Formatting a hard drive along with the install of a new OS is the best option. The vast majority of operating system installations provide a "format" option as part of the installation process.

Not only can you do it, but it’s reasonably easy. Of course, all of the operating systems must be compatible with your hardware. Assuming your PC is less than five years old, it should be able to take ...

Concerned about updating your Mac to the latest version of macOS? Perhaps you aren’t sure about running macOS Sequoia quite yet, or maybe you want to test the beta but don’t want to risk messing up ...

Windows installer is slow, reboot-heavy, ad-filled and forces online accounts and privacy toggles. Linux installs fast, reboots once, skips ads and online accounts; local accounts are default. Most ...

There’s a large selection of free and open source (FOSS) operating systems available these days, and choosing the right one for any given circumstance can be quite a challenge. This article is ...

Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also ...

The world's most popular mobile operating system has a new version upgrade—Android 14—which promises enhancements to privacy, security, and performance. Google, the company that manages the OS, has ...