Reinstalling XP

[johnjohngc]

Hi,
I have just successfully reinstalled XP on my Dell Dimension 4550 (nervous moments but all went well) and am now trying to do the same to my friends similar Dell. Problem is that her CD drive is labelled E: as hers has separate components whereas mine has a combined CDreader/burner. When I get into the boot/BIOS menus I just can't seem to get it to read the disc, or find an E drive. Dell's website, as usual, gets you so far but not all the way. I am no advanced computer mechanic so would prefer relatively simple english please in any replies you might have.

John.

 

[muckshifter]

Can you first give me details of your friends Dell.


When you say "separate" components, do you mean two CDRom drives, or two hard drives ? All "optical" drives (CDRom, Re-writer, burner) can read CDs.


Welcome to the forums.

 

[johnjohngc]

Hiya and thanks for the reply,

It's a Dimension 4550 with XP Home with SP2 included

Sorry for being unclear. Yeah, it has two CDrom drives (I thought one reader LITEON and one burner Samsung) and just the one hard drive 60GB.

When I did mine yesterday I got it to boot to the CD and Bob's me uncle (He is as well) but this one I just cannot sem to get it to read. It spits me back out to the setup menu and then sulks little.

John.

 

[muckshifter]

ah, OK, one of those "optical" drives should be the D drive, try again.


I take it you have read page 63 / 71 ?

Is this a "real" XP CD or Dell's err, restore CD ?

Are you using your CD or your friends CD ?

 

[johnjohngc]

Page 63?? ...sorry, lost me there.


No, they're all legit CD's from Microsoft etc, although mine was a Dell variant (I didn't but Office).

I'll have to turn off again and give it another try, but you're basically saying that it should work if I put the CD in the (burner) which is labelled D: according to the computer.

I'll wait a little for your reply......much appreciated by the way!!

John.

 

[muckshifter]

Page 63?? ...sorry, lost me there.

Sorry, I was referring to the manual ... page 71 has better destructions.

No, they're all legit CD's from Microsoft etc, although mine was a Dell variant.

Even better ...

I'll have to turn off again and give it another try, but you're basically saying that it should work if I put the CD in the (burner) which is labeled D: according to the computer.

Yep, that drive should work as the first CD boot device ...

 

[johnjohngc]

Hi,

Firstly, thank-you very much for your help yesterday (Happy Easter btw) and my friends xp has successfully been reinstalled, but with a slower connection for updating and an hours drive back to Stockholm it was a bit late to write to you....thanks again!

Second, I would like to use/abuse your knowledge about virus protection etc., if you have the time. I read your article about spyware/malware and agree wholeheartedly. However, now seems a good time to begin again on the whole thing. Neither my friend nor I are huge computer users, mainly surfing, and both feel a little confused. As Dell purchasers we got Norton AV which, well, seems to have a growing critic base. I have been recommended (from two independent sources) NOD32 as a replacemnet..any comments? Before my computer went haywire I had installed Spydoctor (with Anti-virus) and Registry Mechanic from pctools which seem to work ok, and at the same time have Zonealarm (free version) as a firewall. I feel as though I probably have over complicated things with so many different progrmas, but there isn't an all in one, is there? I've understood that having more than one Anti-virus program installed can cause problems and have contributed to my own downfall.

Sorry to babble on but my third query was about msreg.com . This popped up a couple of times when re-updating both computers when doing a windows update giving me a "critical" warning, but somehow the whole thing gave me the heebiegeebies, so I did nothing...was I right?

Happy Easter again from a beautiful, but cold -1, Stockholm

John.

 

[muckshifter]

You are welcome ... I wish ALL fixes were as easy.


My "opinions" on anti-nastie's are quite strong, some may say overpowering, I may rabbit on and say the same thing over & over again, but I mean well.

Let me first say ... no amount of "protection" is 100% effective.

My first choice goes to Kaspersky, either their stand alone AntiVirus program (KAV) or their all-in-one, Kaspersky Internet security (KIS) ... both also help protect from Trojans, Worms as well as Mal ware & Spyware, not to mention Viruses. Not free but you can try both for 30days.

I also highly regard NOD32 on the same level, and will recommend it over KAV on a lesser spec PC as its footprint & speed is excellent. However, they don't yet have an all-in-one package. So you will need additional help. Not free but again has a 30 trial period.

AntiVir Personal is a Free AV program, they have a paid-for version, but if you are a little tight fisted with money, then you can do worse with other freebies

It is worth installing the following programs also ...

SpyBotSearch&Destroy
It has some excellent features that help protect your system from Spyware/Mal ware

SpywareBlaster
It don't do much at all, what it does do is issue "kill-bits" to Internet Explorer & Firefox which kills any site on its list from being displayed ... no PC should go on the Internet without it.

Microsoft Windows Defender
No, really, it is a damn good first line of defense, not originally written by MS and in its day was the defacto anti-spyware program all pros used. Was not free (quite dear to buy actually) so was not that well known by the ordinary PC user.

CrapCleaner
This is NOT an anti-nastie anything, but what it does do is help you easily remove un-needed crap off your PC

One important piece of "software" is your Firewall. Most people just use Microsoft's own ... it works, but has a lot of failings.

Most people who have Broadband have a NAT Router ... this has a built-in "Hardware" firewall ... the word Hardware is a bit of a misnomer, but suffice to say it is a damn good idea to have a NAT Router in your system.

I would still install a good software Firewall.

Top of my list is Kaspersky Internet Security ... KIS is nice and easy to use and a powerful tool in your PCs defense.

Kerio
This Firewall is a highly regarded firewall, not free but you can again try before you buy.

ZoneAlarm
Another highly regarded Firewall, has a Free version as well as a paid for. I'm afraid I don't like it, I will not use it.

Comodo
A new kid on the block fast becoming a standard is quickly taking the lead away from ZA ... is free for personal use. The makers of Comodo were once on the wrong side of the fence, they have "come clean" and have made inroads in shaking off the bad stigma they once had. Actually, it is a damn good program, and I can recommend giving it a try out.


Anyway, I've rattled off a few, there are more Here you can look at ... try a few out yourself, do your own "evaluations" and see what you like, and, can understand. It is a good idea to get to know & understand the software on your PC.

TTFN