I have an old computer that's been disabled by viruses and has all kinds of crap on it. I want to wipe it clean and reinstall Windows. How do I do that? It currently has Windows 2000 Professional, and I've found my old Windows 98 CD and floppy disk. My mother and sister also have computers and I can probably get the Windows CDs from them.
How do I wipe the computer clean?
1 edit
Originally posted by AThousandYoungboot from the 98 boot disk, and write on the command line: "format c:" (or any other partition you want to wipe clean)
I have an old computer that's been disabled by viruses and has all kinds of crap on it. I want to wipe it clean and reinstall Windows. How do I do that? It currently has Windows 2000 Professional, and I've found my old Windows 98 CD and floppy disk. My mother and sister also have computers and I can probably get the Windows CDs from them.
How do I wipe the computer clean?
if you have several partitions, the drive letters may be different on command line, so you want to make sure you really are formatting that drive that you think you are. they also might not show the correct size if the partitions are really big.
if you have the w2k cd, you can probably select 'format disk before installation' or something to that effect during it's installation. this is probably the easier way.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungThis is what I do:
I have an old computer that's been disabled by viruses and has all kinds of crap on it. I want to wipe it clean and reinstall Windows. How do I do that? It currently has Windows 2000 Professional, and I've found my old Windows 98 CD and floppy disk. My mother and sister also have computers and I can probably get the Windows CDs from them.
How do I wipe the computer clean?
I stick my boot disk in and then on the computer. It goes to some options> I pick the one which says start with cd-rom support.
It makes a fake cd on your computer and changes your actuall cd-drive to a different letter.
Then you get the dos prompt and go A:format C (or your hard drive letter)
Then change it to the cd drive and put the cd in and type set up.
If you want 98 on it then you might have to check the type of harddisk? Fat32, Fat, Ntsp or whatever it's called. I spend 2 days figuring that part out! Going from Xp to ME.
Originally posted by RahimKyea, 98 won't see any ntfs-partitions, so if you want 98 (or ME, which is basically 98) you need to format the drive as fat32.
If you want 98 on it then you might have to check the type of harddisk? Fat32, Fat, Ntsp or whatever it's called. I spend 2 days figuring that part out! Going from Xp to ME.
Originally posted by wormwoodand that is the hard part!! After many times what I did with Xp was stick the cd in and then it opens up and go to new install, check off fat32 let it install and when it is done then you do that boot up thing.
yea, 98 won't see any ntfs-partitions, so if you want 98 (or ME, which is basically 98) you need to format the drive as fat32.
So basically you do 2 installs.
So for you one with your 2000 one and then do the boot up thing with the disk.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungGet wipe drive.
I have an old computer that's been disabled by viruses and has all kinds of crap on it. I want to wipe it clean and reinstall Windows. How do I do that? It currently has Windows 2000 Professional, and I've found my old Windows 98 CD and floppy disk. My mother and sister also have computers and I can probably get the Windows CDs from them.
How do I wipe the computer clean?
Works flawlessly.
http://www.whitecanyon.com/wipedrive-erase-hard-drive.php
Originally posted by Ringtailhunteroh, and another tip: when you get you os up n running, record an image of the spankin new healthy os with norton ghost image or similar. then, when you get serious problems the next time, you just restore your system to from the image in 10 minutes. no more tedious installing or formatting.
Get wipe drive.
Works flawlessly.
http://www.whitecanyon.com/wipedrive-erase-hard-drive.php
Originally posted by wormwoodThats a pretty good Idea.
oh, and another tip: when you get you os up n running, record an image of the spankin new healthy os with norton ghost image or similar. then, when you get serious problems the next time, you just restore your system to from the image in 10 minutes. no more tedious installing or formatting.
I was playing around with old computers and installing linux in them. Became a pain in the butt and gave up on it. The old computers were just too slow and lacking usually some hardware that would cost more than free.
Originally posted by RahimKI got to the dos prompt, but when I tried to format it said "Bad command or file name".
This is what I do:
I stick my boot disk in and then on the computer. It goes to some options> I pick the one which says start with cd-rom support.
It makes a fake cd on your computer and changes your actuall cd-drive to a different letter.
Then you get the dos prompt and go A:format C (or your hard drive letter)
Then change it to the cd drive and ...[text shortened]... Fat, Ntsp or whatever it's called. I spend 2 days figuring that part out! Going from Xp to ME.
1 edit
Originally posted by AThousandYoungGo to DOS and type format c:
I have an old computer that's been disabled by viruses and has all kinds of crap on it. I want to wipe it clean and reinstall Windows. How do I do that? It currently has Windows 2000 Professional, and I've found my old Windows 98 CD and floppy disk. My mother and sister also have computers and I can probably get the Windows CDs from them.
How do I wipe the computer clean?
After format reboot with boot disc in drive and choose start with cd rom support
Or type in at DOS (your cd drive) D:setup
Dont forget to save your driver files for grafics/modem/sound cards
Then once you have it set up the way you want make a image of your hard drive it only takes about 8 minutes to format and reinstall your data with every think includeing drivers settings ect
But you will have to split your drive in half or less
http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/topics/troubleshooting/os/windows_2000/4349/
Originally posted by PalynkaI didn't put
do
A:
dir /p
What does it show?
(Is your disk in the A drive? It could be in other letters, try B,C,D. Just don't format your boot disk 🙂)
A:
dir /p
My prompt looks like this:
A:\>
I entered this:
A:\>dir/p
It responded:
Volume in Drive A is BOOTDISK
some other stuff, then a list of files.
