XP clean out to give away

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I’m cleaning out an old XP laptop to give away. I don’t really want to buy software to shred files, but the programs I’ve located require Internet access. I’m connected, but the only browser on the machine is corrupted and programs are unable to access anything online. Suggestions? Thanks!

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Insert any disc and boot from it, delete all partitions then switch it off. Then give the XP disc & key code to the new owner.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I’m not at all sure I can find my husband’s XP disc and code.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I’m not at all sure I can find my husband’s XP disc and code.

1 Your going to need that product key. If you cannot find it you can use a program called SIW. It will be located under “Licenses” in the SIW program.
There may be more than one, make sure you copy them both.
2 In order to affect a full format and clean install you will first need to be able to boot to your CD/DVD ROM. This can be achieved by booting into
BIOS to ensure that it is enabled.

Once you are able to boot to the CD/DVD ROM drive with your XP disk inside, you may also need to press a key upon boot that will alow you to bring up a boot menu, or not. Older systems will just look for a CD/DVD ROM disk to boot to before the HDD.
You could experiment by trying F6 through F10.

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If it is a Dell try pressing Ctrl+F11 at boot. This should bring up a screen that will let you return the machine to the condition it was in when received from the factory. You could then go through setup and downloadEraser {free} to wipe the free space. :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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I’ve tried the Ctrl+F11 option, but it doesn’t respond. Computer simply boots as normal. I did manage to get online, however, using a Safe Boot with Networking, and I downloaded Eraser. Eraser starts to Install, but gets hung up on an Installing .NET Framework step. Thanks for the suggestions though.

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Put CCleaner Portable on a USB drive, it can wipe everything that it deletes.
Or.
Eraser Portable.

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If an original XP disk can be borrowed or found, using the product key procedure Clint outlines, a Clean install of XP will format the HD and install a pristine copy of XP. You could then use CCleaner, under the Tools tab and use Drive Wipe to wipe the free space.

This procedure should give a new install of XP while still protecting any info you might have had on the HD.

vandamme, this is the 3rd thread you have stated you would wipe the drive and install Linux. This does not add to the original OP’s question or discussion at all. IMO Linux is way to “Geeky” for the average user and your continual posts such as this are not appropriate.

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Being in the ‘business’ I’m regularly given used PC’s and I always do the same thing to them.
First I go through and UN-Install any programs I don’t want on the PC. Then I create a new user, with Administrator privileges, and reboot into that user. Then I delete the old original user. That takes out any files that were owned by that user.

Then I do a very thorough cleanup of the hard drive and registry. Then I do a Defrag of the hard drive, by doing a backup and restore, which re-writes the HD, overwriting the spaces left by all the deleted files.

I just did this last night, to a Compaq computer which was given to me yesterday. Now it is just like a new PC, with the original licensed OS, and all the original hardware drivers.
Wiping a hard drive on a computer is a fairly simple task, but finding all the required hardware drivers is another matter all together.

I’d much rather just keep all the original OS install and just change owners. It’s much simpler.
Everything you need to do this (change owners) is already in windows. Nothing extra need be bought or downloaded and installed.

Cheers Mates!

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Hi DrWho;
What do you use to do a “very thorough cleanup of the hard drive and registry”…??

Being in the ‘business’ I’m regularly given used PC’s and I always do the same thing to them.
First I go through and UN-Install any programs I don’t want on the PC. Then I create a new user, with Administrator privileges, and reboot into that user. Then I delete the old original user. That takes out any files that were owned by that user.

Then I do a very thorough cleanup of the hard drive and registry. Then I do a Defrag of the hard drive, by doing a backup and restore, which re-writes the HD, overwriting the spaces left by all the deleted files.

I just did this last night, to a Compaq computer which was given to me yesterday. Now it is just like a new PC, with the original licensed OS, and all the original hardware drivers.
Wiping a hard drive on a computer is a fairly simple task, but finding all the required hardware drivers is another matter all together.

I’d much rather just keep all the original OS install and just change owners. It’s much simpler.
Everything you need to do this (change owners) is already in windows. Nothing extra need be bought or downloaded and installed.

Cheers Mates!

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Yeah “Ted Myers” !!
I’ve tried from time to time to like/want Linux but always gave up…. I don’t have the time ness. to the startup learn brain curve

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I run my own Cleanup.bat program, then “Easy Cleaner 2” and then windows own Disk Cleanup, in Extended Mode.

Ain’t no big deal!

Just taking out a user, also takes out all the data files that they owned.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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Geeez;
I haven’t heard of Toniarts easy cleaner for yrs, used it for some time early on.

I’ll give it another run ….. Thx.

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Believe it or not….. Toni has updated the program for Vista, Win-7 and even Win-8.

It’s still the only SAFE program that I will trust to cleanup my costomer’s PC’s.

I think I began using Easy Cleaner back in the ’98 days.
The new version you want is in my Win7Stuff folder (compressed .rar file) on my website.

I’m now using that one version for all my Windows cleanups. It’s backwards compatible
with all earlier versions of Windows.

Cheers mate!
The Doctor

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