Reinstalling Windows

[arthurb999]

I have had my computer for 3 years. It originally had windows ME on it and I upgraded to XP Pro and upped the RAM. I currently have:

1.0 GhZ AMD Athalon
512 MB SDRAM (PC133)
Nvidia TNT2
Soundbalster Live
Windows XP Pro

Things are starting to run a little bit slower lately. I upgraded from ME to XP (not a clean install) and have a lot of software. Considering I have had the same OS for 3 years, should I reinstall windows. Any sites to help with the process... thanks.

Also, I am considering getting a DVD bruner to... um... "backup" DVD's. Is my hardware good enough...

[Sicilian30]

Okay Arthur. There are several things you can do. First off if you computer seems a bit slow. Could be because of several reasons.
First off, when is the last time your defragged your computer?
How much "hard disk" space do you have? This can slow a system down as well.
Secondly, How many items are in your startup? In other words how many things do you have running in your system tray (by your time lower right hand corner).
Thirdly, XP is a bit slower than ME, due to it's security features, however it should not be that slow.
Fourthly when is the last time you scanned your system for a virus?
Do you have the firewall feature setup in XP for your Internet?
Next, the "standard" XP Interface is a bit slower than the "Windows Standard" interface. This is because it is more "graphically intense". YOu can try changing your Windows XP to utilize it's resources for "Better system performance" instead of "Better appearance".
This is done by Right clicking on the "My computer" icon, then left click on properties. Next go to click on "Advanced" then click on "performance". You will see what to adjust there.
You could also try upping your paging file. This is done in the same screen except clicking on the "Advanced" on that screen and adjust there.
Lastly, if you want to do a fresh install of XP, you have several options there as well. If you don't want to back up your files, you can install another copy of XP in a directory other than Windows. This will give you a fresh copy of XP, however your old stuff will still be there, and your programs will not work, but your files, documents etc, will still be there. This will also take up more space on your hard drive, unless you want to delete your "original windows" directory XP installs to.
If you want to "blow out" your system as I call it, you can by running your XP disk, and when it asks you to "choose a partician to install to", in that screen you will have to option to delete your partician and create a new one. BEWARE IF YOU DO THIS, THIS WIPES EVERYTHING OFF THE SYSTEM. I always advise someone to get ME off their system. I heard that ME was released with 4K known issues, and most of those MS has not resolved. THis could be a rumor, however I myself do not believe so.
I have had people who work for MS tell me that ME was junk. One of the guys I talked to called ME, "Windows not for ME". That IMO is a very true statement. ME is junk IMO. XP is a very stable and slick OS. I love it, it has alot of features. Only one feature I have known to "conflict" with another application that is "built into" XP, however it was an extreme circumstance. A friend of mine was trying to set Media Player to watch DVD's and Media player had an "issue with 5.1 Dolby Digital".
Well maybe that is more of a media player problem than XP, but who is counting.
Okay sorry about the long drawn out thread, but when you ask a question like this, it is very difficult to give you a solid answer. Kind of like asking everyone here, "What is the best AS". and leaving it at that.
Good luck my little grasshopper! LOL.

[arthurb999]

1. First off, when is the last time your defragged your computer?
- A month or two ago

2. How much "hard disk" space do you have?
- 20 gigs free

3. How many items are in your startup? In other words how many things do you have running in your system tray
- Norton AV, Zone Alarm Pro 4.0, and my printer icon

Fourthly when is the last time you scanned your system for a virus?
- Once a week I update the virus def's and do a full system scan.

Next, the "standard" XP Interface is a bit slower than the "Windows Standard" interface....
- Not a bad Idea, I unchecked a few things I didn't "need" and it seemed to speed things up.

I guess I'm just being anal. I don't have the fastest/best computer out there anymore... but it still handles everything I throw at it. Maybe I'll get a new processor, video card, and do a full install of XP... it will be like getting a new computer.

[Sicilian30]

Arthur, XP is a bit slower than ME, just because of the interface and the security file system. File Indexing is something else you can enable, that will help. Also defraging should be done at least once or sometimes twice per month. I usually do one at least once a month. Also a scandisk wouldn't hurt. If you have any files that are corrupted, or misplaced it will help fix those.
I will say that Norton Anti virus, (especially norton Internet security) will slow your system down somewhat.
May also want to check what services you have running. If you are running IIS or FTP then you can try to disable those services. The more services that are running, the slower of course it will make your system. How about MS updates, sometimes they help.
Try running a MSCONFIG to see what is loading behind the scenes. Go to the tab that says startup, see how many "hidden" things are loading. May want to try and tweak that alittle. Just some more advice.

[bedrocked]

with respect to burnin dvds, i highly recommend getting another hard drive. you say you have alot of programs so that 20gigs fills up really fast.

as for speeding up xp. i highly recommend doing a fresh install anytime you install an OS. backup the programs u need. after that head on over to

www.tweak-xp.com

loads of great normal and reg tweaks which will speed up xp quite a bit.

[Sicilian30]

with respect to burnin dvds, i highly recommend getting another hard drive. you say you have alot of programs so that 20gigs fills up really fast.

.

Yes I would recommend the same. He is correct, the ripping alone, can gobble up 10 or more gigs at a time.

[KeyMastur]

after that head on over to

www.tweak-xp.com

loads of great normal and reg tweaks which will speed up xp quite a bit.

or just look for it on kazaa. it's there.

[ENraged]

or just look for it on kazaa. it's there.

i like this guys config's
http://blackviper.com/

[critter]

I would suggest downloading "Spybot S&D" and after installing do an upgrade to it then run it.. This will get rid of most SPYWARE on your machine which could be running in the background slowing it down.. here is a link to get it
http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10...ml?tag=lst-0-1

Ofcourse if you havent already run Windows Update and get all of the lastest critical updates.. there have been lots of worms/virus targeting windows machine lately

[chris008]

I have had my computer for 3 years. It originally had windows ME on it and I upgraded to XP Pro and upped the RAM. I currently have:

1.0 GhZ AMD Athalon
512 MB SDRAM (PC133)
Nvidia TNT2
Soundbalster Live
Windows XP Pro

Things are starting to run a little bit slower lately. I upgraded from ME to XP (not a clean install) and have a lot of software. Considering I have had the same OS for 3 years, should I reinstall windows. Any sites to help with the process... thanks.

Also, I am considering getting a DVD bruner to... um... "backup" DVD's. Is my hardware good enough...

Check out this website for XP tweaks. I did this with my computer and saw a big difference in speed.

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm

[hoss827]

This is just my opinion...but get off of XP. It's great for networking, but I would suggest Windows 98 second edition. It's the most stable. RAM is pretty cheap now. Its like 40$ for 512MB. I have 1gig and got it for about 50-60$ at www.crucialram.com

[hoss827]

I'd also suggest a higher processor speed. I have a 2.6ghz athlon now, and if you want to buy my old 1.7ghz send me a PM and lemme know.

[Sicilian30]

This is just my opinion...but get off of XP. It's great for networking, but I would suggest Windows 98 second edition. It's the most stable.

I hate to disagree with you here, but anyone that says 98 is more stable than XP obviously has not read or done much research on OS's. According to MS white paper on XP compared to 98, 98 had to restarted an average of 5-10 times a week, where as XP needent restarted at all during a period of several months operating the same programs. I work with OS's on a daily basis. I am an MCSE and Gold Partner with MS. Trust me, we know all the angles, all the stats on OS's, and we have documentation to prove it, and help us sell their products. 98 in no way is even in the same ballpark as xp as far as it's stability.
Just compare the file allocation tables themselves. that is proof enough. Windows 98 uses FAT 32, windows XP uses either an enhanced and yes more stable version of Fat 32, or what is recommended for EVEN MORE STABILITY AND SECURITY, NTFS. NTFS, has type 3 security. Which means that it is found to be the most stable File allocation table in it's class.
That is why our US government uses NTFS, along with NT, XP and windows 2000 OS's.
Just the kernel alone in XP is way over 98's kernel. The way both OS's manage memory is another aspect that needs no genius to figure out that XP blasts 98 in all tests and memory management services. The argument is overwelming that XP far surpasses 98 by a long shot. If you don't believe me do your own research. For security, stability, and features, I would recommend XP over 98 any day of the week.
Most people who believe that 98 is better than XP either
1: does not understand the OS
2: had a bad experience or had a friend who had a bad experience with XP probally due to an outdated driver, or out dated hardware problem
3: someone who doesn't like change
4: a buddy who "knows everything about computers" told you that.
Believe me I have heard all the stories. If you don't believe me do your own research on this topic.

Oh here ya go on some of the studies 98 versus XP for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.windowsadvantage.com/feat...xp_fastest.asp

and another on user input:
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

and yet another lab report:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p...erformance.asp

Oh look another article that says what I just said:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p...wxpvswin98.asp

End of discussion.

[KeyMastur]

touchee to the infamous hoss, giver of life to dead threads....

[Sicilian30]

touchee to the infamous hoss, giver of life to dead threads....

Is there something I don't know here? What are you implying key? LOL.

[KeyMastur]

Is there something I don't know here? What are you implying key? LOL.

http://anabolicreview.com/vbulletin/...ead.php?t=3498

see who brings them back to life....

[Sicilian30]

Ha ha.. lol, thanks for clearing that one up for me Key...
BTW that thread was VERY VERY OLD.. gosh those were the good ole days though.. Dane, Mike, pappa, Iron.. etc.. whew, miss those good ole days...

[bermich]

So how do you wipe out your computer and reinstall windows?? I need to do this but have a vague idea.

I need to make a boot disc then what.....
Anyone feel like typing it down if you have time to kill I would appreciate it.

DELL makes fucking with your computer a bitch. LAST TIME I ever BUY a DELL.

[KeyMastur]

So how do you wipe out your computer and reinstall windows?? I need to do this but have a vague idea.

I need to make a boot disc then what.....
Anyone feel like typing it down if you have time to kill I would appreciate it.

DELL makes fucking with your computer a bitch. LAST TIME I ever BUY a DELL.

actually you don't need to make a boot disk. I think the XP Home cd is autostart if it's in the drive and you turn your computer on. once it starts up, just follow the menu's until you get to the option of formatting a hard drive. it's all pretty simple to follow. just format the drive you want (if you've got partitions, pick the right drive) and it'll do the rest.

i have 2 hard drives (40 gig, 100 gig) with my 40 gig divided into 2 partitions. the one where i install windows is only 10 gig, the other 30 gig is reserved for "movies" (mainly porn, divx). the other 100 gig is for my mp3's.

my burned copy of XP Pro won't let me do anything but an upgrade (or fresh install) through windows. i can't get that working through ms dos because it won't autostart for me.

it's really not that hard. i usually do it once in a while depending on how much extra software i've added. right now i have everrything that i want / need, but you know how you just install shit (like adobe photoshop, etc.) that you don't use on a regular basis.

lemme know if you've got any questions, hopefully i can help.

[bermich]

QUESTION. How do I erase everything off my hard drive?

My uncle moved, so now I have no one to work on my comp. My room mate broke up with her computer geek boyfriend also. Im shit out of luck

If you could help I would appreciate it. My computer needs to be restarted every hour cause after that it stops working correctly.

I just wanna delete and start from scratch.....
I dont wanna defrag or anything. JUST ERASE TOTAL and load from my DELL discs

THANKS....

[Sicilian30]

Windows XP, ME and some versions of windows 98 CD has a bootup feature. You will have to have it enabled in your bios which most of the time it usually is, by default. Pop the CD in as KeyMastur mentioned, and you computer (depending on the type and model) may ask you to press any key to boot from CD, press any key, and the system will boot up. IN the process of the startup of the CD, XP will allow you to delete an existing partician. If memory serves, one must press the d key then the L key to confirm deletion of the existing partician. Once the partician is deleted, then it will take you back to a screen that will say "unparticianed drive" or something like that. At this point your data is gone. then press the C key to create a new partician, it will ask you the size you want to make it. I usually go with the default, the maximum size of the drive, unless I want to break up a partician for some security or file reasons. ONce that is done, then it will instruct you to format, (I usually choose the "quick" format") . After the format is finished, the Operating system in this case XP will proceed to install.
This is probally the easiest way to fdisk and format a hard drive. There is another way with a windows 98, ME or XP start up disk. If you know how to use the fdisk command and delete a non dos partician (if it is NTFS), and create a new one, then you have to go back and format the drive. Okay I am off the subject, didn't mean to confuse you. Really hard to tell someone how to do something over a thread you know what I mean.
If I confused you just simply follow the instructions from the bootup CD they are very easy to understand.

[bermich]

Thanks. Once I see it I usually remember it. Remembering and understanding are two different things. Computer manuals assume you know the termanology. I dont have time for that.

BUT. If it is as simple as you explained it then you are AWESOME. If it doesnt work then I HATE YOU...

[Sicilian30]

It will work, just follow the instructions amigo. good luck

[bermich]

Disk only lets me upgrade. It has no options of partition or formatting.
I need to know how to do a complete hard drive erase so I can start from scratch.

[the original jason]

there are 2 options or maybe more but, you can do as sic suggested as that will work if you do it properly, boot into your bios, change the 1 st boot device to be cd-rom, then put in the xp bootable cd, restart comp it will go through the process, probably say press any key to boot from cd, then follow as suggested above. If that doesnt work you are doing something wrong. The other thing is, if you dont have partition magic, i can send u 2 small zips you can write them on a disk and you can format your drive with partition magic then you can re install xp, if you want them drop me a pm as i dont mod this forum to often

peace

[Sicilian30]

Disk only lets me upgrade. It has no options of partition or formatting.
I need to know how to do a complete hard drive erase so I can start from scratch.

ah ha.. you have an upgrade version of windows Xp it seems. no problem, all you need is an windows 98, windows 2k or windows me disk, doesn't matter if they are "upgrade versions or not". When you are walking thru the install process and it says that it is an upgrade version, it will then ask you for the source path for a product that qualifies for the upgrade. At that point put your windows 98, 2k or me cd in the drive and point it there.
From my understanding even if you have the upgrade version of XP you still should be able to do a "complete install of Windows". I could be wrong on this because I don't work with upgrades to windows XP everyday.
But if not, just stick one of those disks in and after that it should give you the option to format and reinstall the OS. YOu shouldn't need to install windows 98 or 2k or me first, it should just take the install Cd and see that you qualify for the upgrade install. good luck.
REmember computer troubleshooting is very hard via typing on a board, it is very important to give all details and all errors to your problems to make it easier to help. Even then it is still complicated to help but we can try.

[the mighty tearlezz]

about the dvd burner for me the best choice is a multi dvd writer.having a pogramm like history kill in youre syteem would be good it will keep your p.c running smoother and cleaner.