Q: Im gettin a computer from a guy I know. its an older computer he used to use for accounting or something. He says he needs nothing on it but hes to lazy to wipe it. How do I do it?(he is not providing me with any disks relating to the computer)
A: If you have any version of Windows XP, slip it in and during boot up, keep softly striking the F8 key. Select boot from CD. When it prompts you to "Press any key to boot from CD...", do so. After everything finishes loading (could take a minute or two), Press enter to continue with installation. Press F8 to agree with ToS. Once you get up to the screen where it asks you which drive to install the OS on, STOP! Highlight C: and press D. Follow the instructions to delete the partition. Repeat if there are any other drives on the computer. Do this until there is nothing left but "Unpartitioned Space XXXXXXMB". If you would like to continue installing, do so. If not, pop the disk out and close the computer. NOTE: This will render your computer unbootable unless a replacement operating system is installed!