Re: re-formatting....arrrggghhh

Well, I would certainly rather NOT have to reformat if I don't have to.
So I guess I'll post a couple of my problems and go from there.

First, my computer is WAY SLOW! I did have a bunch of viruses and
worms/adware/spyware/blah blah blah....I have DSL through my local
phone company and they are saying that it's just as fast as it was a
year ago, but a couple different computer tests and just obviousely the
SLOW page loading, has brought me to the conclusion that something's
not right. I also did a scan through a site called Trend Micro and it
said that my computer was extremely slow and I should take caution.....

Another problem is that I have deleted programs through the Add/Remove
Programs and they're still there and won't delete completely. It comes
up with an error saying something like it can't remove this file
because it's already been removed...duh...lol

Also, I'm a big-time graphics user and I have the program Paint Shop
Pro, well, I used to be able to use it just fine. I've uninstalled it
and re-installed it and I get the same error....

" Entry Point Not Found: The Procedure Entry Point
?SetDropDialog@CResourceDropButton@@QAEPAVCResourceSelectDlg@@@Z could
not be located in the dynamic library JascControls.dll


I hope you guys can help. I truly believe what you're saying about
these other techs not knowing anything....I'm sure you realize it's a
running joke in this country. You sound like an intelligent, genuine
person (at least for an online person I just met...lol) so I will take
your word on this subject. Thank you very much for being honest and I
sure hope I can keep my computer going the way it is.

Thanks so much,
Jamie
Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
LilMustang wrote:

Hi there! I'm a newbie to the group and I'm in the middle of
re-formatting so you might hear a lot from me in the next couple of
days. I hope you're okay with that. I'll just state my problems and
questions and you let me know if I've totally confused you....lol

First of all, I have a Gateway 505GR with XP. I recently had a bunch
of viruses and malware/grayware/all the wares. I've been advised to
reformat my XP


Advised by whom? Although it's sometimes the best course of action, it
rarely is. People like techs at Gateway often tell you do this. Their
solution to almost any problem they don't quickly know the answer to is
"reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect solution for them. It gets you
off the phone quickly, it almost always works, and it doesn't require them
to do any real troubleshooting (a skill that most of them obviously don't
possess in any great degree).

But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to
restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your programs, you
have to reinstall all the Windows and application updates,you have to locate
and install all the needed drivers for your system, you have to recustomize
Windows and all your apps to work the way you're comfortable with.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may have
trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs? Can you
find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data backups to restore?
Do you even remember all the customizations and tweaks you may have
installed to make everything work the way you like? Occasionally there are
problems that are so difficult to solve that Windows should be reinstalled
cleanly. But they are few and far between; reinstallation should not be a
substitute for troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only
after all other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person have
failed.

If you have problems, post them here; it's likely that someone can help you
and a reinstallation won't be required.


and I need a little help with some things. btw, I'm
saving files to USB flash drive (512MB).

My first question is: Will I lose all of my emails and email program
settings when I reformat? And will I lose all of the folders inside my
email program?


Yes and yes. You will lose *everything*. By definition, refomatting wipes
the disk clean of *everything* on it. It's a draconian measure that should
be used only when there are no other choices.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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