formatting a old pc

[Bigpapicali]

I just got a old pc from my dad, it is a Dell dimension 8300 and has win XP on it. I want to completely wipe it and install win 10 on it but it will not let me format the hdd because it has the os (xp) on it. I have a win 10 disk but I don't know how to format it so I can truly wipe everything and start fresh any help would be very appreciated _

 

[Rahul_Ignited]

i) Restart your computer and the press the key to enter 'Boot Menu' when your motherboard logo shows up (its F12 on my system, might be different in yours).
ii) Select your DVD drive in the list (make sure you have inserted the disc before doing this).
iii) Your PC will boot from the DVD and then will open the setup
iv) Select the appropriate options, accept the license and when the option appears asking for the location (partition) to install Windows on, select the drive with Windows XP and click on format button in the bottom.
v) Your drive/partition will be formatted then select it and click on Next. Your Windows installation will start

You cannot format Windows partition while running that Windows that's why you have to boot from the DVD

You can even create more partitions by formatting the drive and clicking on new button then specifying the size of the partition and then click ok.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Hopefully that old computer will have all the drives available in Windows 10.

 

[ledhead11]

Hopefully that old computer will have all the drives available in Windows 10.

You couldn't be more right.

Bigpapicali I strongly recommend you check the dell site before doing this to make sure they've issued all the Windows 10 drivers you'll need for that laptop. If you don't, at some point you'll likely have to spend a good amount of time trying to trouble shoot components that have stopped being recognized or installed.

Laptops have OEM specific drivers that Windows doesn't usually have beyond basic PnP. Generally speaking, the older the laptop, the harder it might be to upgrade. That's not absolute but truer than not.

 

[Bigpapicali]

i) Restart your computer and the press the key to enter 'Boot Menu' when your motherboard logo shows up (its F12 on my system, might be different in yours).
ii) Select your DVD drive in the list (make sure you have inserted the disc before doing this).
iii) Your PC will boot from the DVD and then will open the setup
iv) Select the appropriate options, accept the license and when the option appears asking for the location (partition) to install Windows on, select the drive with Windows XP and click on format button in the bottom.
v) Your drive/partition will be formatted then select it and click on Next. Your Windows installation will start

You cannot format Windows partition while running that Windows that's why you have to boot from the DVD

You can even create more partitions by formatting the drive and clicking on new button then specifying the size of the partition and then click ok.

 

[ledhead11]

I also suggest that if you are committed to this then download all the drivers from Dell first. Then extract as needed to some kind of removable storage. It could greatly minimize the time to reinstall them once 10 is in place.

 

[Solandri]

I just got a old pc from my dad, it is a Dell dimension 8300 and has win XP on it.

Are these the specs for that PC? If so, I would highly recommend talking with your dad about getting you a new computer.
https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-dimension-8300-p4-2-8-ghz-1-gb-120-gb-lcd-18-1/specs/

1. It is highly unlikely to work with Windows 10 (or Windows 7 for that matter) due to lack of drivers.

2. Those old Pentium 4s were power hogs. Intel hadn't yet implemented Speedstep, so the processor runs at full speed (maximum power draw) all the time. Motherboards and components weren't as power-thrifty back then either. A typical computer from that era idles at around 100-150 Watts. For comparison, a modern system idles at around 25-35 Watts.

At the average U.S. electricity price of 12 cents/kWh, 1 Watt = $1 in electricity if the system is left on 24/7 for a year. So if you leave the computer on 24/7 for a year, the extra power it uses compared to a modern system will cost you about $95 worth of electricity. If you use it 8 hours/day, that drops to about $30 worth of electricity. People think they are saving money by handing down and reusing these old systems, but the money saved is just spent on higher electric bills. A lot of times, within 5 years they've wasted more money on electricity than if they'd just bought a newer system.

3. The processing power is about 1/10th that of a modern system. About on par with a phone or tablet.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=intel-478-retro&num=5

An old system like a P4 is fine if you want to tinker with the hardware and learn about all the different components (replacement CPUs cost about 25 cents on eBay). But it's unsuitable for running modern software.