My computer is dying need to format and reintsall
Hello everyone,
I am trying this forum because my com0puter is dying on me and I am not knowledgeable enough to fix it myself.
I have too many virus, crashes and other problems and I want to start fresh and do things correctly this time following the many advice I read here.
I want to:
Format my C drive completely (to get rid of master boot virus) and re-install win XP pro. Only thing is I haven't got a clue on how to do that. can you help? I have all the cd-s and everything.
Many many many thanks,
requin
I am trying this forum because my com0puter is dying on me and I am not knowledgeable enough to fix it myself.
I have too many virus, crashes and other problems and I want to start fresh and do things correctly this time following the many advice I read here.
I want to:
Format my C drive completely (to get rid of master boot virus) and re-install win XP pro. Only thing is I haven't got a clue on how to do that. can you help? I have all the cd-s and everything.
Many many many thanks,
requin
0
Comments
Here's a simple guide on installing XP. Any other questions, be sure to ask the knowledgeable folks here.
EXACTLY what CDs do you have? Do you have a "system restore" CD that came with your computer, or do you have a retail or OEM Windows XP CD (with the brownish holographic print on it)?
PS u came to the right place, the people here are smart enuf to build a atomic bomb *wanders back to the lab*
I have this disc and I think to delete mbr isn't it format /mbr ?
Now the procedure is what?
should I insert my WinXP disc, boot from it and re-instal? and will format the disc?
requin
yea then just pop in the cd boot from the cd and follow the instructions, its really easy, just follow the steps at the bottom in the white bar
lol wait for other people to answr too i make alot of mistakes
Second. XP is a bootable CD. All you need to do is put the CD into your drive and reboot the computer. If your computer has the proper boot order set then the computer will boot off the CD.
If your windows desktop comes up then your computer isn't set to boot off the CD before the hard drive. To change the boot order press the DELETE button on your keyboard during the first bios boot screen. Your computer may display a little message saying PRESS DELTE TO ENTER BIOS.
In the ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES menu you can change the boot order. Typically there is a first, second and third boot device. Keep FIRST BOOT DEVICE as floppy then SECOND BOOT DEVICE as CDROM and THIRD BOOT DEVICE as HDD-0.
You can change those by using the up/down arrows to navigate to those items and hitting ENTER to pull up the choices menu or up/down arrow to the item and use page up/down to change them.
You can see what a typical screen looks like here (2nd image from top)
http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=141&p=7
When the XP cd begins to boot you have a choice to PRESS F6 to install any RAID/SATA drivers off the supplied floppy that may have come with your motherboard.
If you do not have a SATA drive or don't run a RAID setup...just ignore this and let the CD continue to do its thing.
The next screens tell you what you want to do. You'll be installing a new copy of XP and NOT repairing. The CD will ask you what partition you want to install to which will be C:\ and then you can format it...again the CD will ask you if you want to do this.
Don't choose quick format and you can choose NTFS or FAT32 formatting. You'll be fine with FAT32 and if you want to know more about the differences between NTFS and FAT32 do a search here. There is PLENTY of debate about that.
FAT32 will be 100% fine for you.
After that...it's just a matter of letting the CD install XP for you with a few more choices along the way.
And you are done the installation.
After the OS is in place run windows update and get all the latest patches and Service Pack 1. This may take you a few restarts. Windows update is in the internet explorer toolbar under TOOLS.
Download the latest motherboard drivers, video card drivers, sound card drivers. See our Downloads section on the main page of Short-Media.com
If you don't have Internet connection after you install windows...you may have to install the motherboard drivers to get the LAN to work if the LAN is onboard the motherboard.
If the NIC is a PCI based nic...you MAY need to install the drivers for it if WINXP doesn't install drivers automatically.
I know it may seem a little intimidating at this moment but after you do it once...it'll be easy for you and not seem that hard anymore.
*********Just make sure that anything you want to keep on C is move to another partition because you are wiping that partition clean. Other partitions on the hard drive...D: E: etc. will be left alone and intact*****
I'd also recommend backing up anything you want to keep for sure to CDR or DVDR just to be double triple safe.
One last questions, I want to keep my emails in outlook express and burn them to a cd. But for some reason it wont let me export and gives me this error:
File>export>message
then
the export could not be performed, an error occured while initialising MAPI
?
and I know that all my mail folders are here:
C:\Documents and Settings\myname\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{54B711D1-EB09-4FBC-9991-85E725EA96AE}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
requin
Do a search for files like this:
*.dbx
One result will be a folder name.
double-click on the folder right in the finder\searcher window.
Click on My Computer, or double-click if that is what it takes to open it (XP can be made to work BOTH ways).
Open up My Documents from the list of things that are there.
Make a new folder called Email Backup.
Go back into your open window that has all the files with .dbx at their end. Select EVERYTHING in that folder.
Now you can also do something else. You can save your address book.
Close the widnow that opened when you double-clicked the folder from the .dbx search, and in the search thing that just has the folder name in it, tell windows New Search. Then tell it to find *.wab and tell it to do it.
Take all file results, drag them to your still open Email Backup folder window. NOW, burn the whole Email Backup folder to CD.
When you get windows back up, update it to current service packs. THEN open up your CD in My computer, all but the .wab files get dragged to the new Outlook Express mail folder. HINT: to find it on hyour new install, search first with CD out of computer for .dbx and open that folder, tHEN put CD in, then drag the files to that folder and if it yells about those files being there, tell it yes you want to overwrite all of them. Select ALL of those files. RIGHT-CLICK on ANY of the selected files and choose properties. Click where the check is next to read only. It should vaporize. That's good, Outlook Express cannot use read-only email files.
Take the dang backup CD back out, and search for *.wab . Leave that Window open after you open the folder result that comes up. Put the CD back in. Open the CD folder Email Backup. Drag just the .wab file into the open folder window that popped up when you did your *.wab search and then opend the folder result.
at this point, close the windows and open OE, your email should be there. Your address book should also be there.
This is the other way. I included the taking CD out and putting it in for two reasons: First, Widnwos will find the files on the CD if it is in while trying to find where OE's email files go on the HD. Second, the searcher will do the same for *.wab. Make the CD inactive before searching, the searcher will not do this and you will get one result instead.
This works from 95 up, AFAIK. I have used this technique from way back, and in this case the old way plus GUI searching is easiest way. With older Windows, you use FIND instead of Search.
John D.
What file types hold the mail server and server passwords in current OE??? Be nice to give this person a complete email migrate....
Unfortunately, have used Thunderbird, Mozilla, and Netscape so long for email that THAT program's procedure set for server info and PWs for servers replaced my memory of how to do THAT for OE, and I might have forgotten a couple things in the OE process I outlined for OE in XP. Probably perm and attrib details and search view scope changes if so.
BTW, requin, one thing to note, you WILL want to search for the new OE place, the number in {}s in the path you found and documented will change in your new XP install-- technically, that is called a CSLID, or Computer System Logical ID and is tied to a registry entry set. So, you cannot just move folders other than how we tell you unless you want to do a text type export, backup the text export, then import. I bet your OE is not using MAPI, it might not have a MAPI engine in place, or that got corrupted by something else. Essentially, when you said you got that error, one of those two things happened and as a result I would not bother exporting at all.
John D.
Good morning (or whathever) all of you and again thanks for so much answers!!.
Now the quote up there is like chinese to me...if I understand, I just need to follow the instructions for copying the .dbx and .wab files from Ageek to the dot and everything should work fine?
I will be rebooting in about 4-5 hours...so if I am not back in 24H it means I screwed something up
Peace to all and jah bless,
requin
Then grab the trial version of: http://www.outlook-express-backup.com/
select all of the emails in your inbox. Drag them to a folder on ANOTHER partition (Not C:)
You are done.
When you have installed the new OS...drag them back to your new inbox. If you have multiple folders....create a master folder...EMAIL BACKUP if that suits you....create subfolders within it to keep yourself organized.
Drag from your organized inbox folders to the new subfolders.
You are done.
That's the way I do it. Has worked for eons.
Thanks to all of you!!!
requin
folding but happy
requin