formatting harddrive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
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G

Guest

have an evil virus / spywear prob which has hijacked my computer so all
hyperlinks & my homepage lead back to its homepage at
http://ipassist.biz/index.php?id=186

cannot download any anti-virus/spywear progs to sort it & the ones i have
cannot find a prob.

so 1 simple question- how do i completly reformat the computer to start
again??

thanks nick
 
nick said:
so 1 simple question- how do i completly reformat the computer to start
again??
Click to expand...

First save your applications, data, and any other essential files to backup
media, such as a CD or external hard drive, because reformatting is going to
wipe the drive clean.

Then insert your XP CD and reboot your computer. Follow the prompts.
Select the option to "Boot this computer from the CD." When you get to the
part about which partition to install XP on, select the option to delete the
partition on which XP currently resides (again follow the instructions).
Once the partitions are deleted, then select the option to install XP on the
partition you just deleted. XP will create a partition in that space, format
it, and clean install XP. You will then need to reinstall your data and
partitions. Make sure you immediately upgrade to SP2 and also make an effort
to find out how you got slimed the first time so that it doesn't happen again.

Ken
 
Here are a few articles that you might want to take a look at:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/xp_home_install_-_graphic.htm

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,119266,pg,3,00.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/honeycutt_02october07.mspx

It basically involves configuring your PC to boot from the CD,
delete/partition/format the drive you want to install XP on and
then provide info when requested.

A few things to do before you start this procedure:

1. Disconnect any devices which are not needed. The only things
that should be attached to the computer are the mouse, keyboard
and monitor. No printer, no extra drives, no network cables.

2. Look for a sticker on the side of your computer with the 25
digit CD key. You'll probably need to provide this info during
the
installation.

3. Make sure you have all the installation files for the software
you wish to reinstall. It would also be helpful to have the
latest drivers for your hardware devices.

4. Back up only the most crucial data that you want to keep. Try
to minimize the chance that you restore an infected file to the
new installation.

5. Once the installation is complete, activate the windows
firewall before connecting to the internet.

6. Update Windows before you install your applications.

Good luck
 
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