Re: cleaning a computer

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

Steve UK wrote:
i have a friend whose computer is rubber ducked, probably due to him never having a firewall or virus protection.

i intend to back it up and then reformat the hard drive followed by a re-installation of windows xp. 2 questions:

1.  will this remove any viruses?

2. if i back up the files using windows xp back up in xp pro before the reformat , can i then re-install/reinstate the files using windows xp home edition for the new installation. in other words will the back up file from the pro version open up when restored to a version of windows xp home edition?



An alternative would be to put in a new hard drive in the computer and install Windows XP and all service packs and patches. Then install firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware programs and update and patch them. After this is all done place the old drive in the computer as a slave drive. You should be able to move most of the necessary programs and data from that drive to the new one.
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Relevant Pages

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