And that's particularly true in fast-changing world of laptop computers, where you'll find three bargain sources right at your fingertips:

================== 1. Clearance Sales ==================

Just like many brick-and-mortar retail stores, many computer manufacturer websites have clearance sections. On these web pages, you can find great deals on last year's leftovers.

These are all new products (unless otherwise stated) and carry their original warranties. The only difference is that price has been reduced.

Of course manufacturers aren't only ones with clearance merchandise.

Major electronics and office supply retailers also include clearance sections on their websites, where you may be able to find laptop bargain of your dreams.

====================== 2. Refurbished Laptops ======================

Factory refurbs represent another great bargain opportunity. It works something like this:

- Joe Blow buys a new laptop, but decides a week later he doesn't like color.

- He takes it back to store within store's stated return period, so store is stuck with it.

If you have a computer, you surely know what a hard drive is. If you don't have one, or simply don't know what a hard drive is, then this article will begin with a short description of hard drive. Then we will cover formating a hard drive...

A hard disk drive in computing is a type of storage device made up of hard disk platters, a spindle, read and write heads read and write arms, electrical motors, and integrated electronics contained inside an airtight enclosure.

Now you know what hard drive is. Let's stick to point and start with information on title of this article. How to format a hard disk drive....

First of all, you should have a reason if you really want to learn how to format a hard drive. But don't forget that formating a hard drive does NOT permanently delete your data!

Of course, when you format your hard drive you think that data is really deleted, but that is not case.

The fact is that data you have "deleted" can be restored. Nonetheless, you should not experiment with formatting a hard drive because you never know what may happen. Of course, it also depends on software you use, for example, there are such products that will permanently delete data you want and then you can continue process of how to format a hard drive.

In fact there is nothing so difficult in it. You first need to decide what operating system you intend to load after formating a hard drive.

It is best and easiest to use a boot disk for that Operating System, such as MS Dos6.2 or Windows95b or Windows98SE. You will need proper Windows95/98 boot disk in order to load these operating systems on computer, else it will reject loading due to wrong Operating System on computer.

Then you will have to insert your boot disk in floppy drive and start computer.

Once system has completed booting and an A: prompt appears. You will need to type format C: /s and then press Enter. The function of this command is to tell system to format your "C" drive and when it is finished to copy system files to drive.