The nice thing about Dell, at least once upon a time when this system came along, is that the XP disc they sent with it is nearly identical to what you'd get if you had bought XP at retail. The only real difference is that you get to skip the product key portion of things if you install it on Dell hardware. So the hundreds, if not thousands, of websites out there detailing how to install XP should be applicable.
Just make sure to pay close attention, so that when given the choice, you format the drive. Quick format or regular, for your purposes it doesn't matter. Just do one or the other before continuing.
Then it's just a matter of installing the drivers, AV program, service packs, associated updates, etc.
I have an ancient (discontinued) Dell Dimension 5150 Desktop computer, running Win XP Home Edition.
I believe the primary Hard drive is contaminated with a virus. I had previously removed this drive and installed it in a cage connected by usb 2.0 to my main computer. I got suspicious, even though it was functioning normally. Scans by NIS failed to find any virus.
Upon advice from other techs, I believe my safest option is to reinstall this HD in the old Dell and reformat it to remove any virae still present .
Can somebody direct me to a page where I can find detailed info on how to accomplish this? I have win XP driver disks obtained previously, before infection.
I realize I will lose any and all data residing on this drive. I must now learn how to reformat it using Win XP and then reinstall the OS.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanx.

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