how do i completely erase my hard disk

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Paddy wrote:
> I have a pentium II computer with 7.89 GB of storage that my kids use to
> surf the web and any time it is turned on then It says that the the computer
> has only less that 200 megabytes of storage and that it needs more than that
> inorder for the computer to function effeciently.
> I want to know if I can fully erase all of the data stored on the computer
> without deleting any of windows components. I also want to know if erasing
> the hard drive would cause the computer to have problems.
>
> Thanks
> Paddy
>
>

Well, since the OS is stored on the HD, completely erasing the HD will
make the PC unbootable. Erasing the data files will not affect the OS,
but you need to know which files are data and which are OS -- then
delete the unwanted data files.

If you can boot up the OS and the OS is XP, then run Explorer, right-click
on the C: HD, the click on Properties, then click on DiskCleanup. That
may lead you to a few items you can easily and safely remove. Next, fire
up the browser and delete its temp files; if you use IE, click on Tools,
then on InternetOptions, then DeleteFiles (and DeleteAllOfflineContent)
and ClearHistory. That should get a bunch of space back.
--
Cheers, Bob

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

I have done that several times but nothing happened to the Hard Disk
Storage.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Deleting data will not cause problems.
deleting programs will cause problems.

"Paddy" <paddysiaw2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:txhAd.21723$h.12110@trnddc04...
>I have a pentium II computer with 7.89 GB of storage that my kids use to
> surf the web and any time it is turned on then It says that the the
> computer
> has only less that 200 megabytes of storage and that it needs more than
> that
> inorder for the computer to function effeciently.
> I want to know if I can fully erase all of the data stored on the computer
> without deleting any of windows components. I also want to know if erasing
> the hard drive would cause the computer to have problems.
>
> Thanks
> Paddy
>
>
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Paddy wrote:
> I have done that several times but nothing happened to the Hard Disk
> Storage.
>
>

If the quick fixes don't help, then you must decide -- file by file or,
at least, folder by folder -- what you can safely delete.

To be safe, don't actually delete files about which you are unsure;
instead, move them to some folder like \TempTrash\ and see if your
PC still works -- if it does, then you can delete them; else, move
them back to the original home. If you use XP (without Norton and its
ilk), this is what really happens when you click on a file/folder and
then hit the Delete button -- it is a "soft delete" that you can take
back. And now that you know what Delete really does (under XP), you
may have the explanation for why deleting a bunch of stuff does not
increase available space on your HD: you need to right-click on the
RecycleBin, then click on Empty to make the files actually go away.
--
Cheers, Bob

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

"Paddy" <paddysiaw2@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:LGiAd.18642$_62.14907@trnddc01...
>I have done that several times but nothing happened to the Hard Disk
> Storage.

Let your fingers do the walking. Shop around, find a bigger HDD. For an
ATA66 for a
P2, somebody will probably give you one.
Good Luck

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

This is an info

WINDOWS operating system will not defrag and prompt error message when
the disk is 85% full regarding of its operating system.

:idea:

You can delete your data with the use of format command. But deleted data can be recovered by use of data recovery software which is not safe. So you should use drive wipe software to erase data.
Deleting data can create problem because it leave some space in HDD after deletion and cause computer slow. To get rid from this problem you must defragment your drive.
You can get it here http://www.drive-wipe.com
Hope it helps

Before you reply to a thread, you need to briefly look at the dates. This thread is over 3 1/2 years old ... it's highly unlikely that the original poster is even still around, and he certainly no longer has his Pentium II with a full 8 GB hard drive as a problem that still needs fixing.

Do not become Necromancer.