# Wipe computer clean except for windows **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [January 8, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785 "2007-01-08T22:24:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JoesTypeS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joestypes/32/7190_2.png) [@JoesTypeS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JoesTypeS)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/1 "2007-01-08T22:24:33Z")
donating a PC to charity, how I can wipe everything except windows (w/o re-installing windows) ---
**Author:** ![FightinMike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@FightinMike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/FightinMike)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/2 "2007-01-09T00:50:18Z")
…short answer, you can’t You can delete as much as you can, but theres still a lot of traces left. So the real question is how clean do you want it. You can get yourself a copy of Norton’s drive utilities, one of the utilities can perform a DOD approved wipe of empty space. Its like a 10 step process that deletes, writes. deletes, writes… and so on, to ensure that nothing can be gleamed from the drive. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bacon/32/7230_2.png) [@Bacon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Bacon)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 5:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/3 "2007-01-09T05:50:33Z")
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a way to do it the closest you can get is. -Remove all programs from the add/remove programs list -Remove anything you manually installed/downloaded -Create a new user profile and delete the old one. (To remove any temp files, saved settings and such) If for some reason some one really wanted to though it wouldn’t be hard to recover most of it. If it’s a non issue and it needs to look “fresh” then the above will do it. ---
**Author:** ![Zong](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/zong/32/7580_2.png) [@Zong](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Zong)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/4 "2007-01-09T06:44:49Z")
Reinstalling windows would take less time than that. Do you not have a CD/CD-key? ---
**Author:** ![zwarbyt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/zwarbyt/32/7623_2.png) [@zwarbyt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/zwarbyt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/5 "2007-01-09T06:48:28Z")
give it to IT ---
**Author:** ![Locutus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/locutus/32/7574_2.png) [@Locutus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Locutus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/6 "2007-01-09T07:07:27Z")
jesus. a “dod wipe” is 3 times and i would just wipe the entire drive and reinstall if you want to be 100% sure. if not. just uninstall all programs. delete of your files. the download a program called “secure clean” and run that with all the settings selected. now, joe, im not going to get into specifics cus im on vacation and i dont want my brain to start hurting, but just wipe the entire drive and reinstall the OS. so many possibilities of identity theft even if you run these third party programs that “wipe your computer” ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:23am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/7 "2007-01-09T07:23:57Z")
Run a disk wipe on it… remove hard drive… beat with hammer burn HD throw remains into lake ---
**Author:** ![zwarbyt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/zwarbyt/32/7623_2.png) [@zwarbyt](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/zwarbyt)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/8 "2007-01-09T07:27:42Z")
> [@Locutus](#): > > jesus. > > a “dod wipe” is 3 times > > and i would just wipe the entire drive and reinstall if you want to be 100% sure. > > if not. just uninstall all programs. delete of your files. the download a program called “secure clean” and run that with all the settings selected. > > now, joe, im not going to get into specifics cus im on vacation and i dont want my brain to start hurting, but just wipe the entire drive and reinstall the OS. so many possibilities of identity theft even if you run these third party programs that “wipe your computer” dod req’d us to do 5 wipe ---
**Author:** ![ILCisDEAD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a87d85/32.png) [@ILCisDEAD](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ILCisDEAD)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/9 "2007-01-09T07:53:09Z")
hmm i only wipe once… i guess it never really is clean… i had to… sry… ---
**Author:** ![Zong](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/zong/32/7580_2.png) [@Zong](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Zong)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 8:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/10 "2007-01-09T08:28:35Z")
> [@FormulaLS1](#): > > Run a disk wipe on it… > > remove hard drive… > > beat with hammer > > burn HD > > throw remains into lake Recover from lake, donate to charity. ---
**Author:** ![vq30de](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9dc877/32.png) [@vq30de](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/vq30de)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 8:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/11 "2007-01-09T08:30:46Z")
> [@JoesTypeS](#): > > donating a PC to charity, how I can wipe everything except windows (w/o re-installing windows) Dont want the poor kids finding all the gay pronz? ---
**Author:** ![Zong](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/zong/32/7580_2.png) [@Zong](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Zong)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 9:22am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/12 "2007-01-09T09:22:44Z")
He wants to challenge them to find it. Poor kids need work ethic more than anything! ---
**Author:** ![Nikuk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/nikuk/32/7254_2.png) [@Nikuk](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Nikuk)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/wipe-computer-clean-except-for-windows/22785/13 "2007-01-09T14:32:18Z")
> [@Zong](#): > > He wants to challenge them to find it. Poor kids need work ethic more than anything! :lol: :tup: