Cleaning up old computer for my 6yr old?

Hi, i have an old computer packed away in my loft which is from the days when i bought it with windows 95 on it. Instead of getting rid of it i'd love to clean it up for my 6yr old who loves tinkering around on my computer here....she mainly uses Word to practice her writing but also likes learning other stuff on here too. I think i know where i can get hold of a copy of XP to put onto it for her.....but whats the best way of cleaning out the rest of the files on it that she can start with a fresh computer if it's not connected to the internet?

I'm sat here typing this and for some reason it sounds such a stupid question and i'm expecting a real sarky answer back lol.....like "you have to connect it to the net before you can download the cleanup software as recommended on here.....DOH!!" lol.

So hit me with it.....i can take it! She'd be over the moon if i gave her her very own big girls computer lol.

Calv

 

i dont know if you'd want to put XP on there, but in any case, all you have to do is put in a Windows disk and do a complete reformat. During the windows setup, you can delete the hard drive partition, and format the entire drive as if from scratch, essentially getting rid of any and all files on the system.

of course, then you have to reinstall Word and any other applications, or if you want a free version, you can download OpenOffice, burn it to a CD and put it on the system.

 

just be sure that, that comp is XP compatible ... if it's that old, it may not be

 

Get it out, fire it up, and start posting. I think all the geeks would be happy to help you give your daughter her own computer.

Steve

 

Hey!
This is outstanding!
The ultimate toy!
I hope that that little girl of yours and you get much joy from this.
You know, I wish I had had a computer as a kid.

Hey.
If you want, check this out... An Operating System that will boot and run from the cd-rom. It will run slower, because it is not installed on the hard-drive. But, since XP will *** probably *** not run on this rig, This may give you a little safe introduction (wont touch the hard drive) to linux.

And...
That sweet little girl can maybe check out some of the bash shell on the command line!
Yes!
These kids, they are smarter than we think, you know. She can learn to navigate the filesystem. Someday write some shell scripts.

The next thing you know...

She's a full blown network administrator!

Let us know how you get on with this!

Here is a hyperlink to the bootable cd I spoke of:


http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/linux/cart.php/ba/pdtl/product/263

 

Thats great....thanks everyone. Got me a new project now

Calv.

 

Ok excuse the questions that are to follow.....more of a technophobe than i realise at times!:

1. When you say all i have to do is put in a windows CD and do a complete format.....do you mean a CD such as the reload cd that came with my XP computer? (the one i have used when i've needed to reset the system back to factory settings?

2. With the Linux suggestions....i'm not too clued up on this and am wondering how much use this may be to a 6yr old who is learning everything on windows at school in her IT classes? What are the advantages of Linux to windows when learning about computers in the modern world, ie; when kids grow up nowadays everything appears to be "windows this and windows that".....now whether thats a good thing or not thats what they seem to be surrounded by whilst working and growing up nowadays is'nt it?

Would love to know more about this if thats ok.

Calv.

 

Also.......jeeeez i feel so stupid asking some of these questions.....

If i set up this 2nd computer for my lil one k.....all the cleaning software and stuff i put onto this one via MG..can i then copy that and transfer it onto her computer to give it a real thorough clean? If i'm not connected to the internet on that one i mean.

Calv.

 

Ok.....just been speaking to a friend of mine who says that the computer....as it was bought in 1995 might not have the processors and stuff to take somehing like windows XP. I'm on a real tight budget here......as in virtualy no budget lol.....so i'm looking at making this as easy on the wallet as poss. Also can putting something like XP on an old computer do any damage to it and would i be better off finding an old 98 CD rather so it can handle it a bit more? Any suggestions most apreciated.

Also i'm going to search arounf for ways to pretty the computer up for my girls.....make it a bit more girly yanno? Want to change it to a nicer colour and the likes.

Thanks ....Calv.

 

if it was made in 1995 your best bet is to use windows 1998 as it's more than likely it's not XP compatible ... it won't hurt to try and install XP but it probably just won't work

as for software .... just put the executables onto a CD or floppy then install them into the "new" machine .. it's easiest if you just use the ".exe" files as you dont have to unzip them but takes more space that way

and for a different color ... you'd have to paint the case yourself(or pay someone to do it or buy a new case altogether) ... ive heard good things about this tut on painting cases:

http://linear1.org/gm/archives/00000157.php

 

Here are the minimum system requirements from microsoft for XP home. If your computer is anywhere near them in hardware specs than XP will run dog slow on that computer.


• PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)

• 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.*

• Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

• CD-ROM or DVD drive

• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

 

Many thanks for all the advice here....just got the system back here and found a windows 98 installation CD with all the stuff to upgrade to this from 95......gonna try it in a mo

Calv