What is the best way to delete everything off an old computer and update it?

Question

I have an old Windows98 that is currently unused, and would like to backup the things we need and then wipe the hard drive and install Windows XP. Also, we would like to install a wireless card but don't know if we can or not because it is about 10 years old and started out as Windows 95. I haven't dug it out yet, so I don't know any tech specs of it. If needed, we might add more RAM and memory to it.. Anything I should think of before I go about digging it out and deleting everything?

Answer 1

Alot of these people gave you great advice but unfortunately, a 10 year old Windows 95 machine just can't handle XP. The oldest, weakest computer I ever installed Windows XP on had a 133Mhz Pentium proc, and 64MB of RAM. Windows XP took forever to install and was just barely functional when fully optimized for a weak system. I really think you should either install Windows 98SE or look into buying a new computer. These days you can get a decent machine for under $400.

On a side note, after putting Windows 98SE on that ancient machine, my MSI PCI wirelessG card worked perfectly with it so if you have a similar machine it may work out ok.

Answer 2

Ok, the first two responses didn't really address some issues related to completely erasing the data from the hard drive.

I always suggest (to my customers, yes I do this for a living) that if they want to erase and start over, they should use a zero fill utility to wipe the hard drive clean (write zeros) from any existing data or partitions. This does two things:

First, this will ensure that any and all data is completely erased from the hard drive including sensitive data.

Second, this will ensure that when you do reinstall an operationg system (and in the process, repartition and reformat), the drive will be clean and free from any corruption or data/partition residue.

You don't know how many times I've heard people complain that after a fresh install, the OS dosn't work correctly. This is usually caused by "residue".

Most hard drive manufacturers offer a free zero-fill utility (usually in the form of or attached to a diagnostic utility). You'll have to determine what brand hard drive you have and then goto the mfg's website to download this utility.

Here are the magor Hard drive mfg's websites listed below:

Western Digital: http://support.wdc.com

Maxtor: http://maxtor.com

Seagate: http://www.seagate.com/support/index.html

As for the wireless card, a system that's 10 years old may or may not support the PCI standard that the card uses (I think it's PCI 2.1 standard). The only way to know for sure is to check the motherboard manufacturer's website for the specs.

If installing Windows XP, you may want to make sure that the processor is at least a 300mhz (recommended minimum) and has at least 128MB ram (again, recommended).

And btw, Windows XP has the ability to partition and format the hard drive during windows installation therefore all you'll need to worry about is the wiping drive part.

Answer 3

Well if you would like to start COMPLETELY fresh...follow these steps.

Get a copy of Darik's Boot and Nuke. You can get one here: "http://www.dban.org" Make a boot disk using the software. (*note: its preferable to have a NEW floppy, its real sensitive to old floppies.)

***MOST IMPORTANT*** Back up ALL your important data!! Because DBAN will erase your hard drive COMPLETELY, even more completely than a common FORMAT.

Now..insert the floppy, reboot, and follow the instructions. The easiest way to use DBAN is to use the "autonuke" feature. Use this for the "no frills" method. This will take prolly about an hour or more depending on the size of your hard drive.

After its done, take out the floppy, insert your XP disc into your disc drive and reboot. Be SURE you have your Windows XP Key, otherwise you're gonna be stuck like chuck!

It will reboot, and more than likely ask where you would like to install the XP to, just say to the "unpartitioned drive" and it will say "its not formated, would you like to format?" Say YES. and it will do the rest.

But considering that the computer is 10 years old, It might be in your best interest to just save up and get a new one because it prolly doesnt not have the processing power or RAM to use today's software programs or hardware drivers.

If you have any questions from here, feel free to contact me directly

Answer 4

If the computer started out as a windows 95 computer then don't even think of wasting money on Windows XP for it. The processor, the amount of RAM, and hard drive space is probably insufficient to run windows xp. Even if you meet the minimum requirements it will be real slow.

On the issue of deleting everything from the hard drive. If you do decide to install windows xp the installation will reformat your hard drive effectively erasing everything off it.

Here are the system requirements from microsoft.com

PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)

1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.

Answer 5

Your best and easiest route would be to Format (Delete) your hard drive and do a clean install.If you have a burner backup all your info with burned cds if not back it up with floppy's and flash drives. You should not attempt to install windows XP on anything less than a P2 300 w/128 mgs of ram(even then it will run slow

Answer 6

Wow, without knowing the specs, I would say xp would run way too slow on this older machine. As an interesting alternative, give a linux distro a go, the graphical user interface with most linux distributions today are very user friendly and resembles windows in many ways.
Knoppix or Suse are both fun releases.

Answer 7

dont worry
window xp will do this for u
when u install everything would washed away

Answer 8

remove thr partition and put it back with fdisk

Answer 9

restore disk