Will Windows XP Upgrade Help Me?

[Topazprincess77]

Hello,
I have Windows ME OS on one of my computers, it came from a
questionable background with many viruses and spyware, I have tried
and tried to get this computer up and running. The original goal was
to get it online, I have DSL and it refused to load webpages. I spent
a little more than a week, night and day removing unwanted programs/
spywares/viruses/adwares/etc. Straightening out annoying settings and
so on, either way she worked beautifully....for a fews months, went
online and did everything you could ask of it.

And then...this is where it goes bad...because the of issues with the
computer there was no virus software on it...it was taken to a risky
website and it all went downhill from there. It started running slow
and was constantly lagged down with nasty bugs running in the
background all the time. I wanted to fix it the right way this time so
I figured my best shot was the get the floppy drive working, I sent it
to be cleaned out on the inside, removal of dust and what not. Well it
was returned without a working floppy drive or cd drive! Any disc put
in it now just whirrs for a few seconds and then does nothing.

If I get an XP upgrade will it still force the computer to boot and go
on with the install? As of currently it will only boot in safe mode an
area I know nothing about....

Any help would be appreciated...
Thanks,
Topaz.

 

[Malke]

Hello,
I have Windows ME OS on one of my computers, it came from a
questionable background with many viruses and spyware, I have tried
and tried to get this computer up and running. The original goal was
to get it online, I have DSL and it refused to load webpages. I spent
a little more than a week, night and day removing unwanted programs/
spywares/viruses/adwares/etc. Straightening out annoying settings and
so on, either way she worked beautifully....for a fews months, went
online and did everything you could ask of it.

And then...this is where it goes bad...because the of issues with the
computer there was no virus software on it...it was taken to a risky
website and it all went downhill from there. It started running slow
and was constantly lagged down with nasty bugs running in the
background all the time. I wanted to fix it the right way this time so
I figured my best shot was the get the floppy drive working, I sent it
to be cleaned out on the inside, removal of dust and what not. Well it
was returned without a working floppy drive or cd drive! Any disc put
in it now just whirrs for a few seconds and then does nothing.

If I get an XP upgrade will it still force the computer to boot and go
on with the install? As of currently it will only boot in safe mode an
area I know nothing about....

No. You will not be able to update the computer to XP without a working CD
drive. The computer may not be suitable for XP, either. You should take it
back to where you got it fixed and have them fix the broken hardware. Or
take it somewhere else trustworthy if you are dissatisfied with the work
the first place did and have them diagnose the whole computer. This
computer is extremely old in computer-years and the motherboard may have
died. It will not be worth trying to replace a motherboard in such an old
machine.

Malke

 

[Daave]

Hello,
I have Windows ME OS on one of my computers, it came from a
questionable background with many viruses and spyware, I have tried
and tried to get this computer up and running. The original goal was
to get it online, I have DSL and it refused to load webpages. I spent
a little more than a week, night and day removing unwanted programs/
spywares/viruses/adwares/etc. Straightening out annoying settings and
so on, either way she worked beautifully....for a fews months, went
online and did everything you could ask of it.

And then...this is where it goes bad...because the of issues with the
computer there was no virus software on it...it was taken to a risky
website and it all went downhill from there. It started running slow
and was constantly lagged down with nasty bugs running in the
background all the time. I wanted to fix it the right way this time so
I figured my best shot was the get the floppy drive working, I sent it
to be cleaned out on the inside, removal of dust and what not. Well it
was returned without a working floppy drive or cd drive! Any disc put
in it now just whirrs for a few seconds and then does nothing.

If I get an XP upgrade will it still force the computer to boot and go
on with the install? As of currently it will only boot in safe mode an
area I know nothing about....

What are the specs of this computer? Do you have a Windows ME
installation disk? Are you able to enter the BIOS to configure your PC
to boot off the CD-ROM drive? Are you able to copy your data to an
external hard drive?

 

[Topazprincess77]

Hello again....

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP, also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

Also no I do not have the recovery discs...they were stolen along with
a bag of music CD's during moving. I could probably get the specs,
where would I find them? I know it has a good size hard-drive for a ME
it's 40 gigs, twice the space of the PC I'm using right now which is
an old 98...I also have a very old 95 that I got when I was 11...10
years ago and it still works beautifully, yet another reason for me to
ask why ME would be SO old and unsuitable?

I wouldn't even consider upgrading a beautiful OS to XP if I wasn't
forced to, I don't care for the XP OS at all, but I'm thinking it's my
only option.

And I dont have to get into the BIOS the pc is already set up to boot
from disk first, so that shouldn't be a problem and also I believe the
CD drive DOES work but that maybe a virus is preventing the computer
from running a standard disk, a bootable disk is more forceful then
trying to pop in a video game or music disk...

I just don't wanna waste the money on an upgrade if it's not going to
work, but in theory it sounds like it should.....

So do you think it will work and if not, why?

Thanks again!
Topaz.

 

[ChrisM]

In message
(e-mail address removed),

Hello again....

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP, also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

Also no I do not have the recovery discs...they were stolen along with
a bag of music CD's during moving. I could probably get the specs,
where would I find them? I know it has a good size hard-drive for a ME
it's 40 gigs, twice the space of the PC I'm using right now which is
an old 98...I also have a very old 95 that I got when I was 11...10
years ago and it still works beautifully, yet another reason for me to
ask why ME would be SO old and unsuitable?

I wouldn't even consider upgrading a beautiful OS to XP if I wasn't
forced to, I don't care for the XP OS at all, but I'm thinking it's my
only option.

And I dont have to get into the BIOS the pc is already set up to boot
from disk first, so that shouldn't be a problem and also I believe the
CD drive DOES work but that maybe a virus is preventing the computer
from running a standard disk, a bootable disk is more forceful then
trying to pop in a video game or music disk...

I just don't wanna waste the money on an upgrade if it's not going to
work, but in theory it sounds like it should.....

So do you think it will work and if not, why?

Thanks again!
Topaz.

I think he is saying that the your computer might not have enough 'power' to
run XP. WinXP needs a lot more processor 'grunt' that ME or 95 or 98 or
whatever.

Even though you think the CD is working Ok, you really need to rule out
hardware issues before you start trying to upgrade. If I were you, I'd
change the boot sequence to try the CD drive first, just to see what
happens. (it will only take a few minutes)
Don't suppose you've got anyway of borrowing a bootable CD from somewhere
just to try it out...?

 

[IceMage]

There is a possibility that the machine is preventing CD-ROM access while
booting to windows ME. If not, get a working CD-ROM drive, and get a copy of
Windows XP. I would do a reformat and install. You may need to edit your
BIOS to boot to CD. Regardless, you will need a working CD-ROM drive. The
one in your old computers should work fine! So if you're comfortable pulling
it out, and putting it in your other computer as a donor, then go ahead.

I recommend Method 4 from the following guide:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316941

 

[PD43]

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP, also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

Because the hardware might not meet specifications... i.e., there
might not be XP drivers for some of it.

You like ME, but it was one of the absolute WORST operating systems MS
has ever produced. And it's existence was only to scrape up some more
cash for MS while XP was being prepared.

 

[Daave]

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP, also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

Depending on the specs of your PC (speed of processor, amount of memory,
size of hard drive), it might be better suited to run either 98SE or ME.
Even though it might *technically* be able to run XP, you might notice a
great performance hit.

Also no I do not have the recovery discs...they were stolen along with
a bag of music CD's during moving. I could probably get the specs,
where would I find them? I know it has a good size hard-drive for a ME
it's 40 gigs, twice the space of the PC I'm using right now which is
an old 98...I also have a very old 95 that I got when I was 11...10
years ago and it still works beautifully, yet another reason for me to
ask why ME would be SO old and unsuitable?

Truthfully, I'm not extremely familiar with ME, but I know it's not the
most stable OS out there. I also know that many users would prefer to
run 98SE. ME is probably not the most secure OS, but if you practiced
safe hex, you would more than likely be fine. That being said, from your
post, it seems like someone *hasn't* been practicing safe hex!

If your PC can handle it, I would recommend a clean install of XP (if
you really want to move to XP and are able to). If you were to purchase
an Upgrade version of XP, you would need qualifying media as part of the
installation (e.g., an ME installation disk) in order to perform the
install. Or if that's not what your PC came with then you would need to
restore your PC to its factory-fresh condition, but you would need the
missing restore disk for this. So you would probably be best off
purchasing a generic OEM XP installation disk *IF* your PC can handle
running XP (This would be cheaper than purchasing a Full Retail XP disk,
but you will only be licensed to use it on that particular PC. The
Retail license may be transferred.). You would need to copy your data to
an external hard drive, obtain the necessary drivers for your PC, and
then perform the clean install.

What is the make and model of the PC? If you enter this information into
a search engine, you should get useful hits. Also, what is the
information when you right-click My Computer and select Properties? We
need to know CPU speed and amount of RAM. Although a 40GB hard drive
isn't huge, it's sufficient.

I wouldn't even consider upgrading a beautiful OS to XP if I wasn't
forced to, I don't care for the XP OS at all, but I'm thinking it's my
only option.

It's not your only option. But you crack me up when you say that ME is
"a beautiful OS!" You are really in the minority on that one!

And I dont have to get into the BIOS the pc is already set up to boot
from disk first, so that shouldn't be a problem and also I believe the
CD drive DOES work but that maybe a virus is preventing the computer
from running a standard disk, a bootable disk is more forceful then
trying to pop in a video game or music disk...

I just don't wanna waste the money on an upgrade if it's not going to
work, but in theory it sounds like it should.....

You might be best off obtaining an ME restore disk for your PC. Since I
doubt you can get one from the manufacturer, you may want to try
http://www.restoredisks.com .

Then you could copy your data and restore your PC.

If you decide to stick with ME, be sure to visit an ME newsgroup or
forum if you have questions down the road.

 

[JS]

I had two Windows ME computers, one was purchased in 2000 and the other in
2001, both run XP just fine. I choose a 'Clean Install', starting with
downloaded all the necessary drives from Dell's web site and then installing
XP. Since you indicated that you no longer have the ME product CD, you will
need to find and old Win98 CD to use the XP Upgrade version. If you are
unable to find a Win98 CD than you will need to purchase a Full retail
version of XP (I do not recommend an OEM version of XP since it is tied to
the PC you install it on and if you should later decide to install XP on a
newer PC you can not do so with the OEM version).

JS

 

[Malke]

Topazprincess77 wrote:

See comments inline.

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP, also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

I didn't say it would be unsuitable; I said it *might* be unsuitable because
you didn't give us the computer specs. XP requires a lot more hardware
power than Win9x/ME did. It will also be important to have XP drivers for
your hardware. With very old hardware, this can be difficult, especially
since so much OEM hardware is proprietary. Or it may not be difficult to
find XP drivers, but it is foolish not to check first. See the end of this
post for how to find out what hardware is in your computer.

Also no I do not have the recovery discs...they were stolen along with
a bag of music CD's during moving. I could probably get the specs,
where would I find them? I know it has a good size hard-drive for a ME
it's 40 gigs, twice the space of the PC I'm using right now which is
an old 98...I also have a very old 95 that I got when I was 11...10
years ago and it still works beautifully, yet another reason for me to
ask why ME would be SO old and unsuitable?

A 40GB hard drive will work for XP. You need at least 256MB of RAM, with
512MB being much better. I forget offhand the lower limit for the
processor, but a PIII 400 or 500 will do. XP will be slow but quite usable
for email, web-surfing, and 2D programs like an older Office suite.

I wouldn't even consider upgrading a beautiful OS to XP if I wasn't
forced to, I don't care for the XP OS at all, but I'm thinking it's my
only option.

It isn't an option if XP won't run on that machine. You need to be sure that
it will before you go buy XP. You might also want to purchase recovery
disks from the computer mftr. instead. If the computer mftr. no longer
carries restore disks for such an old machine, you can look on this
website:

http://restoredisks.com/

I haven't purchased anything from them, but other people have posted here in
the newsgroup that they did and were satisfied.

And I dont have to get into the BIOS the pc is already set up to boot
from disk first, so that shouldn't be a problem and also I believe the
CD drive DOES work but that maybe a virus is preventing the computer
from running a standard disk, a bootable disk is more forceful then
trying to pop in a video game or music disk...

Well, you didn't say that. You just said the optical and floppy drives
didn't work.

I just don't wanna waste the money on an upgrade if it's not going to
work, but in theory it sounds like it should.....

Never try and upgrade a faulty operating system. It will fail and you
certainly won't get rid of spyware, viruses, and other damage done to the
operating system by installing XP. If you want to salvage this computer, do
a clean install, preferably with the operating system for which the
computer was designed. Since you are one of the few people on the planet
who actually liked WinME, that would be the best OS for you to stick with.
Just make sure you install a firewall and antivirus and understand that ME,
like the Win9x OSs, is not a secure operating system and you need to be
extra careful with it on the Internet.

Here is general information about how to find out what hardware is in your
computer:

1. Read any documentation you got when you bought the computer.
2. If the computer is OEM, go to the OEM's website for your specific model
machine and look at the specs (you'll be there to get the drivers anyway)
3. Download, install and run a free system inventory program like Belarc
Advisor or System Information for Windows.

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html - Belarc Advisor
http://www.gtopala.com/ - System Information for Windows


Malke

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

Hello,
I have Windows ME OS on one of my computers, it came from a
questionable background with many viruses and spyware, I have tried
and tried to get this computer up and running.

To me that sounds like you know that you have an illegal copy of
Windows ME on the host and want to upgrade to Windows XP. You cannot
legally *upgrade* from an illegal copy. Get an OEM version (cheaper
than a retail version) and start afresh.

 

[HeyBub]

If I get an XP upgrade will it still force the computer to boot and go
on with the install? As of currently it will only boot in safe mode an
area I know nothing about....

Any help would be appreciated...

"Safe" mode is a running system with minimal drivers, add-ons, and resident
programs. For more information, select "Help" then "safe mode."

I'd start over with a working system. You can get Win98 installation
materials on Ebay for $30-$40 (be sure to check the reputation of the
seller). You may have an acquantaince that has an old, unused, version of
Win98 lying about that you can use long enough to run the Windows XP
Advisor.

It is possible in the extreme that on any given machine, XP will not work
and cannot be made to work.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Hello again....

Why would the machine be unsuitable? ME ---DOES--- Upgrade to XP,

You need to distinguish between the hardware and the OS.

also
98 will even upgrade to XP so why would this ME be unsuitable?

The hardware may be inadequate or insufficient for XP, or drivers may not be
available.

Also no I do not have the recovery discs...

That's a problem because without an ME install CD, you cannot wipe the drive
and install XP clean with an XP Upgrade Edtion disk (these are significantly
less expensive). You don't need to install ME first - but early in the
XP install you will be asked to provide the upgrade qualifier, which is the
ME CD. You put it in when asked and take it out when prompted, a few
seconds later.

they were stolen along with
a bag of music CD's during moving. I could probably get the specs,
where would I find them? I know it has a good size hard-drive for a ME
it's 40 gigs, twice the space of the PC I'm using right now which is
an old 98...I also have a very old 95 that I got when I was 11...10
years ago and it still works beautifully, yet another reason for me to
ask why ME would be SO old and unsuitable?

Again it's not a question of Windows ME. It's a question of the hardware.

I wouldn't even consider upgrading a beautiful OS to XP if I wasn't
forced to, I don't care for the XP OS at all, but I'm thinking it's my
only option.

And I dont have to get into the BIOS the pc is already set up to boot
from disk first, so that shouldn't be a problem and also I believe the
CD drive DOES work but that maybe a virus is preventing the computer
from running a standard disk, a bootable disk is more forceful then
trying to pop in a video game or music disk...

Here's an inexpensive test. Get a friend or an internet cafe to go to the
Ubuntu site and download and burn the newest Ubuntu Desktop to CD. Ubuntu
is a popular, fairly easy to use Linux-based operating system that you can
run from CD.

Put that disk in the CD drive and power-cycle the PC, turn the power off
then on.

If it doesn't boot to the Ubuntu and at least attempt to load the Desktop,
the CD drive is not working or the CD is not first in the boot order.

I just don't wanna waste the money on an upgrade if it's not going to
work, but in theory it sounds like it should.....

So do you think it will work and if not, why?

Need to know what the system hardware specs are, to answer that question.

HTH
-pk

 

[Bill in Co.]

I think a clean (formatted disk) install of WinME would be your best bet at
this point, since you KNOW the system was originally set up for (and ran
well with) WinME, and you don't have to worry about the performance hits and
*potential compatibility problems* of being able to run WinXP. But you'll
have to search around to find a new WinME CD, though. And/or iF you can't
find a new WinME CD, another option would be Win98SE.

But if you can't find either, I suppose you could always bite the bullet,
and try WinXP. (Just be prepared for some potential compatibility problems
there, and definite performance hits, on an older computer). Still, you
had said you preferred ME, and your machine ran well with that, so I'd go
that route.

 

[Topazprincess77]

Hello everyone,
Thank you all so much for replying and trying to help me, I really,
really do appreciate it alot, thank you.

Also lets just clarify a few things...Ideally I prefer w98 SE, as it
truly is my favorite OS and yet I can appreciate and enjoy w95 and ME
as well, my issues with XP is that MS changed too much. They took what
was a long running beautiful interface and altered too many things,
there is just some stuff about XP that annoys me, while I know it is a
more "Stable" OS...I am sure in few years it will be looked at like
junk as well, everything is always getting better, more stable, more
secure, etc. But with vista and all the other new gen OS' it will be
proven faulty as well, not that there is anything wrong with XP, that
is just how evolution works.

I have two XP's in my house as well, along with the 95, 98 SE and the
ME. Three are online, we want to fix the ME and four online, everyone
in my family has their own computer but we're currently one short.

ALSO I assure you that this is NOT an illegal machine, It was my
aunts, but many people were allowed to use the computer freely and
many installed questionable things and or went to questionable sites.
The computer was and has for years been without anti-virus software,
that is partially why I say questionable because it was at the mercy
of any threat.
The machine was bought Legally from a girl my aunt knew, the previous
owner bought it brand new and had it for few months but she hated the
thing. So she sold it to my aunt for $700 it came with all its papers,
books, software, recovery disks, warranty, etc. But when my aunt moved
to this state to live with us, she had a couple she knew help her move
and she had a bag of cd's, mostly music cd's worth well over $200 that
the couple stole from her, in that bag was the recovery disks.

Yet we still have all the papers and booklets, etc. Warranty long
ended though.

The machine is aprox. 7yrs old.

I would love to get the ME running smooth, I would be fine with it
running w98 SE, ME or XP...Since my aunt will mostly be the only one
using it, the OS doesn't matter much to me, so long as it works.
Also I had no idea you could "downgrade" to an older OS, we could
really put w98 SE on there?

Patrick:
I don't know much about linux and never heard of ubuntu, could you
explain this in more detail?

Also as I said before the current state of the PC is an unresponsive,
but reactive floppy and cd drive...meaning it will recognize media put
in and try to run it, but never seems to be able to get it going. It
only starts in safe mode and refuses to boot in windows, I can throw
it into DOS though, but those are the only start modes it wants to run
right now. I also know hardly nothing about Safe Mode and DOS so they
are very unfamilliar territory to me. It will not open any programs as
I said because it only goes in safe mode I am prompted with a message
telling me it will not open/start these things in safe mode.

I am completely un-concerned about what is currently on the PC...I
want it wiped clean, don't want nothing from it. Just wanna get the
darn thing running again...

I'll work on getting the specs, but as its in a box right now I can't
exactly type in the #'s from the machine, so thats gonna be tricky.
I'll go check out the restoredisks website and I await more info on
the linux thingy.

Thank you all again,
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Topaz

 

[Daave]

Ideally I prefer w98 SE, as it truly is my favorite OS

ALSO I assure you that this is NOT an illegal machine

The machine is aprox. 7yrs old.

I am completely un-concerned about what is currently on the PC...I
want it wiped clean, don't want nothing from it. Just wanna get the
darn thing running again...

It sounds like you have a license to run Windows ME on this particular
PC. What is the make and model? Does it have a Certificate of
Authenticity sticker affixed to the case? If so, what operating system
is it? DO NOT tell us the product key!!!!!

You already know about http://www.restoredisks.com/ . If you prefer
98SE, you could perform a cleean install of that as well. Disks can be
found at:

http://www.pricewatch.com/software_oper_system/windows_98_se.htm

Make sure you buy from a reputable business. Get the disk (not just a
license)! Retail or generic OEM will suffice. Here's one hit:

http://www.trustprice.com/Microsoft_Windows_98_2nd_Second/730-00847_CD_/partinfo-id-555674.html

And more:

http://www.9software.com/Windows_98_SE_Second_Edition_OEM_p/win98seoem.htm

http://www.9software.com/product_p/win98seretcd.htm

And another:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-98-Second-Edition/dp/B00002JV62

For further assistance, you should check out the following newsgroup (to
which I am now cross-posting):

microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion

 

[Topazprincess77]

Alright...
Yes I do have a liscence, the PC is 100% legal, it does have its
authenticity sticker on it as well.
I believe it's a HP Pavillion XE748 and it runs ME.

 

[Bob Harris]

Your computer may have several levels of problems.

First, you already know it has some malware (virus, Trojan, etc).

As for the cleaning you mention, that sounds like mechanical cleaning, such
as vacuuming. That would not help with any software issues.

As for the floppy and CD drive, if they were working before you sent it out,
demand that the company that did the cleaning repair/replace them. If they
were not working beforehand, then you were merely guessing/hoping that some
sort of cleaning would fix them. It did not.

At this point I would suggest several fairly drastic actions:

1. Disconnect from the internet.
2. Get a new floppy drive and a new CD drive. Given the cost, I would go
for a DVD-writer, which also reads DVDs, and reads and writes CDs. A plain
CD reader will be cheaper, but not by much. Check both local stores and
on-line stores. Note that CD-reading is automatic with 98 and higher, and
that is all you need to install programs. But, CD\DVD writing requires
extra software. Some software often comes with the hardware, but it may
have minimal functionality. Better software can be purchased separately
(e.g., full Nero or full Easy Media Creator), and there are even some decent
free writing packages. Do not worry about these software packages, until
after you get the PC working and then want to write a CD or DVD:

http://www.deepburner.com/ (offers basic free burner and enhanced version
for a price)

3. Using either a boot floppy or a bootable CD, erase the hard drive. Not
just format, but erase/overwrite every single bit on it, including the boot
record. Use something like FDISK to remove all partitions, or a special disk
wiping software. See the following link for a bootable CD with many tools:

http://ubcd.sourceforge.net/

4. Create new partitions via boot floppy (i.e., FDISK) or via bootable CD,
partitioning or disk preparation tools. Choose FAT32 for 98 or ME. This
can be optional, if all you want is one big C:\ partition. However, I
strongly recommend a separate partition for personal files, if not a
separate hard drive.

5. Install your favorite operating system. Operating system CDs are
bootable, and will usually create one big partition (C:\), unless you
pre-make partitions, or perform a custom installation. If considering
upgrading to XP, first check whether your hardware meets the minimum
requirements for XP, and whether you have a full set of drivers for any
peripherals. XP will automatically handle most mice, keyboards, simple
monitors, some printers. You could run the XP upgrade advisor, free from
Microsoft, after you re-install ME. If things look good, then you could
either upgrade to XP, or better yet, do a clean install of XP. This advisor
can be downloaded on another computer and then copied to yours.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx

Hint: To be happy with XP, have a minimum of 256 Meg of RAM. And, more is
better. XP may run on 128 Meg or less, but you won't like it.

6. Before going on the internet, and before reading any DOC, XLS, etc.
(which might be infected), install an antivirus !!! Also install a
firewall. If cost is an issue, there are several free ones. Be sure to
check that they support your operating system. Some only support XP or
higher. AVG is a free antivirus that support 98 and higher, thus ME. See
the following links for some options:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads29.html
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads34.html

Caution: Do not install more than one antivirus and one firewall. Two or
more may fight each other.

6. Also install a anti-spyware program, which is different than anti-virus.
A good free one is Spybot Search & Destroy:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Others are listed here:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html

7. Re-connect to the internet. You may need to run some installation CD
for the DSL. Contact your ISP about that.

8. Get some backup software, such as Norton GHOST or Acronis TrueImage, or
similar product. Get a USB hard drive, and make an image of the
C:\partition. Also make a copy (not an image) of your personal data. How,
in the event that the PC gets a software problem, whether it be a bad
install/uninstall or a virus, you will have the option to restore the PC.
Note that most backup/restore programs will not fix a boot record problem,
unless you backup/restore the entire hard drive. But, that can be done
separately via FDISK. The latest version of TrueImage is one that can
backup/restore the boot record as part of a partition backup. (If you have
one big C:\ drive partition is almost the same as whole drive, except for
the boot record.)

9. Install any other software, such as office suite, CD writer, etc.

10. Occasionally make a new image of the C:\ partition. Frequently make a
copy of your personal files. In fact, occasionally write personal files to
CD or DVD. Use standard optical format (not drag&drop), finalize (or close)
the CD\DVD, store in a dark, cool, dry place.

11. Update your antivirus definitions at least weekly !!! Some anti-virus
programs check for new definitions and pop-up asking you to download them,
some do it automatically (if you let them), but others require you to
manually go get them. Learn which type you have.

12. Check for ant-spyware updates every week or two. This is usually less
important than antivirus, but at DSL speed, it should only take seconds to
check and less than an minute to update. That is time worth spending.

Good luck.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Right-click My Computer, then click Properties. What are the Speed and RAM
numbers?

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Max out that RAM to 512MB and you should be fine.