How to reset old desktop to factory settings

[khone]

If this is not the correct board, please change and advise.

This post is not about my new AIO, but about the old HP desktop it replaced.

1st. I'm trying to restore my old computer to factory settings. I tried to add it to my products but it's so old that HP didn't recognize it. It is 12 years old and has served me well. it is an h8-1280t with 1TB hdd (see atch)

I have spent 2 days trying to transfer some of my more important files. I tried connecting the two but nothing worked. Tried to burn to DVD or to portable HDD. The DVD burner won't burn and all 8 USB slots won't recognize any of my portable HDDs, so ended up uploading to One Drive. 

What I'd like to do is restore the old desktop to factory settings and use it like a stand-alone hard drive/storage.

Here's the problem I have HP System Recovery disc and a supplemental Recovery disc.  The full title is "Windows 7 Recovery Media for Windows 7 products. When I put them in the DVD reader/burner, all it does is show the files and below that "files ready to burn to disc". Have no idea what I need to do to run those files.

Does anybody know what I need to do to run those recovery disc. If it can't be done, any recommendations on wiping the hard drive clean? If you need additional info.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

If you wipe the drive, then the PC using it will no longer boot and you will have to reinstall Windows all over again.  Is that what you are trying to do?

If you just want to repurpose the hard drive as a data drive, you don't need to wipe it.  Instead, get an external drive enclosure, insert the drive into it, connect that to a working PC and reformat the drive.  That will make all the space on the drive reusable.

[khone]

I'm going to mark your reply as the solution.

I decided to replace the hdd then download Win 10 (computer not able to load Win 11- per MS).

Thank you for your time and info.