Wiping the hard drive.

[10ClarionSt]

How do you wipe the hard drive on a computer? This might seem like a drastic action, but my daughters' pc is full of viruses to the point where she's been told it's either wipe the HD or buy a new one, which isn't an option.

The viruses on her PC prevent her from installing anti-virus and clean-up software. So it' looks like she's going to have to take drastic action. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

[scatty mare]

It's a simple process - make sure you have a full version Windows CD before you start, not just an upgrade. Formatting is part of the installation process, so once you boot your computer with the Windows CD inserted, it will format the drive before reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows. See here for more details: http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/topics/troubleshoo ting/os/windows_2000/4349/

[scatty mare]

Good luck! Should have added - make a note of the sound and video card manufacturers before you format as the Windows CD might not contain the drivers for them. Go to control panel->system->hardware->device manager and look under 'display adaptors' and 'sound video and game controllers'. The drivers can easily be found on the manufactures website. Windows normally does the job, but it makes life a lot easier.

[morbidstorm]

Why is buying an new hard drive not an option? I had 240 viruses on my PC, bought a new hard drive from my uncles computer shop for �35 and all is now well.