Flooring Tile - Replacing an old tile floor

I have a bathroom that is in serious need of a remodel. The first step would be removing the old ceramic tile floor and lay new.

My question is...how do I go about it? Just take a sledgehammer to it or what? After I get it all up, how do I approach the subfloor, tear out all the way down? I've done tiling before but never torn out the tile of a floor.

I've heard conflicting suggestions from tiling over the old to lifting up the tiles and using an leveling compound, then tile. Any suggestions you have are appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

Take out the underlayment all the way to the wood. Sledge hammer will work. Cover any fixtures you cannot remove and remove the ones you can. Do not forget the safety gear!!