Chapter 9. Starting from the Beginning: Wiping a Hard Drive and Rebuilding from the Ground Up

In this chapter

• What You Need to Reformat Your Hard Drive and Re-install Windows XP

• How to Wipe Your Hard Drive Clean

• How to Re-install Windows XP

• Install Key Fixes from Microsoft

• Install SP2The Mother of All Fixes

• Install Critical Security Programs to Fortify Windows XP

• Surf More Securely with Firefox, Dude

• Fight Phishing, Repel Spam, and More Wicked Security Tricks

Sometimes a computer is just so infested with viruses, spyware, and other bits of computer unhappiness that it's easier to just wipe your hard drive clean and start from scratch, rather than start a prolonged search-and-destroy mission. This is especially true if you're not really sure what you're looking for. This chapter explains how to wipe an XP computer clean, re-install Windows XP, and build a more secure computer from the ground up.