To outline the correct procedure and requirements for formatting a storage drive (HDD or SSD) prior to installing a Windows operating system.
Drive Preparation for Windows Operating System Installation
For a standard Windows install on a modern PC, boot from the installation media, select Custom installation , delete existing partitions on the target drive, and click Next on the unallocated space. Windows will automatically format the drive as NTFS with a GPT partition scheme. Always back up data before formatting. Report Prepared By: [Your Name/Department] Date: [Current Date]
Note: This process erases all data on the target drive. Backup all important files first.