Need help B4 PC to HP for check/repairs

I'd really appreciate your help! I have WinXP home media edition, SP 2 on an HP Pavilion a1218n PC and had the first hard drive (defective) replaced a year and half ago and now have to send the PC (noisy and very slow) to HP for check and/or repairs. I've spent many all-nighters dealing with a major hiccup within HP: Canada agrees that I have an extended warranty, but technicians in PK tell say I don't and won't help. Canada Customer Care (a definite oxymoron) says they can't advise PK to correct the warranty info in their system. (It's their internal problem!!!) Is there a way to password protect folders (it would take forever to do each file), or should I just delete all files in My Files, My Music, Favorites, My Pictures and Outlook Express before I package and send this blankety-blank PC. In Start/Search I can't find a path to a video I created in Nero PhotoShow Deluxe to delete it also.
Many thanks!

 

Welcome to Major Geeks!

If you are concerned about the personal files that you have on the computer, then I would back them up to either an external USB hard drive or CD/DVD before sending it in for repair. Most manufacturers will encourage you to do so.

Should it be that you don't wish others to see your files, and you already have a backup of them, then you could use the system restore feature of your computer which should restore it to an as shipped condition, if the computer is so equipped.

I've never heard of WinXP Home Media Edition! Are you sure about this?

 

Novice is 100% right. When you send your PC back to a major manufacturer for repair, the chances of it coming back with all your data still intact are VERY low. I know 3 or 4 people who have had to do this and not one of them got the PCs back with all their stuff still on it. Not one. So, as suggested, back up anything you don't want to lose. Either buy or build yourself an external hard drive, or buy a stack of black discs and start burning. If you're concerned about HP seeing your personal stuff, you can delete it, but I wouldn't worry about it too much (unless you have something really incriminating on your PC). They have better things to do than to read all your old emails or look thru your vacation photos and listen to your iTunes music....