How To Wipe My Windows Xp Computer Clean

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This wikiHow teaches you how to remove all user-created files, folders, and programs from a Windows XP computer by booting from your installation CD and reformatting the drive. You must have your Windows XP installation disc to perform this process.

1. 1

   Back up any files you want to save. Once you delete the files from your computer, getting them back will be nearly impossible. You can use a USB drive or an external hard drive to back up your files.

   • You can also use a CD-RW to back up your files, but these typically have less space available than a standard USB drive or hard drive.

2. 2

   Insert your Windows XP install disc into your computer.

   • If you no longer have your XP install disc, you'll have to buy a replacement.
   • You can also download an XP installation file and burn it to a CD, though you'll need the accompanying purchase key.

3. 3

   Restart your computer. Click Start, click Turn Off Computer, and click the green Restart button when prompted.

4. 4

   Press and hold Del or F2 to enter setup. The key you're prompted to press might also be different; most computers will display a message on startup that says "Press [key] to enter setup" or something similar.

   • You can look at your computer model's manual or online support page to confirm your computer's BIOS key.

5. 5

   Select the Boot tab. Use the arrow keys to move the selection box over to Boot.

   • The Boot tab may instead say Boot Options, depending on your computer's manufacturer.

6. 6

   Select the CD-ROM Drive option. Press ↓ until this option has a box around it.

7. 7

   Make the CD-ROM Drive your boot option. Press + until CD-ROM Drive is at the top of the list.

   • You may have to press a different key here. Check the key legend on this screen to confirm.

8. 8

   Save your settings. You should see a key prompt (e.g., F10 ) at the bottom of the screen that correlates to "Save and Exit"; pressing it will restart your computer, using the CD drive as a reboot point.

   • You may have to press ↵ Enter to confirm the changes.

1. 1

   Press ↵ Enter at the "Welcome to Setup" screen. This will begin the setup process.

2. 2

   Press F8 to accept the Windows agreement. If you're prompted to press a different key, press that key instead of F8 .

3. 3

   Press Esc when prompted. Doing so bypasses the repair process.

4. 4

   Select the "Windows" partition. This line of text will say something like "Partition 2 (Windows)". Press the ↓ key until this line of text is selected.

5. 5

   Press D , then press L . This will delete the partition where your operating system and all of its files are stored.

   • You may see slightly different key prompts at the bottom of the screen. If so, use those instead.

6. 6

   Re-select the partition's space if necessary. There should be a blank space where the partition used to be; make sure it's selected.

7. 7

   Press C , then press ↵ Enter . This will create a new, empty partition in the space where the old one was.

8. 8

   Select the new partition and press ↵ Enter . Doing so will select the partition as the location to install Windows XP.^[1]

9. 9

   Choose NTFS as the partition's format. Select the Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick) option using the arrow keys, then press ↵ Enter .

10. 10

    Wait for your hard drive to finish formatting. This can take several hours. Once this process is complete, you'll follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall Windows XP; however, your files, programs, and any other user-installed items will be gone.

    • You will need your product key to finish installing Windows XP.

Add New Question

• Question

  How do I clear all the files off the computer and store them on an external hard drive?

  

  Back up all the files to a hard drive or disc, delete the files off the old hard drive, and use a computer to transfer the back-up onto the new hard drive.

• Question

  Does this get rid of the OS as well?

  

  No, resetting or reimaging a device will reinstall all of the software and the operating system information but it will delete all user data.

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Video

• If you want to make sure no one can recover any of your files, you'll need to use a program like Eraser or DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) to overwrite the hard drive.

• The only guaranteed way to ensure that no one can ever recover your files is to physically destroy the hard drive.

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How To Wipe My Windows Xp Computer Clean

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Clear-All-Files-from-a-Computer-Running-Windows-XP

Posted by: mcdermottacque1994.blogspot.com

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