One thing I forgot to add, since this is "after" what you asked about...
(This is my third different reply.)

Unless you are SURE the computer is patched to SP2:
Do not allow the computer on the Internet until AFTER you have a working firewall.
You can get a reasonable one by installing the XP-SP2 patch. (Good enough for this.)

I had a neighbor that did a re-install with some pre-SP2 recovery disks, and he was
hacked repeatedly (4 times) until he figured this out...  (I had offered to help him, but
he thought he "knew all about it" and did not want any advise or help.)

                                                                  Rick Glazier

From: <CSThomas
> Could someone please tell me is the formatting procedure of the HD   the same 
> on a Compaq (Win XP) as it would be on a Dell (Win  XP).   Harriet

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