G
Guest
BOY! have i learned a lot in the last 5 weeks!
My computer stats are at the bottom. I have a little black box from Comcast
connected to my computer. It’s fast. I have a warranty with Dell, but it
doesn’t cover this stuff. The tech support guy I was assigned to said he’s
“swamped†and will call me when he has time. That was 2 weeks ago. Dell sent
me the reload-for-dummies set of 4 disks with EVERYTHING [originally loaded]
on it.
I apologize for the length of this, but I’m ready to do this and have a few
questions that must be answered for me to continue and I want to make sure my
list of tasks is accurate.
I’ll start with the OUTLINE of the LONG task list and then the questions.
If you don’t know the background: my computer caught a cold and I couldn’t
get rid of a few nasty files, so I’m going to reformat and reload. I’m ~ not
young ~ and mentally challenged, so this is extremely difficult for me. I’m
intelligent but V E R Y slow.
I changed the order of some things, mainly because I’m totally afraid of the
web now. So please let me know whether the changes don’t work.
Pre-installation:
*Download Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder programs onto disk.
*Disconnect peripherals, network/modem cable.
*Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
*Install Windows XP.
Post-installation & pre-internet connection:
*Enable Windows firewall. Run Network Setup Wizard.
*Install Service Pack 2 [from CD].
*Reconnect printer.
*Run Disk Defragmenter.
*Enable Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2.
*Load Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder [from CD] then reboot into safe mode
and run the applications.
*Test hardware devices.
*Set up users.
*Customize the system.
*Defrag system drive.
*Install/ run software.
*Set up Windows Automatic Updates.
[Now’s the scary part] connect to internet:
*Install Windows Updates.
*Update Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder.
*Download the Latest BIOS.
QUESTIONS:
*At what point should I load the software for the printer?
*At what point should I load the software for the modem?
*At what point should I reconnect the printer?
*At what point should I reconnect the comcast modem?
When reformatting\reinstalling:
*Must I choose FAT32 or NTFS format? If so, which should I choose?
*In the instructions it says, “In the opening OOBE phase, set up your
network/Internet connection, which is required for activation and
registration.†It seems I must connect to the modem? If so, the computer is
in jeopardy. Can I do this later?
*ANY ADVICE? I can’t find my product key on the disks. Dell loaded
everything originally and I have the disks, but no number located.
*CAN I DO THIS W/O BEING CONNECTED TO THE WEB? HOW? Set up Windows Automatic
Updates.
*To run the Network Setup Wizard do I have to connect to the modem? If so,
wouldn’t the computer be vulnerable at that time?
*An MVP helper said, “Automatic Update of Windows SP2 is not the best. You
are better able to avoid internet issues and other possible issues if you
have SP-2 on CD….â€
HOW WILL IT HELP MY COMPUTER IF IT ISN’T INSTALLED? HOW DO I USE IT FROM
THE CD?
*Reading the MVP firewall info, it seems I should I disable the SP2 firewall
and use the Norton firewall [I have] only. IS THAT CORRECT? IF NOT, WHAT
SHOULD I DO?
WHERE CAN I FIND SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO DO THESE THINGS IF IT WOULD
TAKE TOO MUCH TIME TO ANSWER HERE?
*Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
*Check to make sure you have all updated drivers.
*Run chkdsk to check file system.
*Perform Disk Cleanup.
*Go to MSCONFIG.
*Login as an Administrator.
*Download the Latest BIOS.
*If I use mozilla instead of IE [suggested by MVP person], will it work with
outlook?
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 2002
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Dell Computer Corporation
System Model Dimension 8300
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~2992 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Computer Corporation A05, 2/23/2004
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
File System NTSF
Size 74.46 GB
My computer stats are at the bottom. I have a little black box from Comcast
connected to my computer. It’s fast. I have a warranty with Dell, but it
doesn’t cover this stuff. The tech support guy I was assigned to said he’s
“swamped†and will call me when he has time. That was 2 weeks ago. Dell sent
me the reload-for-dummies set of 4 disks with EVERYTHING [originally loaded]
on it.
I apologize for the length of this, but I’m ready to do this and have a few
questions that must be answered for me to continue and I want to make sure my
list of tasks is accurate.
I’ll start with the OUTLINE of the LONG task list and then the questions.
If you don’t know the background: my computer caught a cold and I couldn’t
get rid of a few nasty files, so I’m going to reformat and reload. I’m ~ not
young ~ and mentally challenged, so this is extremely difficult for me. I’m
intelligent but V E R Y slow.
I changed the order of some things, mainly because I’m totally afraid of the
web now. So please let me know whether the changes don’t work.
Pre-installation:
*Download Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder programs onto disk.
*Disconnect peripherals, network/modem cable.
*Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
*Install Windows XP.
Post-installation & pre-internet connection:
*Enable Windows firewall. Run Network Setup Wizard.
*Install Service Pack 2 [from CD].
*Reconnect printer.
*Run Disk Defragmenter.
*Enable Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2.
*Load Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder [from CD] then reboot into safe mode
and run the applications.
*Test hardware devices.
*Set up users.
*Customize the system.
*Defrag system drive.
*Install/ run software.
*Set up Windows Automatic Updates.
[Now’s the scary part] connect to internet:
*Install Windows Updates.
*Update Ad-Aware, SpyBot S&D, CWShredder.
*Download the Latest BIOS.
QUESTIONS:
*At what point should I load the software for the printer?
*At what point should I load the software for the modem?
*At what point should I reconnect the printer?
*At what point should I reconnect the comcast modem?
When reformatting\reinstalling:
*Must I choose FAT32 or NTFS format? If so, which should I choose?
*In the instructions it says, “In the opening OOBE phase, set up your
network/Internet connection, which is required for activation and
registration.†It seems I must connect to the modem? If so, the computer is
in jeopardy. Can I do this later?
*ANY ADVICE? I can’t find my product key on the disks. Dell loaded
everything originally and I have the disks, but no number located.
*CAN I DO THIS W/O BEING CONNECTED TO THE WEB? HOW? Set up Windows Automatic
Updates.
*To run the Network Setup Wizard do I have to connect to the modem? If so,
wouldn’t the computer be vulnerable at that time?
*An MVP helper said, “Automatic Update of Windows SP2 is not the best. You
are better able to avoid internet issues and other possible issues if you
have SP-2 on CD….â€
HOW WILL IT HELP MY COMPUTER IF IT ISN’T INSTALLED? HOW DO I USE IT FROM
THE CD?
*Reading the MVP firewall info, it seems I should I disable the SP2 firewall
and use the Norton firewall [I have] only. IS THAT CORRECT? IF NOT, WHAT
SHOULD I DO?
WHERE CAN I FIND SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO DO THESE THINGS IF IT WOULD
TAKE TOO MUCH TIME TO ANSWER HERE?
*Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
*Check to make sure you have all updated drivers.
*Run chkdsk to check file system.
*Perform Disk Cleanup.
*Go to MSCONFIG.
*Login as an Administrator.
*Download the Latest BIOS.
*If I use mozilla instead of IE [suggested by MVP person], will it work with
outlook?
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 2002
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Dell Computer Corporation
System Model Dimension 8300
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~2992 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Computer Corporation A05, 2/23/2004
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
File System NTSF
Size 74.46 GB