Formatting boot C disk

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Guest

My daughters second hand pc is filled with problems and files from the
prvious owner i do not want so i want to reformat the C drive and use the
recovery disk to reinstall windows xp home. if i click 'ok' on format and it
then removes all data will the pc then run from the cd rom in the drive if i
turn it off and restart it with the cd rom in the drive? im nervous to say
'ok' in case i erase the whole thing then cant re-load anything!! help!
 
In bios check and see the boot order. Make sure the cd is listed before the
c drive. Yes, it will boot from the cd. I assume you are installing xp.
 
That sounds great but how do i access the bios bit to set that order? and yes
am reinstalling xp home edition
 
Eddiegym said:
That sounds great but how do i access the bios bit to set that order?
Click to expand...


How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the BIOS
before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press the Del key
when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right for your computer.
Watch the screen carefully when you first boot; there's often a message
there telling you what to do. If not, check your system documentation or
check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm Or just
try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.
 
Eddiegym said:
My daughters second hand pc is filled with problems and files from the
prvious owner i do not want so i want to reformat the C drive and use the
recovery disk to reinstall windows xp home. if i click 'ok' on format and it
then removes all data will the pc then run from the cd rom in the drive if i
turn it off and restart it with the cd rom in the drive? im nervous to say
'ok' in case i erase the whole thing then cant re-load anything!! help!
Click to expand...

Eddie,

Windows will not let you format the C:\ drive (it won't commit suicide). What
you have to do is set the BIOS to boot from CD, then put the CD in the drive and
reboot.

See http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html for how to do a clean
install -- using a Windows XP CD.

Your use of the term "recovery disk" suggests that you may have, rather than the
Windows XP CD required to do a clean install, a manufacturer's CD that is
designed to restore the system to the state it was when it left the factory. If
this is what you have, check the manufacturer's website first for directions on
using such a CD.

In either case, you should be aware that you will lose ALL data and programs on
the harddrive. Any programs must be installed from their original CDs or
redownloaded (except for applications re-installed by the factory restore
operation). All data must be restored from external backups.

Also, make sure that you are NOT connected to the Internet before you are
protected by some sort of firewall. If you are installing WinXP sp2, Windows
Firewall will be turned on by default. If you install WinXP sp1, make sure to
turn on its Internet Connection Firewall (or install your firewall of
choice--downloaded and burned on to a CD before you began the re-install) or
connect using a router before you go to Windows Update to get SP2 and subsequent
fixes.
 
=?Utf-8?B?RWRkaWVneW0=?= said:
My daughters second hand pc is filled with problems and files from the
prvious owner i do not want so i want to reformat the C drive and use the
Click to expand...

When you get/acquire a second hand PC. Best bet is to install the OS you
want to use totally fresh.
 
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