Putting computer back to when first bought

[Guest]

Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My daugher is
trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is saying not enough
memory, which i dont understand as we have removed nearly everything. Dont
know what is wrong with it. It is windows xp. Thanks very much

 

[Rock]

Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My daugher is
trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is saying not enough
memory, which i dont understand as we have removed nearly everything.
Dont
know what is wrong with it. It is windows xp. Thanks very much

Check the documentation that came with it or contact the computer's tech
support. The manufacturer had to provide some means to restore the system.
They have three options.

1. XP installation CD (along with drivers and apps CDs)
2. Recovery CD
3. Hidden partition on the hard drive with an image of the system as
received from the factory.

 

[Lem]

Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My daugher is
trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is saying not enough
memory, which i dont understand as we have removed nearly everything. Dont
know what is wrong with it. It is windows xp. Thanks very much

Note that restoring your computer to its ex-factory condition is a
rather drastic step. Everything you have installed or created on the
computer will be lost (unless you have saved data to some external
backup device). If all you use the computer for is playing games, this
will not matter. Otherwise, you may want to try to address the slowdown
and lack of memory problems first.

A likely cause of your problem is malware infestation. Here's a good
set of instructions for dealing with malware:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

See also
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction

But it isn't always malware. See
http://www.castlecops.com/t175256-Slow_Computer_Check_here_first_it_may_not_be_malware.html

 

[Guest]

Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My daugher is
trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is saying not enough
memory, which i dont understand as we have removed nearly everything. Dont
know what is wrong with it. It is windows xp. Thanks very much

First download these Anti-Malware at the bottom of this post with the free
AVG Anti-virus and installed them on your Computer and update their
definitions.

Disconnect from the Internet and Go to the Add/Remove and weed for the
unwanted applicatins/Programs installed in the past and never been used or
will not be used, and the programs been installed by you not aware of them
been installed.
Go through these cleaning steps:
1... Click start >> Control Panel >> Double Click Network and Internet
Connections >> Double click Internet Options, on the IE Properties window
you will see these Options:
General | Security | Privacy | Content | Connections | Programs
| Advanced .

Click on General Tab (1st Tab on the left) and you will see a Button called
[ Clear History ..] click on it to clear your History caches, then click on
[Delete Files..] to delete Internet Files created over the time, click on [
Delete Cookies...] to delete your cookies left by visiting websites.

= Then try to Disable the Add-Ons on your Browser somehow installed on your
browser, On how to disable the Add-ons follow this:
Click on Programs Tab and then click the Manage Add-Ons Button there Disable
the None/Not Verified Plug-ins/Add-ons ( you need to Renable them one-by-one
later and see which is the culprit or you can send them here in your next
post) and click [OK] to confirm your Changes.

Click on Advanced Tab and scroll down under the browsing option and uncheck
this box:
[&] Browsing
[ ] Enable Third-Party browser extensions (Req Rest) and click Apply
then OK to close your IE Properties.

2.... And also for malwares from here:
http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
http://www.safer-networking.org ; for Spybot S&D
Download and install after installing this software and
update then run a scan in both safe mode and normal:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5
Run Disk cleanUp and Defrag again in safe mode.
If still have a look in the Event Viewer for any error messages(X) that can
cause your computer to slow or crashes.
Also check your Disk space and how much RAM you have on this PC, to do this:
Open a run command and type in:
msinfo32.msc click [OK].
HTH.
nass

 

[NTL]

if you are going to reinstall a clean windows i recommend this ;

first install windows and your key programs

using a copy of partition magic or similar make a second partition on your
hard drive. (partition magic does this without losing the data you have
already installed).
then when the machine is getting slowed down and cluttered up with junk
programs then copy the second partition over the first one.

Sandy

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

if you are going to reinstall a clean windows i recommend this ;

first install windows and your key programs

using a copy of partition magic or similar make a second partition on your
hard drive. (partition magic does this without losing the data you have
already installed).
then when the machine is getting slowed down and cluttered up with junk
programs then copy the second partition over the first one.

This makes no sense at all, for several reasons.

If you want two partitions, don't start by making one partition that
fills up the drive and then change it afterward. Partition Magic isn't
at all required to have two partitions. Simply create a partition
smaller than the drive's size when you install Windows, then create a
second partition in the unallocated space afterward.

Second, the concept that the machine will get "slowed down and
cluttered up with junk programs" is completely false. Although it
sometimes happens, it's far from inevitable. With a modicum of care,
it never happens, and Windows doesn't need to be reinstalled or copied
over from another partition

Third, what you are essentially suggesting is a backup of your Windows
installation in a second partition. This is a completely
unsatisfactory backup scheme, as far as I'm concerned. It's better
than no backup at all, but just barely. I don't recommend backup to a
second non-removable hard drive or a second partition because it
leaves you susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup
to many of the most common dangers: severe power glitches, nearby
lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not kept
in the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for example, if the
life of your business depends on your data) you should have multiple
generations of backup, and at least one of those generations should be
stored off-site.

Fourth, in the instructions you provided, you neglected to explain
that copying the second partition over the first one will cause the
loss of all data files, all applications installed since that initial
backup, all customizations to Windows and application programs that
have been made, etc.

And finally, you've made such a recommendation without knowing how
large a hard drive the OP has. Not everyone has a drive big enough to
waste half of it for what you recommend.

 

[HeyBub]

Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My
daugher is trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is
saying not enough memory, which i dont understand as we have removed
nearly everything. Dont know what is wrong with it. It is windows
xp. Thanks very much

"Memory" and "disk space" are two completely different things. You may, in
fact, have insufficient memory to execute the game irrespective of how much
space you have available on your hard drive.

So then:
1. How much "memory" does the game require?
2. How much "memory" (RAM) is installed on your computer?

Note: We do NOT want to know how much disk space you have.

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

if you are going to reinstall a clean windows i recommend this ;

BZZZZZT!!! Reading is a skill

The OP was trying to restore said computer to its original condition.

first install windows and your key programs

using a copy of partition magic or similar make a second partition on your
hard drive. (partition magic does this without losing the data you have
already installed).
then when the machine is getting slowed down and cluttered up with junk
programs then copy the second partition over the first one.

You're a moron.

 

[mikeyhsd]

check the game package to see what its requirements are. then

check with system properties in control panel to see how much memory you have in the computer.
it is likely that you just do not have enough memory in the computer because of the message the game generates.

you can also check under My Computer for how much space is in use/left on your hard drive to see if you have enough space for the game.




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Can anyone please help me to put my computer back to when it was first
purchased. It is going very slow even after defragmenting. My daugher is
trying to load a pc game on to the computer but it is saying not enough
memory, which i dont understand as we have removed nearly everything. Dont
know what is wrong with it. It is windows xp. Thanks very much