If you go to Chapter 12, page 182, of the user guide linked below, there are step 
by step instructions on what to do.

Gateway 510 
series User Guide

Basically, you go Red -> Blue -> Red -> Yellow.

The Gateway Restoration process repartitions and reformats the hard disk on the computer, 
so that means ALL data is destroyed.  If there is anything on the computer that you 
want to be saved, you have to somehow get it off the computer.  You can copy it to 
flash drives, copy it to CD-Rs using your CD burning program, copy it to an external 
hard drive, or copy it to another computer over a network if you have a home or small 
office network set up.  Things you might want to save include email, your address 
book, favorites/bookmarks, any letters or documents you may have written, financial 
information from Money or Quicken or other home finance program, pictures, music, 
passwords to web sites, etc.

If you added any hardware to your computer since you've owned it, it would be best 
to take that hardware out until the restoration process is complete, then reinstall 
each new hardware item by itself.

Same with software.

Before you start the restoration process, unplug your computer from however it connects 
to the internet.

After the restoration process is done, DO NOT connect to the internet until you have 
installed and properly configured an antivirus program and a personal firewall program.

The first thing you should do on the internet after the restoration process is to 
update your protection programs, meaning your antivirus and your firewall.

The second thing you should do is go to windows updates to fully update your computer. 
 According to Gateway support, if Windows Update presents SP2 to you as an update, 
your Gateway computer is qualified to install it and no special action or preparation 
is required.

After all of your Windows updates are installed, you should visit download.com and 
download and install these protection programs:
1.  Ad-aware SE Personal v1.05
2.  SpyBot S&D v1.3
3.  Spyware Blaster v3.3

Then go to microsoft.com and download MS Antispyware.

Post back with any questions.

Can you explain why you want to reformat your computer?

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