Old Computer Needs Help

ChemicalIronyChemicalIrony
edited February 2006 in Science & Tech
A friend gave us his old, and I mean OLD Compaq Presario 2240 (Win.95/32MB RAM! Fun!) - you know, the kind that sit under the monitor and you play old pixelated games on DOS? Well, he'd loaded down with porn software, 2 trojan dialers(so far), adware, spyware, the works. (You should see his new computer - brand new, and already as slow as this!)

So if we can make it work out long enough to get a new modem for our other computer, we'll keep it. Any ideas where to start?

I wanted to flush out the whole system, programs and all, but my husband doesn't want to lose anything. There are a lot of files I'm not sure on, especially photomanipulation tools, etc. Is there any way - considering we don't have the original installation disks or Windows disk to clear out the junk?

One more question - Will Windows 98 work on this computer or is it too slow?

Comments

  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited January 2006
    First of all that computer NEEDS more RAM. (256 megs at least, 512 if the system can even support it). Depending on what kind of RAM it needs (SIMMs, DIMMs, etc) it can cost more for the RAM than it would cost for a new computer.

    As for all the viruses and adware installed, if it were me I would copy some of the documents you want to disk, format the hard drive, and reinstall Windows. Chances are there's nothing you can do to save the current install of Windows95, and you WILL need to reinstall Windows every few months (only applies to Windows95, 98, and ME) to keep the system stable.
  • ChemicalIronyChemicalIrony
    edited January 2006
    Well, the RAM thing will probably never happen on our budget. Heh. I guess we'll have to pray for a new computer. I've already tried to buy RAM for a Compaq before, and it does get expensive. So how do I go about reinstalling Windows after I do all that? Is there a reinstallation file already on here, maybe? Possibly? ::Cries, knowing all hope is lost for that.:: Um. How do I get a Windows disk, if not?
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited January 2006
    Well you kinda need some sort of Windows disk(s) if you want to flush the system. When i did a quick google of your machine, it looks like a 200mhz. Pentium proc. I don't remember what the Win98 requirements are. I do know that Win98 ran fine on my Pentium pro 200 (but it also had 128 megs of ram)

    Personally I would try to clean off as much as I could and see if you could run it. It doesn't sound to me like you want to dump money into this machine.

    Hopefully somebody else will chime in here with a little more experience with older machines.
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited January 2006
    I'm sorry, but IMO the computer isn't worth the money to make useful.

    Windows'll cost you about $50 (that is, if you could find a copy of 98), but even then it doesn't have enough RAM to run it.

    You'd be much better off saving for a new(er) system rather than putting money into a money pit like that machine.

    And even if you DID spend the money to get all the RAM the thing could handle and a copy of Windows98 SE, you'd STILL have a useless peice of junk.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    SMJ is right. That computer is pretty much junk.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I play around with old computers a good deal and the trick is not to let them get to that state. The bad part is you will almost certainly need to format the hard drive and reinstall the OS. If you're feeling adventurous you can export your registry and decontaminate it at your leisure and copy the Program Files folders and personal documents to your new install. A modern anti-virus software will be able to disinfect your registry but odds are the various programs have deleted and replaced parts of Windows necessitating the reinstall.

    Since you have an OEM PC (a Compaq) a complete copy of the Windows installation files is probably at either C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS or C:\WIN95. You'll know it's the right folder if it has a bunch of CAB files and a Setup.exe. After you've backed up all your data to another disk or removable media, boot up from a floppy disk and delete all the files on your hard drive except for this folder, then run Setup.exe to reinstall Windows. You'll need to download all the Windows Updates again. I think someone packaged up a rollup of all those updates so Google.

    At any rate, we're spoiled nowadays with our memory gluts but fear not because Win98 will run just fine on 32MB though it really likes 64 or better. What kind of RAM does your machine take? I'd be glad to ship you some from my collection for free. I have both 72-pin EDO and 168-pin SDRAM. Tell me about your processor and other machine specifications as well, I might have some stuff you can use.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • ThelemechThelemech Victoria Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I have several old computers ! They are worth the effort:thumbsup:
    With that pocessor you should be able to run - Ad-aware SE and AVG free(after the upgrade?-or just format and install windows 95 or 98 fresh).
    Plus up the Ram. Also I also know of someone running a 98 se install on a75 MHz laptop - slowly!
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