOS partition by following prompts on screen. (Option 3)) 12. After you have deleted partition press 'Esc' key to return to main menu. 13. Now you need to create a new DOS partition. 14. Type in FDISK again and go through various steps to create a new DOS primary partition (Option 1)). Assign it all space available (100%). 15. Exit FDISK and reboot system. 16. Now you need to format your drive, so type in FORMAT Driveletter: (where Driveletter is letter of your hard disk, C: by default) 17. After format switch over to your CD ROM, by typing in drive letter for CD ROM drive (D: by default) and type in setup.exe to begin installation of windows 98.

Creating extended and logical DOS partitions

Follow steps 1 to 14

Now in order to create other extended and logical DOS partitions make sure that you have not assigned all space to primary partition. Decide beforehand how much space you want to allocate to primary partition.

14.1.Instead of exiting FDISK, re enter FDISK options menu and select option to create Extended DOS partition (Option 1)) and assign it rest of space that is still unallocated and follow various prompts on screen to create extended partition. 14.2 Again re enter FDISK menu. This time select option to create logical DOS partitions and assign space to it. 14.3 Follow above step in order to create more logical drives.

Follow step 15 and 16 16.1 Format all your other drives by using format command i.e. FORMAT Driveletter:

Follow step 17 in order to in install windows 98.

Deleting existing extended partitions and creating new ones

If you are not happy with way your hard disk is currently partitioned you can also delete existing partitions and create new ones.

Follow steps 1 to 11

11.1 Instead of exiting, re enter menu and delete rest of partitions (Option 3).

Follow steps 12 to 17