Completely erasing my hard drive

[DrAmar]

Hi,

Basically I decided to build my own computer and after doing a TON of research i believe I have a relatively good idea what i want.
My problem is with my old hard drive though, which i'll have to use until my mail-in rebate returns, and I can buy a new one. I want to completely erase it (including the Win 98 operating system) and install Win XP so I can have a fresh start (New drivers etc.) What is the best possible way to accomplish that, without inoccuring any extra costs (buying software for that).
Do I just pop in the WinXp cd (That I will get shortly) or is there some tool at Win 98 to erase it first and then boot XP etc.

Thanks,
Amar

Ps. Also is there any way for me to find out the RPM of my old harddrive?
+ If my MOBO has 2 IDE slots, is it better to connect hard drive/CD master/slave configuration with one cable or set both to master and connect them with 2 cables into 2 IDE slots.

I don't even believe in JEBUS!
Homer, you are on the flight to a remote island where you will be doing some missionary work.
SAVE ME JEBUS!!!!!!

 

[afterdark]

Hey there.

Don't start building your computer until you've got the money for all your parts. If this is your first build, chances are you're going to run into problems when you first boot the computer up. Trust me, it's very nice to have a working computer to sit down at and research what's wrong with your new one.

If for some reason you do still want to use that old hard drive, Windows XP setup will repartition the drive for you. Just make sure you do a fresh installation and not an upgrade. Upgrades are a no no.

heh. Are you going to buy Windows XP? I'd recommend getting it through a good warez group and then you'll be able to afford any hard drive you want.

The best way to find out your hard drive's specs would be to open up your computer and type in the model number of the drive into Google.

Always use two cables. If you only have a hard drive and a CD-ROM, set them both as master on seperate cables. And don't use the "cable select" option. Drives are rarely smart enough to figure out their own master/slave assignments.

 

[DrAmar]

Hey Afterdark,

Thanks a lot for your response, that is just what I wanted to hear . I will definitely do the fresh installation and use two cables.

The reason I really need to use the old hard drive for 2 months or so is because I need to get a 100 gift certificate from micro center by that time, which is only usable in-store. Since hard drive is kind of the only component on my old comp. that isn't from the Regan era , I figured it will tie me over till I finally get the gift certifikate. (It was a really sweet deal, buy something for 100$ +open their credit card, they send you 100$ back in a month or 2; +I don't want it to expire couse I don't know what else I could buy with it). Don't worry though, my roommate has also a computer, so I will definely have acces to the web when everything starts breaking down.

Also could you please send me the URL of the site or group you are talking about at amarspahic@yahoo.com (or here). I am a poor student, so I could really use the extra money + stiking it to the greedy monopoly man would make me really happy. I also assume that the site features a WinXP professional version with disabled activation feature.

Thanks a lot,
Amar






I don't even believe in JEBUS!
Homer, you are on the flight to a remote island where you will be doing some missionary work.
SAVE ME JEBUS!!!!!!