How To Clear A Windows Xp Computer

#1

Cynthia Moore

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 10:39 AM

I have an odd request. A neighbor gave me two laptops running XP that I plan to donate to a local school. The request was that I delete all of the data before making the donation.

Can someone give me or point me to instructions for how to delete all of the data files without affecting the XP OS?

One is a Dell. The other is a Samsung and it appears that the language is set to Mandarin. So I also need to know how to change that to English.

Thanks

Running Win 10 & Office 365 on a Surface Book 1 (probably the worst computer I have ever owned).

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#2 mikey11

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 10:55 AM

it would be best to format the hard drives, then re-install xp from an ISO file

#3 JohnC_21

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 11:11 AM

The below steps may not delete all data. Some settings could still reside in the Administrator's registry account. The only sure way is to do a factory reset.

Create a new admin account with no password then login and delete all other user accounts in Control Panel.

Use TFC and CCleaner to delete any additional temp files.

Delete the Page File and disable System Restore.

Use CCleaner to wipe the free space of the hard drive with a 3 pass wipe. Erasing method is under options > settings. The dropdown box will give you the 3 pass option. Also check Wipe Data Streams, Cluster Tips, and MFT. Wiping disks is under the Tools option. Be sure to select Free Space and not Disk

The Dell allows a factory reset, if the recovery partition is intact, by pressing Ctrl + F11 at boot then releasing both keys. This would essentially wipe the drive and set it back to date of first purchase.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19180386

I am not sure if the Samsung allows a factory reset.

If you are up to it you could reinstall XP using the iso in this post. First link.

#4 Cynthia Moore

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 11:14 AM

it would be best to format the hard drives, then re-install xp from an ISO file

Having never heard of an ISO file, I did a search and discovered that it is some sort of system image file, right?

It sounds like I need to get a program that will create the ISO file from the XP system on each computer, right?

Can someone point me to instructions for doing that and recommend the right program to do it?

Thanks

Running Win 10 & Office 365 on a Surface Book 1 (probably the worst computer I have ever owned).

#5 JohnC_21

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 11:17 AM

Take the iso file and burn it to a CD using isoburner. Select the slowest write speed possible. The iso file is a compressed file with the XP install files.

http://www.freeisoburner.com/

You can also burn the iso on any Windows 7 or later computer by Right clicking and selecting Burn Disk Image but doing this does not allow one to control the write speed.

#6 britechguy

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 11:30 AM

Before you go to all this effort, have you checked with the school in question that they will even accept the computer?

Having worked in multiple school districts in two different states now many will not accept donated computer equipment (that's not being donated as new equipment) secondary to all the potential issues. I would be shocked if any school, barring a small private one that's desperate for any computers it could get, would accept a machine running Windows XP at this point in time. Most will not permit any machine with an unsupported OS to connect to their networks, period, and a non-networked computer in a school setting is not particularly useful.

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#7 mikey11

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 11:43 AM

it would be best to format the hard drives, then re-install xp from an ISO file

Having never heard of an ISO file, I did a search and discovered that it is some sort of system image file, right?

It sounds like I need to get a program that will create the ISO file from the XP system on each computer, right?

Can someone point me to instructions for doing that and recommend the right program to do it?

Thanks

you download the xp ISO file depending on which version of xp was on the computers,

then you can create a bootable/install usb drive using a program like Rufus

if the same version of xp was on both computers then you can use the same usb drive to install xp on both computers,

look at the product code sticker on each computer to find out which version of xp should be installed

Edited by mikey11, 23 July 2017 - 11:45 AM.

#8 Just_One_Question

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 02:15 PM

Before you go to all this effort, have you checked with the school in question that they will even accept the computer?

I second this. It took me a month to donate my Windows XP computer some time ago. Nobody wanted it. It ultimately went to the local orphanage, which took it for spares. A perfectly working PC not being wanted by anybody. Unbelievable...

Give the school a call.

Edited by Just_One_Question, 23 July 2017 - 02:16 PM.

#9 britechguy

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 02:38 PM

Before you go to all this effort, have you checked with the school in question that they will even accept the computer?

I second this. It took me a month to donate my Windows XP computer some time ago. Nobody wanted it. It ultimately went to the local orphanage, which took it for spares. A perfectly working PC not being wanted by anybody. Unbelievable...

Give the school a call.

A perfectly working PC with an unsupported and now notoriously known as security Swiss cheese operating system isn't operating "perfectly" even if it operates exactly like it did when it came out of the box.

There are very good reasons why organizations do not want to accept the risks associated with machines, even cleaned to perfection, that sport an unsupported OS.

That's the main reason I suggested picking up the phone. No one should go to the amount of work it takes to do a purge on a system no one wants. In that case I'd either have the hard drive degaussed (if you know of someone with the equipment to do it) or take a hammer to the hard drive and donating that, and the rest of the carcass, to Goodwill or some other organization with an electronics recycling program.

Edited by britechguy, 23 July 2017 - 02:39 PM.

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#10 Just_One_Question

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 02:45 PM

Not only organizations, no person wanted my precious first PC either. I felt offended. :lmao: I specifically told the couple of places that I was offering it to that even though it's working flawlessly both inside and out, they should not use it connected to the Internet or they should have their computer guy install Linux of his choice to the PC.

Also, if nothing else works, as a last resort you can sell the 2 computers for metal for a quick buck, usually enough to buy you and a friend of yours a nice meal, Cynthia.

#11 JohnC_21

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 03:13 PM

Goodwill will take computers. We have a hazardous recycle event every year in our county and this was the first year they refused to take CRTs believe or not. Those things are full of lead. I don't know if Goodwill still takes CRTs or not.

Not entirely accurate but from NetmarketShare you can see XP at close to 7% still has more share than 8.1. Vista is down to .53%. Windows 7, still holding down the fort.

https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0

Edited by JohnC_21, 23 July 2017 - 03:22 PM.

#12 Just_One_Question

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 03:26 PM

I've heard, but haven't confirmed, that from those 7% Windows XP market share, around 6% are businesses, using it on that extended support life-cycle for companies.

Edited by Just_One_Question, 23 July 2017 - 03:26 PM.

#13 britechguy

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 05:09 PM

I'm actually surprised that Windows 10 is already up to 26.3% according to the previously referenced webpage. There will probably be special circumstances extended support XP installations until I'm dead, but the percentage will continue to shrink.

I expect that there will be a massive uptick in the market share of Windows 10 as the sunset date for Windows 7 gets closer and will continue afterward as the few hold-outs realize that you really can't do that in this day and age if you want to keep interacting with cyberspace with any degree of security.

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#14 Just_One_Question

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Posted 23 July 2017 - 05:43 PM

There will probably be special circumstances extended support XP installations until I'm dead, but the percentage will continue to shrink.

That's what I used to say about Windows 98, which I believe to be the 3rd best for its respective time Windows, and there are still around 10,000 Windows 98 computers online, hiding in that 0.1% of Windows desktop market share...

Edited by Just_One_Question, 23 July 2017 - 05:44 PM.

#15 Cynthia Moore

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Posted 28 September 2017 - 10:16 AM

OK. I called the school and they do want the computers, but the neighbors who gave them to me asked me to delete all of the data first. The IT person at the school said they might use them for parts or to experiment with installing a different OS, like Linux.

So, I would like suggestions for a utility, probably run from a USB drive, that will completely wipe the hard drive.

Thanks

Running Win 10 & Office 365 on a Surface Book 1 (probably the worst computer I have ever owned).