How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP
This wikiHow teaches you how to remove all user-created files, folders, and programs from a Windows XP computer by booting from your installation CD and reformatting the drive. You must have your Windows XP installation disc to perform...
Part 1 of 2:
Booting from the CD
-
Picture 1 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Back up any files you want to save. Once you delete the files from your computer, getting them back will be nearly impossible. You can use a USB drive or an external hard drive to back up your files.- You can also use a CD-RW to back up your files, but these typically have less space available than a standard USB drive or hard drive.
-
Picture 2 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Insert your Windows XP install disc into your computer.- If you no longer have your XP install disc, you'll have to buy a replacement.
- You can also download an XP installation file and burn it to a CD, though you'll need the accompanying purchase key.
-
Picture 3 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Restart your computer. Click Start, click Turn Off Computer, and click the green Restart button when prompted. -
Picture 4 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press and hold Del or F2 to enter setup. The key you're prompted to press might also be different; most computers will display a message on startup that says "Press [key] to enter setup" or something similar.- You can look at your computer model's manual or online support page to confirm your computer's BIOS key.
-
Picture 5 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Select the Boot tab. Use the arrow keys to move the selection box over to Boot.- The Boot tab may instead say Boot Options, depending on your computer's manufacturer.
-
Picture 6 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Select the CD-ROM Drive option. Press ↓ until this option has a box around it. -
Picture 7 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Make the CD-ROM Drive your boot option. Press + until CD-ROM Drive is at the top of the list.- You may have to press a different key here. Check the key legend on this screen to confirm.
-
Picture 8 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Save your settings. You should see a key prompt (e.g., F10) at the bottom of the screen that correlates to "Save and Exit"; pressing it will restart your computer, using the CD drive as a reboot point.- You may have to press ↵ Enter to confirm the changes.
Part 2 of 2:
Formatting the Hard Drive
-
Picture 9 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press ↵ Enter at the "Welcome to Setup" screen. This will begin the setup process. -
Picture 10 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press F8 to accept the Windows agreement. If you're prompted to press a different key, press that key instead of F8. -
Picture 11 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press Esc when prompted. Doing so bypasses the repair process. -
Picture 12 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Select the "Windows" partition. This line of text will say something like "Partition 2 (Windows)". Press the ↓ key until this line of text is selected. -
Picture 13 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press D, then press L. This will delete the partition where your operating system and all of its files are stored.- You may see slightly different key prompts at the bottom of the screen. If so, use those instead.
-
Picture 14 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Re-select the partition's space if necessary. There should be a blank space where the partition used to be; make sure it's selected. -
Picture 15 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Press C, then press ↵ Enter. This will create a new, empty partition in the space where the old one was. -
Picture 16 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Select the new partition and press ↵ Enter. Doing so will select the partition as the location to install Windows XP.[1] -
Picture 17 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Choose NTFS as the partition's format. Select the Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick) option using the arrow keys, then press ↵ Enter. -
Picture 18 of How to Clear All Files from a Computer Running Windows XP Wait for your hard drive to finish formatting. This can take several hours. Once this process is complete, you'll follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall Windows XP; however, your files, programs, and any other user-installed items will be gone.- You will need your product key to finish installing Windows XP.
Update 04 March 2020
You should read it
- Convert MBR to GPT on Windows drive
- Instructions for dividing hard drives right in Windows 10
- How to delete a partition on Windows hard drive?
- 4 ways to quickly check the partition type on Windows 11
- How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows 8
- Minitool Partition Wizard - Redistribute hard drive with Minitool Partition Wizard
- How to Delete a Drive Partition on PC or Mac
- How to Extend System Volume
- How to split and partition hard drive with EaseUS Partition Master software
- How to split the hard drive, merge the partition on Windows XP without worrying about losing data
- Paragon Partition Manager - Download the latest Paragon Partition Manager
- Partitioning for the hard drive
Maybe you are interested
The first person to have ChatGPT implanted in the brain to support operations on electronic devices MSI Afterburner - Download the latest MSI Afterburner here Why It's Easier to Succeed with Studying Than You Might Think Top 6 gaming laptops under 20 million worth buying most today Download WinUtilities Pro 15.21, Windows optimization and optimization software for $ 40, free 30 great websites to learn new things every day