I am going to reformat my H/D and start from scratch. If I
reinstall XP "over the top" does it delete the registry
and create a new registry completly.
If you reformat and install clean, then the registry will be clean. If you
do a repair install, it will rebuild just the system portions (program keys
will be unaffected). Do not do an "over the top" installation like you may
have done with earlier versions. This procedure will simply create a new
installation, and programs will not run under it and you will need to retake
ownership of data files. See this on doing a repair installation:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
How would I get the updates/patches for my machine, and
how will I know whitch patches I need to make sure that I
am fully up to-date and patched against any viruses.
I would download them first, and copy to CD for use after you are done.
Certain patches will protect you from infection by the many bugs that will
actively try to infect you the moment the system is connected to the
internet (blaster in particular will do this). Go to the Windows Update
site, click on the catalog option (if you don't see it in the left column,
add it using personalize), select WinXP Home, then download all *critical*
updates. Copy these to CD, then install them after doing your reinstallation
(start with SP1 if it is not included in your copy of WinXP). You can do the
recommended updates afterwards should you want any of them.
You can also now order a stand-alone copy of the majority of the updates
here:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
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Best of Luck,
Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!
Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone
