Clearing Hard-drive and Installing Windows

[donsrno1]

At the moment I've been trying to wipe my old PC of all the crap thats on it and install Windows XP again. I went through the XP installation thinking it would do this but it has just put another version of XP on it along with my previous version (have two choices when switched on) and has also kept all the files and folders I had previously.

Basically what I want to know is how to literally wipe the whole system of all files folders I've added over time and restore it to the original settings as it was when I first got it? In other words just the standard operating system and nothing else.

I know there were probably restore CD's to do this with the PC when I got it but I have no idea where they are tbh. Also, when bought the PC had windows ME but I am now running XP so don't even know if that would work.

If anyone could tell me how best to restore it to the very basic setting like when you first get a new PC that would be much appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[guysy]

If you havent got the restore discs then you might be stuck, Sometimes you buy PCs and you make the restore discs yourself; by burning a restore disc. You might not have this option.

You could go and buy xp from pc world or something, probably quite costly though.

 

[donsrno1]

Its ok, realised what I was doing wrong and got it sorted. In the installation I just deleted the partition that was already there, then put in a new one and formatted it.

Cheers anyway though.

 

[guysy]

Cool, Glad its sorted.

 

[JoelDee]

Need to boot from the XP CD clear all partitions, create a new one and reinstall to the new one