moneu said:
Just installed microsoft xp home edition and a new hard drive. I cannot open
any word or excel files because both programs are missing. I have no audio
because my speakers cannot be detected. My ipod library has vanished and i am
now being asked to reinstall my itunes program but im afraid it will erase
all my existing libraries. any advice would be welcome. thank you.
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and the other Microsoft Office
application's are NOT part of Windows. If you computer had these
applications installed when you received it from your dealer they were
present because the dealer or computer manufacturer added them. Check
whatever recovery or reinstallation media you received with the computer
for media that will reinstall those "added value" applications.
"Speakers" aren't really an "installed" peripheral device for most
Windows computers. The typical installation involves integrated sound
accelerator hardware on the computer's motherboard (the large main
electronic circuit board). A complete reinstallation of the operating
system, as would be accomplished with a new boot hard drive, would
require reinstallation of the drivers for the sound accelerator. This
driver may be a part of a full recovery process that reestablishes the
software and data environment at the time the computer was delivered
(erases ALL the consumer's data files!) OR require the installation of
"motherboard drivers" from media that was delivered with the computer.
Add on sound cards have their own software or driver installation media.
Many manufacturers allow customers to download these drivers from the
company web site in case they have problems locating the installation
media that came with the computer or sound card. Look for "support" or
"download" links on the sites.
Once the integrated sound accelerator OR sound card driver is installed
you can plug your speakers into the audio jacks without further software
installation.
You don't say what happened with the old hard drive. The I-tunes files
are located there. Accessibility of those files with a new I-tunes
installation may hinge on how Apple's Digital Rights Management (DRM)
functions. The one certainty is, you will NOT be able to play that media
until I-tunes is re-installed. Have you checked Apple's site for
instructions for using your existing downloads with an I-tunes
application reinstallation?
