Technical information

Initializing a hard disk
The hard disk inside your computer was initialized (formatted for use) at the factory, so you shouldn’t
need to initialize it. You need to initialize a hard disk only if one of the following is true:
m You purchase an uninitialized hard disk from another manufacturer.
m Your hard disk is damaged and can’t be repaired with Disk First Aid.
If a hard disk needs to be initialized, its icon does not appear on the desktop when you start up the
computer using another disk.
You initialize your internal hard disk using a program called Drive Setup, which is on the system
software CD-ROM disc that came with your computer.
s
Warning Initializing a disk erases any information that may be on it. Before you initialize a
damaged disk, try to repair it as described in “Repairing a Damaged Hard Disk or Floppy Disk”
earlier in this section. s
1 Start up your computer from the system software CD-ROM disc that came with your computer.
See “Starting Up From the System Software CD-ROM Disc” later in this chapter.
2 Locate the Drive Setup icon and double-click it to open the Drive Setup program.
Drive Setup is usually in the Utilities folder on the system software CD-ROM disc.
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