Re: General instructions to re-install Windows XP
- From: Big_Al <BigAl@xxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:18:22 -0400
sandy58 wrote:
On Jun 14, 3:17 pm, tcarp <tc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: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
Acronis True Image will give you just that. A "true image" of your
hdd, preferably made when your PC is running to your taste. You can
store the image (on a spare hdd) till you need it (next time your
system collapses).
Sandy58 has a great idea. I've reloaded several times, about every 12-18 months. Same long drawn out process. Kills a day. I got ATI about a 6mos. ago so when SP3 came out, I did a fresh reload, put in all the patches, SP3, IE7, WMP11 etc etc., tweaked a few settings my way, loaded a few apps etc and then stripped as much out as I could. Removed Windows Messenger, did a clean up to clear caches etc.
I loaded ATI and imaged the drive and got it small enough to get it on a DVD. Now the restore CD and the DVD are sitting there with a great backup way back to a virgin load. I also make monthly images and daily backups of select files.
I agree with everyone on both sides of the fence (non committal I guess) on reloading a system. I used a laptop at the office for like 3 years and never reloaded it. It would have gone longer if I had not retired. I screw with my laptop at home too much and I feel a reload is needed, I guess I could fix it, just didn't. But that kinda tells the story about why people have PC problems, since I "worked" with my pc at the office I did only legit things and didn't install anything so it was clean for a long time, at home I screw around, no wonder it don't work! :-)
Take the time once to load your PC, then image it.
It took me 5-7 hours to get that virgin PC working. And 20 minutes to image it or restore it the next time I need it. A great savings.
.
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- From: sandy58
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