Posted on 05/31/2004 12:33:41 PM PDT by Long Cut
Here's the issue...I have an old computer (A Gateway Select 700-MhZ) with Windows 98 on it that I want to give to my father. He's NEVER used a computer before but now that he's retired and my Mom's gone, he's gotten bored and wants to check out this "Internet" he's heard so much about.
My question is, how do I "clean" the computer out? I've already backed up and moved off of it everything I wanted to save, so now I want to "wipe it" clean of anything personal, and basically return it to "pristine". I'm already planning on reloading Windows onto it for him, but should I do something else besides? I admit that I don't know how to "format" the thing...it came with Windows already on it.
Any advice out there?
Ping! Any of you guys got any advice? Ping someone who might, if not.
Ping. Any advice, or know someone who does?
My 2 cents
Reformat and install something other than Window 98. That way you get rid of all the personal stuff and you get a OS that doesn't crash whenever it feels like it.
The only thing I've ever used is Windows. Is there something simpler and more easy to use for someone who knows nothing about the intricacies?
I agree; simply move your stuff off of the hard drive; then get a copy of Windows 2000 Pro; and do a clean install OVER Windows 98; that way; no formating is needed; and everything will be good as new.
Win2k Pro IS the most stable OS available out there; I like it even better than WinXP. No more Blue Screens of Death (that is, No Crashes.)
After that; you just show your your father the basics of how the IE browser works; point him to Free Republic.. and he'll never be bored again!
Assuming you have the Gateway recovery CD, you can choose to do a full wipe and reinstall. Don't simply do a reinstall of Windows, because it's a house of cards, as a friend of mine found out while trying to reinstall his AV (Norton).
Start off with a fresh install of Windows, get a firewall and an AV, don't start adding a lot of programs he might not ever use, and I predict it'll be good enough.
Contrary to what some say, '98 is far from dead or useless.
Search the rest of the site for any other questions you may have.
It would be the best way to start clean and from start to finish would only take you two or three hours as long as you have all of the necessary 'tools' ready to go.
Let me know.
Do you think that's enough? He just wants to surf the net and send/recieve email.
'98 is plenty enough for that. Teach him to clean out the cache every so often and to scandisk and defrag, get the security updates, and coach him about spyware and certain hijacker sites, etc, and he should do just fine. (All I'm running is an 800mhz Celeron, for what it's worth, and I do more than surf).
If he sticks with it, and ever decided to expand his horizons, then consider spending for 2000.
My 2 cents....
One thing you can do to save him some boot time and possible aggravation...
Win2k is a networking OS. As such it is set up to use logins and passwords.
When you get him all set up, go into the Control Panel and double click on Users and Passwords. Set yourself up as an Administrator as part of the Administrators Group. Just in case you need to do some Admin work on his box some day.
Once you've done this then click on his username and uncheck the box that says "Use login and password" or something like that.
This will take away the login function at boot up which can be a pain in the ass for a home user.
I set my wife's laptop up with Win2k just because it is so stable and the poor dear has too many other things to worry about during the day. She doesn't need her laptop going all ferklempt when all she wants to do is play some Scrabble.
Good luck!
I just hope that old Gateway will work with W2K.
Here are the minimum system requirements for running the Windows® 2000 Professional operating system.
| Minimum Requirements | |
| Computer/Processor | 133 MHz or higher Pentium-compatible CPU. |
| Memory | At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM; more memory generally improves responsiveness. |
| Hard Disk | 2 GB with 650 MB free space. |
| CPU Support | Windows 2000 Professional supports single and dual CPU systems. |
| Drive | CD-ROM or DVD drive. |
| Display | VGA or higher resolution monitor. |
| Keyboard | Required. |
You do know that Microsoft no longer provides either support or updates for 98, don't you?
That alone confirms your credentials as a Windows user.
If you don't know, I would ~not~ do it. I have never had a reformat that ~didn't~ go very very bad. This is something techies do... but is akin to telling a non-mechanic to take your engine apart just to clean everything.
You could accidently turn it from a working computer into a boat anchor.
I would uninstall everything that he won't need, delete files of yours, and then do a de-fragment on it... That is easier to walk you through.
I'd love to tell you that you should upgrade it to Windows XP, but I would look at the system requirements first to see if it has the power to run it.
I don't have a problem with it. Sometimes that's what it takes to maintain a PC.
Just as I wouldn't expect my John Deere tractor to run flawlessly in perpetuity without normal maintenance. Sometimes you have to take the heads off and do a ring job.
Besides, it's a way for me to get free beer from my PC/Windows using friends who don't know the little ins and outs of computers. We've had huge parties centering on a single PC rebuild. Does that make me a geek?
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