Restoring old computer....help!

My boss is always on my computer at work, so I'm trying to set up an old computer that I found for her. It has Windows 95 on it and a bunch of other things that I don't need. I want to just get rid of everything on it and load up windows XP, but I'm not sure exactly how to do it.

From looking on this site, I've seen that KillDisk is supposed to be good for wiping out everything on a hard drive, so I downloaded that on a disk and tried to run it on the old computer. I started in DOS mode and tried to run it, but I didn't make it far. I wanted to run it in autoexecute mode. When I got to the second step, the Microsoft DOS file edit screen, I didn't know what to do. The instructions say to "Enter the command line and parameters as needed" and I didn't know what to do with this. I typed in what it said: "killdisk -erasehdd=80h -erasemethod=6 -passes=1 -ignoreerrors" but nothing happened.

Does anyone know what I've done wrong with the KillDisk?? Or is there an easier way to wipe the drive clean since I'm not worried about any kind of privacy issue? I just want it to be a blank canvas.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Beth

 

Did you make the floppy using startdisk and adding the killdik file or did you download the floppy disk creator version?
http://www.killdisk.com/downloads/killdiskfloppysetup.exe
If you are not sure try using that file to make the floppy.Also try this program http://dban.sourceforge.net/
On the topic of installing windows xp.Have you checked if the old sytem satisfies hardware requirements of windows xp?What are your hardware specs?And you dont need to use killdisk to wipe your hardrive to install windows xp.Windows xp setup will do the partitioning and format.

 

I'm embarassed to say that I don't know the hardware specs of the old computer....

So if I'm able to install windows XP, it'll wipe the computer clean? I just don't want any old programs on it that my boss (who is even less computer suavvy than me) can accidently get into and create a mess. She doesn't need a lot of options.

I can say that I did try to install XP once on it, and it said that there wasn't enough memory. I figured that if I got rid of the stuff/programs that I didn't need than it would be ok. Is that wrong? Is there a chance that I can't load it at all?? That would suck since I've already opened up the box...

Anyway...thanks so much for your help Kadavill!

 

No old stuff cannot use memory.Windows xp setup will scan your hardware and if it does not meet this requirement it will stop.

Minimum Requirement Recommended much Higher

•PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or 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 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*

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

Try windows 98.

 

Try Everest Home Edition. www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181
Free from MG.
When you run EVEREST, Click on "Computer" icon, then on "Summary", then on "Report" (at top menu), then on "Quick Report Summary", down to "Plain text". Save it to a file, as whatever name you like, (maybe PCddmmyy--with ddmmyy being the current date). Then it can be posted for all to see.

Kadavill is right, W98SE would probably be a better choice for an old PC. I've just been through the same exercise. Check out the minimum specs for Xp, (as posted earlier), if you have to use the XP that you purchased, then buy a secondhand Pentium 3 (or.Pentium 2 if that is all you can find), with plenty of RAM, with at least a 6gig harddrive. You should be able to pick one up cheap. I got one for AUD$25.

Probably better, and cheaper, than trying to upgrade a W95 box.
Let us know what you decide, and how you go. Bazza

===

 

Bazza,

Unfortunately I think that I'm going to have to stick with the XP since it's opened and I can't return it. My budget can't take that kind of hit for nothing. I'm really going to show my ignorance here, but....When you say that I need to buy a secondhand Pentium 3, do you mean that I need to get a new CPU with Pentium 3? I went to ebay and saw several that I could get with Pentium 3 or 4 (better to get 4??). Some of the listings show a CPU but others show some kind of hardware. Which am I looking for? By the way, I work at a place where I have several computer guys that I could call on to install something on the old computer if I had to. I should have talked to them first...

Thanks again for all your help. This forum has been a great help to me!

~Beth

 

Just to clarify when you installed xp what was the error.Not enough hard disk space or Random Acces Memory?

 

I can't remember the exact phrasing but I remember it saying that it needed a certain number of something (might have been disk space but I can't say for sure) and that it only detected a lesser number. Can you make anything out of that? (I think you've realized that your DEFINITELY not talking to a computer expert....) If not, I can check tomorrow at work.

~Beth

 

If you got the error when you choose the partition to install windows xp,then it will be due to a hard disk size.If the error came before you did anthing then it may be something else.

 

The error came when I started the installation process. It scanned my pc and said that it couldn't upgrade to xp, which I knew. When I clicked on install XP, it scanned my pc for a few minutes and said that there wasn't enough ----blank--- to install xp. Does that make sense?

 

I tried to install XP again this morning, and after going through the first few steps including entering my Key Code, it stopped and a message box popped up that said: "Setup detected 36MB of RAM but 64MB is required". Can I add RAM or do I need to get a new CPU since I really have to use the XP that I bought and already opened??

Thanks!
Beth

 

Sorry, my fault. I should have been more informative.
What I meant was to buy a complete second hand computer case, only, with all it's innards, or as much as possible included.
CPU, memory, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, hard drive also, all included, (if you are lucky). As I said, I got a P3 box for AUD$25, or around USD$20.

You would then just plug in your Monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.
You would have to plug in a modem, either internal card type, or external type.
You may/would need to wipe the hard drive, and install XP from scratch. Bazza
===

 

PS: the guys at your work should be able to help you pick up a secondhand box, from local PC repair shops, secondhand shops, markets, pawnshops, etc. Maybe your work has one, left over, from updating their hardware. Bazza

 

Thanks so much for your help. I'll give this a go and let you know if I have any problems.

~Beth

 

If the computer had Windows 95, chances are that it's very dated.

I doubt if you could run XP on it, and even if you could it would be very slow and problematic.

Older computers are better suited to Windows 98 SE, which can be bought for next to nothing these days.

 

Yep Insomniac, it's at least a decade old. I wish I would have come here before I spent a couple hundred on XP. Oh well, it's a lesson learned. Thanks again to all you who took the time to help me out. It's appreciated.

~Beth