Third Windows Install

I'm now installing Windows for the third time in two days. Our original setup was working quite well, but then I got software for school (included with a book I had to buy) and found out that it was Windows only. The 2 GB hard drive we had originally used wasn't big enough for Windows AND software, so I raided an old pc in the basement and found a compatible hard drive. My first two installs would not let me erase this new hard drive (yup, up to a 4.3 gb hard drive!), so the performance was terrible and the drive was full of files that were totally useless, but they wouldn't let me delete them. This third install seems to have wiped the hard drive clean, so hopefully this one will work out better. There was actually a price tag on the hard drive that we put in. That little puppy cost over $300!! Can you imagine paying $300 for a 4gb hard drive?!? Yes, this is an old hard drive, but its hardly been used in the last five years and is currently running fine. All its gotta do is last through the fall semester as far as my class goes. I'd hate to have to buy a new hard drive for the little bit that we use Windows. It really isn't worth a hill of beans as far as I'm concerned.