wiping hard drive

BillScarab

depends by what you mean by "new software". Are you putting on a new version Windows, if so it will give you an option to format the disk when you do. It's generally more successful to install a new version of windows than try to upgrade BTW.

If you're installing a version of Linux I don't know what options you'll get but I would have though you'd have the option to format the drive as part of the install.

When backing up your data make a couple of copies to be on the safe side. It's easy to scratch of lose a DVD/CD

albertross_2

If you have a router, you shouldn't need any AOL software to get the internet to work.

travel_freak

Hi BillScarab

Many thanks. It will be Windows, so are you saying that I just put the disc in and it will prompt me to do everything? Do I have to "start" it in some way or once I put it in will it all happen automatically? And when you say "format" do you mean that that will wipe everything off and then install the new disc?


Albertross,
What you say is really interesting and might help. What I have is software from AOL (a disc) and a wireless router also supplied by AOL (it is Netgear, in case that makes a difference) as part of their silver package. I've successfully loaded the software and got broadband to work on one desktop and a laptop but becuase the other desktop is ancient and I had problems loading drivers for a newly installed ethernet port I was unable to set up the AOL software on that because AOL say you must first set this up with a wired connection through ethernet cable. That's why I thought if I load newer Windows software, then have another go with the drivers for the ethernet card, then try to load AOL again.

But do you mean I could just get a USB wireless adapter, plug that in to the old desktop and get online and access my AOL even without loading the AOL software?

Many thanks.

BillScarab

If you're installing windows from CD, do the following

1/ backup all data that you want to keep. Photos, videos, any office docs etc. to CD or DVD. Make a couple of copies to be on the safe side

2/ put the CD in and reboot the PC

3/ when it reboots go into the BIOS and change the boot order so that CD is selected as the first device so it will boot from the windows CD. The key you need to press to get into the BIOS varies, on my PC it's del, I think some ithers it's F8

4/ It will then boot from CD and go to the windows installation menu. You will then have an option to install windows. When you select this it will ask you if you want to format the drive(this will erase everything on the disc). Reply yes and then follow the prompts.

Out of interest what version of windows are you installing ?

WARNING the above is from memory, it would be a good idea to spend a little time on the web googling, you may be bale to find a detailed step by step guide for whichever version you are installing

Idiophreak

Just to agree with what's said above.

Backup anything you want.
Go into bios, chose the CDROM as the primary load device (normally a message is displayed saying "press [insert key here] to enter setup" - hit that key to go into the bios.
Stick the CD in, reboot.
Then just follow instructions onscreen.
Make sure you format the C drive (and any other hard disks) when asked.

At the end, you'll have a machine with windows on it. Nothing else.

travel_freak

Hi BillScarab and Idiophreak,

Many thanks for your helpful, step-by-step instructions. My God it sounds a bit scary now, wiping everything off the computer!! I really hope it works, please keep your fingers crossed for me! Unfortunately although it has a CD drive I can't write to it so I'll have to back everything up to floppy discs or email it all to myself and then reload from there.

Just off now to check out what other software is on it that I might actually need before I hit the button to reformat. Just one last question, if I find there is software there that I need to keep and can't easily replace then is there an alternative way to load this operating software over the top of what's there rather than wiping everything? (I appreciate what has been said earlier about doing this and that it might not work well together.)

Thanks again.

Regards,

albertross_2

Travel Freak,

If you have 98, then you can either get the ethernet card working (if you can find the drivers for it), or use a usb wireless dongle or wireless pci card (but you obviously need to use 98 compatible cards, and you probably will only be able to use wep encryption rather than the stronger wpa.

What make and model of ethernet card did you buy, what is the operating system?

This one?

http://www.ecsusa.com/downloads/driver/lan/8139400.zip

have you tried installing the driver, what happens?

Idiophreak

travel_freak wrote:

Just one last question, if I find there is software there that I need to keep and can't easily replace then is there an alternative way to load this operating software over the top of what's there rather than wiping everything? (I appreciate what has been said earlier about doing this and that it might not work well together.)

There will be a way to upgrade/reload the version of windows on the machine without losing everything, yeah (it's an option in the install process iirc). But this will mean two things:

1) All personal files will still be there, will have to go through and delete them all by hand

2) If you're upgrading the OS, there's a high chance that any programs installed under 98 just won't like a newer operating system and as such won't work anyway.

wayne

hi folks,i have now deleted all personal stuff of my DD pooter apart from one program.when i try to uninstall the the linksys moniter program i keep getting the message 'an installation support file could not be installed.the system cannot find the file specified'.i,ve tried running the installation disc but it just says i have to uninstall the drivers already loaded before running the installation.is there any way i can uninstall this program please?

pavlovs_dog

bumping an old thread rather than starting a new one.

i have an old pc (circa windows 98, slow by todays standrads but in good working order). we have so many PCs in the house that it seems pointless keeping a whole cpu just as a place to back up files, so i was thinking of donating it to charity.

obviously before i do so, i want to make sure that all of my personal info is gone. i understand that simply deleting files isnt enough, that they are still recoverable? what is the best, cheapest and easiest way to effectively and permanently remove all of my personal data from the hard drive before i give the PC away?

p_d