My daughter-in-law's computer is completely screwed up. Mostly from viruses and worms her son has got from the internet. Can someone please give me step-by-step directions how to completely erase the hard-drive and re-install windows 98?

Note:This is the method i use but i cant say whether this would work for you too.So verify with any of the mod team here before proceeding.Also print this file before starting as you wont be able to acess this again while erasing your hard drive.So here we go:

1. Start your computer.
2. After the desktop appears, click on Start.
3. Click on Restart in MS-DOS mode.
4. Wait for a black screen to appear.
5. Now type - cd\
6. Type format c: (Assuming that you have installed Windows 98 on C drive).
7. A confirmation message will appear.Press 'Y' and then press Enter.
8. Wait for the process to be completed.
9. Now you hard drive is erased.
10. Now insert the Windows 98 CD into your CD-Drive.
11. Restart you computer by pressing and holding down Alt and Ctrl key and press Delete or Del key on your keyboard.Or you can press the reset key present on your CPU.
12. Now after a while, the windows 98 setup program will start.(If the message appears like - 'Disk Boot Error,Insert System Disk and Press Enter', then press enter once)
13. Follow the instuctions and you will have Windows 98 installed on your system.

Hope this works for you.

You should format the C: drive from ~another~ drive, like A: with a bootdisk. Theoretically formatting C: from C: ~could~ work as the format command will be running from your memory. However, once the format is done the system won't be able to find command.com, as it's been erased. In short, the format may be incomplete messing up the fat tables etc. I cannot see the above scenario working at all. (No offence Nisar.)

Start the system with a bootdisk then carry out the format/install.