Member Avatar for Noahsson

I thought I posted this earlier today and now can't find it so here goes again. I have a hijack problem but don't want to go through the regular route to get rid of it because I also have a hard drive that is incredibly cluttered with programs I don't need. I would love to just reinstall windows xp but when I did and told it to overwrite I still discovered later that there are folders in the program files of things that I have downloaded in the past and deleted. These folders (kazaa, wildtangent etc.) are not runnable but still present. I need as much space as I can get. How do I blank out my harddrive and reinstall and get rid of everything. This is not a legal issue so I don't have to meet any standards as far as hiding something. I just don't want window recovering everything.

Thank you so much, this has been a tremedous headache
James

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A clear, practical plan for wiping everything and doing a true clean Windows XP install is useful here. The simplest reliable outcome is to reinitialize the disk from the XP setup (remove the old partition table and let Setup create a new partition and filesystem) so the installer writes a fresh NTFS volume and no leftover Program Files folders remain. (lifewire.com)

A short pre-wipe checklist:

  • Preserve any data that must be kept, the Windows product key (or OEM sticker), and the network/storage drivers (they may be needed after install).
  • Make sure the install media is a full bootable XP setup (not a limited “repair” session or only a recovery environment) and set the BIOS/UEFI boot order to boot from that media. (learn.microsoft.com)

Formatting notes and when extra wiping is needed:

  • The XP setup offers a Quick Format and a Full/normal format. Quick Format only rebuilds filesystem structures and leaves old data blocks physically on the disk; a Full format scans for bad sectors and is more thorough. For ordinary cleanup and to stop Windows “recovering” folders, recreating the partition and using a full format is usually enough. (howtogeek.com)
  • If the goal is to make data unrecoverable (resale, highly sensitive content), a dedicated disk-wipe tool that overwrites the whole disk is required. Tools such as DBAN/nwipe are for HDDs (not SSDs); for formal sanitization guidance, consult NIST SP 800-88. Note that secure-wipe utilities remove the OS too, so have install media ready. (dban.org)

Notes tied to earlier replies: and correctly pointed toward reinitializing the drive from Setup; ’s DBAN suggestion is appropriate only when overwrite-level sanitization is required. After reinstalling, apply service pack and updates as applicable. (lifewire.com)

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for Banderson

Hi Noahsson,
Here is a link to some software that will do what you are wanting to do. Be sure to have windows recovery disk because it deletes your operating system too. DBan

Member Avatar for Catweazle

A utility like that one would be useful if you wanted to 'sterilise' a drive for resale, Banderson, but for reinstalling Windows it's unnecessary. Deleting the existing partition and creating a new one is good enough ;)

Member Avatar for Bear

A utility like that one would be useful if you wanted to 'sterilise' a drive for resale, Banderson, but for reinstalling Windows it's unnecessary. Deleting the existing partition and creating a new one is good enough ;)

I agree 100 % Catweazle, there is no need to throw third party software into this. A clean install of Windows Xp following the instructions provided here is the better solution. Just my 2 ¢

Member Avatar for Kinseeker69

I thought I posted this earlier today and now can't find it so here goes again. I have a hijack problem but don't want to go through the regular route to get rid of it because I also have a hard drive that is incredibly cluttered with programs I don't need. I would love to just reinstall windows xp but when I did and told it to overwrite I still discovered later that there are folders in the program files of things that I have downloaded in the past and deleted. These folders (kazaa, wildtangent etc.) are not runnable but still present. I need as much space as I can get. How do I blank out my harddrive and reinstall and get rid of everything. This is not a legal issue so I don't have to meet any standards as far as hiding something. I just don't want window recovering everything.

Thank you so much, this has been a tremedous headache
James

Just boot to the XP cd and select "Delete Partition" and the reforamt as you normally would. Just make sure that in BIOS the CD is set as the 1st boot device.

Member Avatar for avee_kothari8

Since you do not want any of the existing data, while installing a fresh copy of windows:
Delete your partitions and create new ones depending on your needs. Also format the partitions.

Member Avatar for caperjack

Since you do not want any of the existing data, while installing a fresh copy of windows:
Delete your partitions and create new ones depending on your needs. Also format the partitions.

Hello Avee,welcome to Daniweb ,no need to answer 3 years old post ,lots of new ones need answer /help ,check the dates when reading and posting answers ,thanks

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