will a new os wipe out my hard drive?

[TRIBALNILE]

hello again everyone,
so now i have a computer tech question, heres what i wanna do.. i wanna know if i install a new os(windows xp home edition) on my harddrive which already has an os (windows xp media edition) if it will completeley wipe out everything i have on the hard drive (this is good this is what i want it to do)?

[fivewest]

Yes, that is the way you would want to do it. Back up any data, and when you boot to the XP Home Edition CD/DVD, reformat your disk and start it from scratch.

[TRIBALNILE]

perfect thats exactly what i want it to do... ok so another question, once i have installed the new os.. will the other stuff that came equiped with the comp be ok and usuable like the dvd drive and the fire wire ports the usb, etc. etc. .. i really dont care about the sound card that was already installed in there due to the fact that i will be installing an audio interface and make that my main sound card

[TRIBALNILE]

most main part is will my monitor work? hahaha that would pose a huge progblem huh

[tatteredstudios]

Yeah, everything should work just fine...xp has most of the drivers built in....should be no problem

[TRIBALNILE]

ok last and final question(i know i should of asked these all at once but ask questions got answered others were unveiled) can i instal a 3.5" hard drive in a 3.5" external bay.. see my comp only has 1 internal bay.. 1 hard drive.. i want 2 hard drives and i only have 1 external bay drive available.. will it work or is it not worth it

[fivewest]

You should be fine adding the additional hard drive. Be sure when you add it in, to set the jumper on the drive as a slave, and if it's SATA, you'll want to go into the BIOS and ensure that the SATA port on the motherboard that you're using is enabled. If you bought a lower end machine, I would ensure that you have another port available before you purchase the drive. If you need any assistance when actually installing the drive, PM me.

[brandondrury]

will the other stuff that came equiped with the comp be ok and usuable like the dvd drive and the fire wire ports the usb, etc. etc.

It's HIGHLY recommended that you have all appropriate drivers ready to go on a cd, flash USB drive, etc before doing the format.

Brandon