Think I need to do a reload. Any helpful hints?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ed from AZ
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E

Ed from AZ

Using a Dell D600 Latitude laptop. I've been having multiple issues
since updating to SP3. A friend suggested maybe loading SP3 on top of
what I had may have caused problems. He suggested I back up, wipe,
reload XP, reload SP3, and THEN put my programs back on. The thought
is that reinstalling the programs with SP3 installed would be better
that installing them with SP2 and then loading SP3 on top.

Okay - I can manage that. I can back up all my files and uninstall
all my programs. Yah - I know lots of people didn't have any
problems. But I just want to take of mine.

Would it be good to try to wipe the hard drive? Or just reinstall
from my XP SP2 disc? I know if I wipe, I'm going to lose all my
drivers. But will a fresh install clear out the registry and other
places where remnants of old programs hide?

Any helpful hints and thoughts are most welcome and greatly
appreciated.

Ed
 
Back-up any personal data (none of which should be considered 100%
trustworthy at this point) then format the HDD & do a clean install of
Windows. Please note that a Repair Install (AKA in-place upgrade) will NOT
fix this!

HOW TO do a clean install of WinXP: See
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html#steps and/or Method 1 in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978307

After the clean install, you will have the equivalent of a "new computer" so
take care of *everything* on the following page before otherwise connecting
the machine to the internet *or a local network* (i.e., other computers)
*and before* connecting a flash drive, SDCard, or any other external drive
to the computer:

4 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online
http://www.microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspx

Other helpful references include:

HOW TO get a computer running WinXP Gold (no Service Packs) fully patched
(after a clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsupdate/msg/3f5afa8ed33e121c

HOW TO get a computer running WinXP SP1(a) or SP2 fully patched (after a
clean install)
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg/a066ae41add7dd2b

Tip: After getting the computer fully-patched, download/install KB971029
manually before connecting any external drive to the computer:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029

NB: Any Norton or McAfee free-trial that came preinstalled on the computer
when you bought it will be reinstalled (but invalid) when Windows is
reinstalled. You MUST uninstall the free-trial AND download/run the
appropriate removal tool BEFORE installing any updates, Windows Service
Packs or IE upgrades AND BEFORE installing your new anti-virus application
(which will require WinXP SP3 to be installed).

Norton Removal Tool
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe

McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool
http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

Also see:

Risks & Benefits of P2P file sharing
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/data/downloadfileshare/filesharing.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/mmpc/archive/2008/10/06/the-cost-of-free-software.aspx

Steps To Help Prevent Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/security/spyware/prevent.aspx

Steps to Help Prevent Computer Worms
http://www.microsoft.com/security/worms/prevent.aspx

Avoid Rogue Security Software!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx

If you need additional assistance, please begin a new thread in this forum:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/xprepair/threads

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair shop.
 
Ed from AZ said:
Using a Dell D600 Latitude laptop. I've been having multiple issues
since updating to SP3. A friend suggested maybe loading SP3 on top of
what I had may have caused problems. He suggested I back up, wipe,
reload XP, reload SP3, and THEN put my programs back on. The thought
is that reinstalling the programs with SP3 installed would be better
that installing them with SP2 and then loading SP3 on top.

Okay - I can manage that. I can back up all my files and uninstall
all my programs. Yah - I know lots of people didn't have any
problems. But I just want to take of mine.

Would it be good to try to wipe the hard drive? Or just reinstall
from my XP SP2 disc? I know if I wipe, I'm going to lose all my
drivers. But will a fresh install clear out the registry and other
places where remnants of old programs hide?

Any helpful hints and thoughts are most welcome and greatly
appreciated.

Ed
.
Click to expand...

If you boot from the XP disk, delete the partition, recreate the partition
and then format the new partition, *everything* on the drive will be wiped
and you will be starting from scratch. Download drivers from the website of
the maker of the laptop and save to flash drive or burn to CD before you
start. Install SP3 after you install the drivers, then get the rest of the
updates for the OS before restoring your data or reinstalling the
applications. Note that you don't have to uninstall anything, just save your
data, favorites list, email, and address book before you start. See:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Also, most laptops ship with a hidden recovery partition on the hard drive
that you can use to restore the machine to the way it was when it was shipped
from the factory. You usually access this by pressing one of the "F" keys
right at startup. Consult the owner's manual for instructions. This is a
destructive reinstall also, everything on the drive will be wiped. This type
of reinstall won't require activation and all the drivers are preinstalled.
You will need to get the latest updates and SP3 after the recovery.
 
Thank you for all the help!!
I really appreicate the time y'all spend here for free helping people.
I wish I knew enough to join in helping, too, but this part just isn't
my forte.

About reformatting the hard drive -
Is that done from a command prompt from the Run box?
Once it's wiped, all I have is the BIOS, yes?
How does it read the CD for the new install?

Ed
 
Ed said:
Thank you for all the help!!
I really appreicate the time y'all spend here for free helping people.
I wish I knew enough to join in helping, too, but this part just isn't
my forte.

About reformatting the hard drive -
Is that done from a command prompt from the Run box?
Once it's wiped, all I have is the BIOS, yes?
How does it read the CD for the new install?
Click to expand...

Just read the links furnished by Bear and Mark.

You first copy all your critical data, including e-mails, your e-mail
address book, and other e-mail settings (assuming you do not use a Web
browser for your e-mail) and your Web browser favorites). An extrernal
hard drive is an excellent destination for your copied data.

(Post back if you use Outlook Express for e-mail to get very specific
instructions to back everything up completely.)

Then when you're ready, pop in the Dell XP installation CD (assuming
that's what Dell provided! otherwise, post back). Reboot, making sure to
immediately press F12 to get the boot menu. When you are presented with
the boot options, choose to boot off the CD.

Follow the instructions from the michaelstevenstech.com link. *That* is
how you reformat the drive. :-)

I would recommend leaving the diagnostics partition intact (which can be
uesful) and only format the other partition(s).

The BIOS has nothing to do with your hard drive. In fact, you don't even
need any hard drive in your PC to access the PC's BIOS. It's a small set
of instructions located on a chip on the motherboard. You can access a
PC's BIOS anytime you want immediately after you boot up. The method
(depending on the PC) is outlined here:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

The usual method for most Dells is the F2 key.

When you boot off the CD, you are running the installation program that
is on the PC.

An SP3 Update CD (or simply the .exe file) is handy immediately after
your Clean Install. In fact, I would do that while the PC is not
connected to the Internet. Post back if you need guidance. Also, SP3
should be applied before you upgrade IE6. And then you will have a whole
mess (over 80, I believe) of post-SP3 XP security updates you will need
to install.

A Clean Install can take lots of time.

An alternative (for now, at least) is to identify (and fix) the specific
problem you are having.

(But you should still make sure all your data is safely copied first!!!)

In your other post, you said you installed SP3 and then your problems
started. So, are you saying you had no problems prior to the upgrade? If
so, it sounds like you installed SP3 while you were still running an
antivirus (or other security) program. And if that's the case, you can
probably uninstall SP3, using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
And then when you are ready, you can reinstall it, using the tried and
true method recommended in our group (either search the archived posts
or start a new thread asking for guidance).

Note that you might run into problems if you installed SP3 after IE6 was
upgraded. There might be a workaround for that. Again, post back before
you do anything!
 
Ed said:
Using a Dell D600 Latitude laptop. I've been having multiple issues
since updating to SP3. A friend suggested maybe loading SP3 on top of
what I had may have caused problems. He suggested I back up, wipe,
reload XP, reload SP3, and THEN put my programs back on. The thought
is that reinstalling the programs with SP3 installed would be better
that installing them with SP2 and then loading SP3 on top.

Okay - I can manage that. I can back up all my files and uninstall
all my programs. Yah - I know lots of people didn't have any
problems. But I just want to take of mine.

Would it be good to try to wipe the hard drive? Or just reinstall
from my XP SP2 disc? I know if I wipe, I'm going to lose all my
drivers. But will a fresh install clear out the registry and other
places where remnants of old programs hide?

Any helpful hints and thoughts are most welcome and greatly
appreciated.
Click to expand...

First, pay no attention to those who advocate repartitioning your drive. You
will lose your Dell recovery partion if you do.

Second, When loading a new OS, it is not necessary to re-format. The
installation takes care of that task.

Third, the registry does not need to be "cleared out." The registry either
works or it doesn't. If it works, no amount of fiddling with it - including
replacement - will make things work better.

Fourth, you friend who said SP3 may be the culprit is guessing, and it's a
mighty poor guess.

Fifth, and not an insignificant question, are you certain your installation
media is good?

You should, at least, try to deal with what's ailing your machine before you
give up and start over.

On the other hand, I knew a person who bought a new car because the
windshield wipers on his current ride started streaking...

By the way, is your name Ralph Colby?
 
Thanks to all of the help here, I have successfully restored my
confuser!!
Bit of a pain getting it to look and feel like it did before, but it's
getting there.

The reinstall left me with IE 7 and Windows Media Player 9.
Given that this is an older machine and I don't want to upgrade to
programs much bigger than my computer,
do y'all have any recommendations on these two programs?

Windows updates wanted to push IE8 and WMP11 on me.
What should I consider in deciding which programs are right for my
uses?
IE, of course, I use for Internet access, so I can see security
concerns.
WMP, though, I never intend on accessing on-line content.
As long as I can play video and DVD clips that are on mt machine, I'm
fine.

Any pointers are welcome and appreciated.

And many great and HUGE thanks again for all your help!
Ed
 
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