Anyone Completely Reinstall Windows?

[JackieB]

Hello,

First off, if I'm missing for a few days sometime in the near future, don't worry about me. I may have to replace my computer and my wife said that I will not be allowed more than my "one free phone call" from her computer to tell all of you that I'm offline for awhile.

Has anyone completely reinstalled Windows? My computer (a Dell Latitude) has been experiencing increasingly worrisome lockups and has at least one hardware problem that I know about. It's three years old now and has seen heavy use.

Earlier today, it locked up and I thought I was done for. Fortunately, I finally managed to get back in and backed up everything (whew!) to an 8GB memory stick. The problem appears to be with Windows as it happens during the startup process. I'm considering reinstalling Windows, but that looks like a massive task with having to reinstall all of the software and everything afterwards.

The cost of the new computer, although annoying, isn't my biggest concern. I don't want to go to Vista! And if I do, then I definitely have to at least upgrade QuickBooks for $200. So, I'd like to get another year or so out of this computer if possible.

Thanks for any advice.

[WashingtonBay]

A reinstall of Windows should not be a big deal. RESIST any temptation you may have to reformat it. Almost every time I've seen that done, it was a major headache and critical drivers were lost.

[JackieB]

A reinstall of Windows should not be a big deal. RESIST any temptation you may have to reformat it. Almost every time I've seen that done, it was a major headache and critical drivers were lost.

Do I get such an option? I'd be installing Windows XP that originally came pre-installed from Dell. Would it ask me if I want to refomat?

[WashingtonBay]

No - it won't ask you to reformat. It should detect windows is already there and ask you questions about whether you want to reinstall.

A reformat would take you back to blank.

[WashingtonBoy]

I've done it a few times, and it's not for the faint of heart. It usually takes me a couple of days for the entire process - backing everything up, formatting, installing, then installing and reconfiguring all the software.

[Gypsy Rose]

JackieB, I'm a member of the Computer Dummies group for a reason- I'm a computer dummy, lol! I've only had one for 11 months, and not to be funny, I installed Windows Xp all by myself in an AMD that had Windows 2000 Office Edition. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the capabilities for enough RAM to run Windows well, but it will work in a pinch. I also installed it in a Gateway that would have ben fantastic for me if the motherboard hadan't fried on me a few days later. I was told it would have done that regardless, lol. It origionally had Windows 98.

In other words, listen to WB, she knows what she's talking about!:)

[Gypsy Rose]

I've done it a few times, and it's not for the faint of heart. It usually takes me a couple of days for the entire process - backing everything up, formatting, installing, then installing and reconfiguring all the software.


He, he! Unless you're me, who only has 20 GB to work with in the first place, and when I was setting up the Gateway, I was still running this HP, lol!

Didn't have much to back up, so I threw everything into my Hotmail and pics were in Photobucket, lol!

[alittleoffkey]

Will's Dad reformatted my laptop in a couple of hours... but I have no clue how to do any of it. :huh:

My Uncle and I just found a couple of desktops at Wal-Mart with decent memory and other important stuff (I'm completely not a computer person) for a decent price that has XP on it (we were excited, he almost bought both of them - but we just took one home in the end). So the XP computers are still out there... they're just a lot harder to find. :(

Good luck!

[Cat]

I know when hubby does it, he reformats it. He says the "easy way and the right way usually aren't the same things". However he is also Mr. Computer Geek and fixes most of the problems I create. LOL. If I was just doing it I woudl just reinstall and avoid the reformating.

However, you do NOT want Vista. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I want my old Windows and old word and everything back.

[mare]

I am so low-tech, I thought you were putting replacement windows in your house. That I've done a few times. lol

The other kind of Windows... I called the computer guys, they picked it up from my work, fixed it all up and didn't lose any of the photos (per request), dropped it back off at my work and charged me $86. I'm grateful God made techies too! I then loaded Open Office off the internet. Don't know if you have that flexibility in what you need.

One of my kids has a laptop that had VISTA on it, and she downgraded to XP. Good luck. Hope you find a relatively simple solution.

[WashingtonBay]

Well, hubby's the one who knows... He tells me what I am really talking about is a repair install of Windows, that will repair it without reformatting and starting over. I've only done it once long ago, and I think that's what I did. Apparently a complete reinstall is pretty much a reformat. Unless you're a geek, I just wouldn't recommend doing that yourself. I think it would be well worth paying someone else to do, as mare suggests :)

Otherwise, it's really easy to turn your puter into a boat anchor :)

[Gypsy Rose]

The other scenario being like what I had, upgrading a used computer before installing anything of your own on it, lol!

[mare]

Otherwise, it's really easy to turn your puter into a boat anchor :)


:hysterical: That's not funny.

[JackieB]

Thanks, everyone. I'm definitely going to follow a path that invites the least amount of trouble. I'm going to wait for the problem to get bad enough that I don't have other options besides reinstalling Windows. I know what a pain it can be to try to find drivers and such.

I've got all of the critical data backed up now, so I will be OK one way or another.

ALOK, thanks for the tip! I thought that computers with Windows XP were completely unavailable new. I was thinking that I would just transfer everything from this computer over to the new one, but if Windows came installed from the manufacturer, it can't be transferred to another computer.

Regardless, if I'm offline sometime, I won't be gone for long! I couldn't stand that.

[Equine_Woman]

I've done it before but I was in college and therefore have blocked all memory of it from my brain, (along with Biochemestry 411 and a particularly terrible class called Organic Chemistry 2).

I just wanted to add that if you buy a new computer from Dell (which is where I got mine since my husband's work has a big deal with them) they give you the option to choose between Vista and XP. I chose XP as most people do. So you wouldn't have to upgrade to Vista!

[JackieB]

I've done it before but I was in college and therefore have blocked all memory of it from my brain, (along with Biochemestry 411 and a particularly terrible class called Organic Chemistry 2).

I just wanted to add that if you buy a new computer from Dell (which is where I got mine since my husband's work has a big deal with them) they give you the option to choose between Vista and XP. I chose XP as most people do. So you wouldn't have to upgrade to Vista!

Tee! Hee! on the college memories.

Really?! I might be able to get a computer from Dell with Windows XP? That would be pretty cool. I was thinking that they stopped offering XP.

[JackieB]

Tee! Hee! on the college memories.

Really?! I might be able to get a computer from Dell with Windows XP? That would be pretty cool. I was thinking that they stopped offering XP.

Hey, I just went to Dell's website and saw XP offered. Thanks, Equine_Woman! If I have to get a new computer, I'm all set.

[mustangluver]

reinstall is a reformat. You need to back everything you have up, pictures, documents and programs. I even save my favorites list so I have it when I am done.

Most Dell's have a partioned hard drive. I have found Dell's the hardest it never goes the way its planned. HP is the easiest on me lol.

If you could afford it I would bring it to like circuit city or best buy and have tech do it.

You can do it, just be patient though.. need help I will be around this evening.

[HoustonFarrier]

If I had a dime for every time I have installed/reinstalled Windows since 1989.....I would DEFINATLY be getting a tax increase from Obama !!! LOL

As it happens, I have just done one on my home computer.

Steve

[JackieB]

Thanks. The computer is working OK today. I ran the disk degframenting program and also the disk cleanup. I've got McAfee's best protection package, so I don't think it's a virus. I can reformat if I have to, but I'm going to wait until it's absolutely necessary. I have everything backed up now, so I'm safe.

[Remali]

Aren't computer troubles frustrating?! My computer has been acting up too.....about half the time I am unable to browse the internet....I can get online OK, but occasionally it will not let me browse, if I try to bring up another page or another website it tells me that the server, or the page, cannot be found. So far, if I just shut down and try again later, I am able to browse online OK then. Not sure what I will end up doing about it yet, maybe take it in, I've had a couple techs tell me it may be a corrupted file.....

[Fjords <3]

Sorry, don't have any advice, but when I first saw this thread I thought it said "I may have to replace my computer and my wife."

[Toodlestoo]

I've done it when I had a terrible virus. Lost everything. As long as you already backed up all the important stuff, it wasn't that hard to do but I wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary.

[alittleoffkey]

Will is typing you an eternity-long post of all the different ways to do different things you can do to fix it or back it up before you reformat (or something... my phone doesn't pick up well here and I don't speak computernese anyway :D). In the midst of his frantic typing, he realized he only had twenty minutes to get to class, so he'll finish when he comes back. :)

[pandorasmom]

My dad completely reinstalled windows on my PC. It took several hours but he did it. I had to download some of the drivers(D drive, Internet drive,etc.) off Dell Support (they were free), but other then that no complications.

Best of luck!

[JackieB]

Will is typing you an eternity-long post of all the different ways to do different things you can do to fix it or back it up before you reformat (or something... my phone doesn't pick up well here and I don't speak computernese anyway :D). In the midst of his frantic typing, he realized he only had twenty minutes to get to class, so he'll finish when he comes back. :)

That's so kind! I hope I can repay that favor someday.

[JackieB]

Sorry, don't have any advice, but when I first saw this thread I thought it said "I may have to replace my computer and my wife."

Tee! Hee! No, I'm afraid that she's stuck with me. We've been together, including the dating before we got married, for over 27 years now. If something was going to come between us, we're pretty sure it would have happened by now. :)

[lovesfortune]

way out of my league, but like Mare... I thought you were talking about windows for your house! Lol. Hope you get it take care of.

[Dixie]

Reformatting isn't that hard to be honest. It just takes time to do because of all the updates, installing software etc. I recently reformatted hubby's laptop due to a nasty virus he got a freaking water bed website, of all places.

This is a good reason why everyone should backup pictures and important info either to CD or online like photobucket.

I used to reformat my pc's every so often. Yep, I'm a tech geek, or used to be...forgotten most of it since I stopped fooling around with it.

[2ndtoleggy]

What you actually want is another 2 years out of your computer. Windows is set to release Windows 7 *vista's successor* in 2010. As for lockup issues, I'd check how the computers memory is being allocated and I'd try a few things first.
1. Go to internet options and delete all history, temporary internet files, and cookies.
2. Run antivirus software. Do a virus scan and search for spyware
3. Defrag: if you're on windows XP go Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, then there will be a program called Disc Defragmenter. Warning: Do this before you leave the computer for an extended amount of time as it may take hours to complete.
4. Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This is a more dangerous area but click on the processes tab. Press the area that says CPU so that it sorts the processes from which is using the most CPU to the least. Now on most computers System Idle Process should take up most of the usage. Even right now as I’m typing this it holds 98 - 92% of my CPU. If you have everything turned off then this should be at 99 - 100%. If it's not then there are things running in the background of your computer that shouldn't be. Look at these things in the list and use Google to make sure they are not important system devices. If they don't qualify for the "if you end this your computer will explode/die/delete everything :nono:" category then you can end them for improved performance.

These things should help free up memory (RAM) which locks up a computer if to much is being used. It also frees up hard drive space. A very full hard drive can also cause computer lock ups. If you notice that your hard drive is overly full then you can go somewhere that sells electronics and get an external hard drive. These range from being 160 GB to 1 TB (1000GB) in size. I have one that I got about a year ago for $100 that was 320 GB and it is fine for me. The external hard drive will also help in backing up important files, documents, and pictures for any system failures.

Hardware problems are a bigger issue. If your hard drive is failing then you're on borrowed time with that computer hard drive dies and everything is gone and you need a new one. Reformatting a broken hard drive won't fix it. :doh:

That's all I can think of for now. Hope it helps!

~Will

[JackieB]

Wow, Will! I'm really grateful. I hope I can return the favor sometime. These are excellent suggestions and I'll follow all of them.

I did defragment yesterday and noticed that I have not had another problem yet. I have good virus scan that updates the file daily and I also scan daily. I'll try the other things, too.

If I do have to replace this computer, I'm getting another one with XP for sure. I didn't realize that I could still get one until Equine_Woman pointed out that I could at Dell. And sure enough, I configured just what I needed last night for $623. I'm just going to hold off on buying if I can.

[Equine_Woman]

Very interesting about the replacement for Vista coming in 2 years. I had a lot of advice not to upgrade to Vista when I got my new PC last year. Glad I could pass that along to you JackieB! You know Vista must be a problem if Dell is still selling computers with XP. . .

[alittleoffkey]

4. Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This is a more dangerous area...

As Will can attest, I've killed my computer more than once by turning off the wrong thing. It always magically comes back to life though (or maybe Will fixes it... :huh:).

I hope the defrag fixed everything for you, though! :cowboy: