Erasing Everything (Fresh Start)

[Trep21]

Hi,
I have a friend who has a computer that is completely destroyed as far as the speed of it and all the problems are infected and all that. Now this computer was givin to her like this. I know who had it before her just totally was doing things and not caring what happened to it. She only uses this to get online. Now Since this is so messed up, I talked to someone and she just wants to buy a new computer. Well I told her just to delete everything on the drive. My only concern is that since she has a cable modem, when she goes to load Windows back on to the computer, will it effect her connection? Also, Could someone just let me know how to make sure to delete the drive, or Windows or something to just start over with not one thing on her drive, except the essentials to run Windows. Please advise, as in what she will need IE Boot Disks.
Thank you.

[mark11211]

i've recently wiped my hard drive and fired it up with a copy of xp home. You need to go into the (add bleach options) and create a floppy disk. Iv'e labeled my LEATHAL because that just about sums it up. One thing though, it only works once........................................

[Trep21]

Well let me see here. 1. Is it free and 2. is she going to be able to understand how to do this? Im saying though, Im not sure if she has a boot up disk and or a Windows CD, I need to know how to get one of these, but It cant be copied because the current version is infected?????

[Miz]

First you need to find out what kind of Windows CD she has. Is it a recovery or restore CD made by the manufacturer of her computer or is it a full Windows XP installation CD?

Next, make sure her CD drive works because nothing is going to happen without it. ;)

Next, make sure she has the product key for her copy of Windows. If it's not on a sticker on the computer or on the package her XP CD came in (if that's what she has), she can run KeyFinder (http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml) to get the number. Then she needs to write that down somewhere other than in a file on her computer. Without the product key, completing the reinstallation of XP with a standard XP CD (as opposed to a recovery/restore disk) won't be possible.

[Miz]

You can make a boot disk on any working Windows 98 computer in Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs>Startup disk tab or you can download a file that will make a boot disk from www.bootdisk.com.

If she has a recovery or restore CD that came with her computer, you may not need a boot disk since those CDs are usually bootable. If you're not sure, post back in this thread what the label on the CD says.

Make sure she has the product key for her copy of Windows. If she doesn't have the sticker with the key on it, you can run KeyFinder (http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml) to retrieve it. Write it down and don't lose the paper it's written on. ;)

Once she has the boot disk (use it to boot a Windows 98 system to make sure it works), the instructions for partitioning and formatting the harddrive and then reinstalling Win98 start on this page (http://www.cybertechhelp.com/tutorial/article/how-delete-a-partition-using-fdisk). Printing it all out is worth the time, ink and paper.