In Way Over My Head

[Guest]

My roommate and I have recently gone overboard with ad-ons, BHOs, "free"
programs, etc. I've tried to use System Restore, but it won't let me go back
early enough, and neither will Norton Go-Back. We discovered a couple of
days ago that Windows firewall was non-operational and that something like
the Firewall Interface something or other could not be found. Somewhere in
the middle of all this I also decided to try the Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta,
and allowed it to delete several things that, of course, the "free" programs,
BHOs, etc. needed to 2work, so I recovered all kinds of crap from the Norton
Protected recycle bin. I'm totally overwhelmed and have no idea where to
start...

Can ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME?

 

[Fitz]

Sounds like a mess. If it were my computer, I save my documents to disk,
format the hard drive and reinstall windows. I think that you may have too
much scumware too deeply imbedded to try to clean although you can give it a
shot. Do it in safe mode while disconnected from the internet.

 

[Guest]

If all is that messed up,install xp cd,boot to xp cd (you may need to adjust
for this in the BIOS,boot device priority,or similiar) at info
screen,select,install
xp,new copy,delete the partition,create one,then xp will format and install
auto...

 

[Guest]

So -- do have any advice as far as reformatting, like how to do it without
losing the BIOS or Shell, or if that's even something that I need to worry
about. Or if you know of a thread or a link that's relevant,that would be
helpful also. I hope my novice questions aren't too terribly annoying -- I
guess I'll have to quit thinking of this thing as "the magic box that does
tricks", and actually learn something about how it works. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Specifically, I have a Dell Dimension computer, so the boot disk that I have
for reinstallation is the one supplied by the OEM -- will this be usable
after reformatting, or will the reformat erase Dell files necessary to boot
from the disc? I ask, because the instruction manual that came with the
computer doesn't offer instructions that include reformatting -- although
that's what I'd really prefer to do.

 

[Fitz]

Here's a Dell knowledge base article...assuming XP is the OS.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1060556

Just a couple of points: Make sure your bios is set to boot from the CDROM.
Have your OEM disk ready along with the Product Key. The key will be on a
sticker that is attached to your computer. Back up important files first
such as your My Documents folder.

Good Luck.

 

[james hanley]

yeah, you can reuse it after formatting. Note that when it asks for
the key, use the Dell key printed onto the computer or on the cd..

there are 2 CDs with dell machines. The windows installation cd and the
drivers cd.

make sure with the drivers cd, that you install the chipset, network,
sound and display drivers.

-
you coudl always use a normal windows cd. But you'll need to use the
dell driver cd to install the drivers. THe driver CD actually
interrogates the computer and tells you what drivers to install. If you
were to just try getting drivers off the website then it'd list drivers
that aren't suitable for your comp.. Always install drivers off the
driver cd.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice -- I'll let you know how it works.

 

[Guest]

I appreciate the advice -- thanks.

 

[Guest]

ok -- one more question -- do I reformat first, using windows or the command
prompt -- or will the setup from the boot CD offer me the option of
reformatting before I reinstall? Oh -- and will I have to choose between FAT
or NTFS, or will it offer recommended choices?

 

[Fitz]

When you insert the CD, it will take you through a series of steps. One of
the steps is something to the effect <to install fresh copy of
windows>...you should answer yes, <to delete existing partitions>, you
should answer yes. When you delete the existing partitions it will wipe all
your data. Make sure you back up prior to this! I don't recall if you are
offered the choice of FAT or NTFS (I think not). If there is a choice, use
NTFS.

 

[Guest]

Hi Fitz --

I just found out that my internal CD-ROM (original from Dell 3+ years ago)
is not working -- can I use an external CD-ROM?

Sorry if this is becoming annoying for you...

 

[Fitz]

Try hooking the external CDROM up and see if Windows recognizes it. If the
old CDROM is not working then you might as well disable it also. (Are you
getting an error message on the old CDROM or is it just plain dead?) Then
restart your computer and go into your BIOS settings and see if the new
CDROM is listed there. If so, change the boot sequence so that the new
CDROM boots first. If it's not listed, let me know and we'll go from there.
You might have to buy a new internal CDROM (not expensive if buying a basic
unit).

 

[Guest]

OK, Fitz --

the drive is reformatted and XP is reinstalled, but while formatting my hard
drive I partitioned it, so now, under disk space it says that my C drive is
only 15G, what happened to the other 65G, and how do I access it?

 

[Fitz]

Justin,

I just saw that you have another thread going where Pattie has been helping
you with your reinstall and partition problems so I'll defer to her
knowledge so we won't have two threads going at the same time. If all else
fails, you can reinstall again or get a third party program like Partition
Magic.

Good luck.