Need to reformat computer and need info

[katatonic]

My daughter's laptop seems to have a virus or spyware or something, and because she stupidly did not have an anti-virus program on it we can't remove it.  We are unable to load the software on it now.  It looks like we need to reformat.  When I took it to the local computer store, they're going out of business and told me to just do it myself.  If I knew how to do that I wouldn't be trying to pay them to do it!  Can anyone point me to a tutorial (preferably one that assumes I have no knowledge of computers)?

[Nec]

All you need is the Windows cd that should have come with the computer. You put that in the cd drive, reboot, then it will walk you through it. HERE is a full-blown tutorial. Good luck

[katatonic]

Thanks for the link.  The partitioning part is confusing me, however.  What shows up on the screen is:
-:  Partition1 [FAT]   16MB  (8MB free)
C: Partition2 [NTFS]  38131MB  (28880MB free)
    Unpartitioned space  8MB
Do I just delete Partition2 or both of them?  How badly can I mess things up if I delete the wrong stuff?  I'd hate to have to spend hours on this and then have to find someone to pay to do it anyway, but with three kids downloading spyware daily this would be a valuable skill for me to have.

[Diala]

Hm, it seems the first partition doesn't have a drive letter, but the second one has the standard C: one. I think it is okay to leave it, since I DO believe that only partitions with letters show up in Windows. Then again, the only formatting I've done is on Virtual PC.

Also, did the computer restart with the Windows XP Installation wizard? If it is stuck like that, try rebooting it yourself. It SHOULD show up, according to this walkthrough.

[miros]

One great idea before you let the 3 kids loose again... Get some AV.  Any AV.  Also something like SpyBot.

Did you back up your Sims data directory first?

[ZiggyDoodle]

The free version of ZoneAlarm would also be helpful. 

[miros]

And rig a spare speaker where you can hear it, so  you know when they're downloading spyware!

[katatonic]

We have plenty of AV software but my daughter was too stupid to install it.  She pulled a midnight move and got herself an apartment by the college she attends because her dad and I apparently didn't understand her.  Now that she's on her own I have become godlike in her eyes with the power to solve all her problems!  Fortunately, I know how my kids are and I have a better computer for my Sims that I refuse to have Internet access on.

[Xiomberg]

The first partition may contain recovery info for use with a recovery disc so best not to remove that, delete partition 2 then install

[J. M. Pescado]

The first partition may contain recovery info for use with a recovery disc so best not to remove that, delete partition 2 then install

"Recovery partition"? What manner of babble is that? Those only exist in computers preinfested with proprietary spyware, and exist purely for the purpose of REINSTALLING that SPYWARE. Nuke the entire drive, repartition so you can use the entire thing, and install clean from a proper CD.

[katatonic]

I just deleted Partition2 and reinstalled because this is the first time I've done this and was a little freaked out that I would render the entire computer into a useless paperweight.  Apparently Partition1 did contain spyware which I have now (theoretically) removed.  Actually, the reformatting part was pretty easy.  It took less time to do than it took me to reinstall the software the laptop came with.  I'm used to inserting CD, hitting "next" a few times and finishing.  It took me over an hour to figure out that I had to browse the CD and  extract the files.  I'm that much higher on the learning curve for the next time my kids/spouse do something stupid.  Thanks for all the help.