Re: General instructions to re-install Windows XP
- From: "Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:13:28 -0400
"tcarp" <tcarp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:76D5CC1C-C0AB-4481-9B3B-FDD335C13969@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm on the journey to learn about doing a WinXP full install. I've
actually
done this once (without choice) on my laptop when attempting to upgrade
from
XP Home to XP Pro.
As I've been doing research on the web, it appears doing a periodic full
reinstall of Win isn't such a bad idea. My question is about the process.
The way I did it I had to reinstall all Windows upgrades and then the
applications and upgrades after the Win install. I also had to make
settings
like Outlook email accounts, etc. Not such a big deal but for weeks after
there were little omissions (Adobe Reader, irfanview, etc.) that I had to
reinstall.
So the process generally was:
Win full install, Win upgrades, Win configuration settings (e.g.
networks),
Applications, Application upgrades, Application configuration settings.
Worked but it seems pretty brute force.
What I've found on the net is mostly technical information about creating
boot CDs, etc. Before diving into the details, is there a site that
provides
a very high level view of the overall process and how to cut some of the
steps down some? For example, is the Migration Tool useful at all during
a
reinstall? Is there a checklist (e.g. make as complete a list of all the
applications installed)?
For my laptop I have the WinXP CD. I have a friend who will also journey
into the reinstall jungle with me who has a Lenova (where there was no CD
but
it looks like they put something on a HD partition).
Any help getting educated would be appreciated. Just remember to keep it
high level for now. I want to get a sense of the journey first.
Thanks
Tom
Tom:
Not sure if my following comments will be "high level" and useful to you
since I'm unsure as to the meaning of that phrase in the context of this
issue, however, for what it's worth...
First of all, your statement that "it appears doing a periodic full
reinstall of Win (XP) isn't such a bad idea." is questionable in & of
itself. There's really no reason to undertake a "periodic" fresh install of
the OS (or in the case of an OEM machine using the recovery CD or partition)
unless one has good & sufficient reasons to do so, e.g., a seriously
corrupted OS that cannot be overcome through a Repair install or other
relatively simple processes, or some type of malware that is seemingly
impossible to remove, or other software-related problem(s) that can't be
corrected and which result in a dysfunctional system, etc., etc.
On the other hand I'm aware of many users who simply feel more comfortable
with their PC when they fresh install the OS from time-to-time. So be it.
It seems to me that what should be a user's prime objective when he or she
is satisfied with the operation of their system is to establish & maintain
on a routine basis a comprehensive backup program, particularly considering
a disk cloning or disk imaging system so that they routinely maintain an
up-to-date backup of their system on another HDD. And that this backup
should include *all* their data on their day-to-day working boot drive,
including their OS, all their programs & applications, user-created data,
etc. In short, *everything* that's on their internal HDD. Establishing &
maintaining an up-to-date comprehensive backup system along the lines I've
described will surely negate the need for "periodic" fresh installs of the
OS and the onerous task of a user's need to re:install all their programs &
data (as you have pointed out).
While there are so-called data migration programs (the Laplink program comes
to mind - there are others) that are designed to move programs/applications
from one system to another, most of them have serious limitations in our
experience. In most cases the user will need to reinstall their programs
following a fresh install of the OS. Not the most pleasant task for most
users.
Then there's the need to reinstall the MS critical (and perhaps other)
updates, although the recent release of SP3 makes that task less onerous.
But as the saying goes..."Yer pays yer money and yer makes yer cherce".
Anna
.
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