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to reinstall or not to reinstall windows, that is the question!


Riley

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I have Windows XP. I seem to have something of a mess, suddenly I have lost my windows fax printer and it wont reinstall either from add printer or from windows disc. I think a programme that came e with my new Sony camera may be responsible as first i lost my tif viewer. I used Norton utilities (that came free with Norton 2011internet security which is what I use) today and I knew I shouldn't mess with things I don't understand, cos now Ive lost the fax printer entirely! I do use it and need it. One fix said go to MS paint.......... well then I found I don't have than anymore either!!

 

I feel like i want to a clean reinstall but have service pack 3 installed through automatic updates, and wanted to download to cd to speed things up. I do have Norton ghost so can back up both c and d drives and restore from there, but I'm concerned I will reinstall all the problems as well?

 

The disc used to install windows XP was not my own, it was the guy who put me in a new hard drive. It recognizes that mine is an older version...... sorry if this all sounds a muddle but thats what head my head feels like right now as Ive been trawling around trying to get the service pack. I feel like I want to use my Windows original CD and add the service pack just so I have all that i need when I want to add or sort things... is that being silly?

Thanks I know you guys will make sense of it for me!

Riley

 

****************************************

The more people I meet the more I like my dog!

 

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have you tried a simple "restore" to a time before the problem started?

 

Ghost could save your "stuff" but a full save of the operating system will save the errors i expect .

 

you can run system file checker which will trundle through the essential operating files and restore them to the original version but only if you have a XP CD ,in your case its worth a try

 

download this

http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

 

run "care" which may work ,if not the system file checker is in "utilities" "security" in the same program

Edited by chesters1

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have you tried a simple "restore" to a time before the problem started?

 

Ghost could save your "stuff" but a full save of the operating system will save the errors i expect .

 

you can run system file checker which will trundle through the essential operating files and restore them to the original version but only if you have a XP CD ,in your case its worth a try

 

download this

http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html

 

run "care" which may work ,if not the system file checker is in "utilities" "security" in the same program

System restore doesn't work I think because I don't have enough space on C drive; tried that.

 

Thanks I'll try the down load.

Riley

 

****************************************

The more people I meet the more I like my dog!

 

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I'd go for a fresh install.

 

You can download the full (300MB) SP 3 from the link below.

 

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/windo...ice-pack-3.html

The file is WindowsXP-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu.exe

The problem isn't what people don't know, it's what they know that just ain't so.
Vaut mieux ne rien dire et passer pour un con que de parler et prouver que t'en est un!
Mi, ch’fais toudis à m’mote

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I'd go for a fresh install.

 

You can download the full (300MB) SP 3 from the link below.

 

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/windo...ice-pack-3.html

The file is WindowsXP-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu.exe

 

Thanks, thats what I thought you would say!

Wouldnt save to CD so am saving to a memory stick... hope that will work?

Riley

 

****************************************

The more people I meet the more I like my dog!

 

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Thanks, thats what I thought you would say!

Wouldnt save to CD so am saving to a memory stick... hope that will work?

It will, but copy to a temporary folder on your hard disk before you install.

 

I forgot one 'gotcha' too. If after you re-install XP it does not have SP1 installed you will need to download SP1 and install before you can install SP3.

 

BTW Long time no post, nice to see you again.

Edited by corydoras

The problem isn't what people don't know, it's what they know that just ain't so.
Vaut mieux ne rien dire et passer pour un con que de parler et prouver que t'en est un!
Mi, ch’fais toudis à m’mote

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It will, but copy to a temporary folder on your hard disk before you install.

 

I forgot one 'gotcha' too. If after you re-install XP it does not have SP1 installed you will need to download SP1 and install before you can install SP3.

 

BTW Long time no post, nice to see you again.

:D Thanks, I used to pop in here a lot to keep an eye on my bro; Dan, somehow life has taken lots of weird turns and Anglers net dropped off my radar, whilst I was pondering the state of my computer I actually remembered your amazing knowledge and help... so here I am , and was hoping you would still be around!

Ok.. so before i mess things up even further, my windows xp disc came with service pack 2, please tell me if it has 2 it will have 1 as well!? :P( even though it doesn't say so!?)

Another duh moment... if I copy it to tempory file on hard drive wont it get wiped when I reinstall? :huh: I guess I can put it on a CD from the folder on mem stick?

 

So sequence will be: reinstall windows, install sp3, install antivirus (I have Norton internet security) then internet connection to update everything?

 

Now I "have you", my hard drive is partioned to C & D, C isnt big enough, 20gig, and D is 185. how big should I make C, I think its outlook that needs a lot of space and I have small business and have a lot of e mails i have to keep. How much better is it to have my disc partitioned. As it is I cant defrag C, but someone told me I shouldn't anyway? System restore doesnt work either which I think is for same reason...so i have never really known how useful system restore is!?

Riley

 

****************************************

The more people I meet the more I like my dog!

 

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:D Thanks, I used to pop in here a lot to keep an eye on my bro; Dan, somehow life has taken lots of weird turns and Anglers net dropped off my radar, whilst I was pondering the state of my computer I actually remembered your amazing knowledge and help... so here I am , and was hoping you would still be around!

Ok.. so before i mess things up even further, my windows xp disc came with service pack 2, please tell me if it has 2 it will have 1 as well!? :P( even though it doesn't say so!?)

Another duh moment... if I copy it to tempory file on hard drive wont it get wiped when I reinstall? :huh: I guess I can put it on a CD from the folder on mem stick?

 

So sequence will be: reinstall windows, install sp3, install antivirus (I have Norton internet security) then internet connection to update everything?

 

Now I "have you", my hard drive is partioned to C & D, C isnt big enough, 20gig, and D is 185. how big should I make C, I think its outlook that needs a lot of space and I have small business and have a lot of e mails i have to keep. How much better is it to have my disc partitioned. As it is I cant defrag C, but someone told me I shouldn't anyway? System restore doesnt work either which I think is for same reason...so i have never really known how useful system restore is!?

Hi

Make sure you back up before you start. Especially your outlook pst files, all your pictures, music anything you want to keep. Copy them to CDs, DVDs, an external drive, whatever you have.

 

 

disconnect pc from internet.

do a clean install of xp. When you do remove all your partitions, leaving yourself with one big c 200GB C:drive

 

after xp installed install sp2 from your cd

copy xp3 onto a temporary folder

run sp3

 

now connect to internet.

go to windows update, download and apply updates, reboot.

keep going back to windows update until there are none left

copy back your data, reinstall your apps.

 

job done

The problem isn't what people don't know, it's what they know that just ain't so.
Vaut mieux ne rien dire et passer pour un con que de parler et prouver que t'en est un!
Mi, ch’fais toudis à m’mote

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Hi

Make sure you back up before you start. Especially your outlook pst files, all your pictures, music anything you want to keep. Copy them to CDs, DVDs, an external drive, whatever you have.

 

 

disconnect pc from internet.

do a clean install of xp. When you do remove all your partitions, leaving yourself with one big c 200GB C:drive

 

after xp installed install sp2 from your cd

copy xp3 onto a temporary folder

run sp3

 

now connect to internet.

go to windows update, download and apply updates, reboot.

keep going back to windows update until there are none left

copy back your data, reinstall your apps.

 

job done

:D

I KNEW you would make it sound easy! I have done it before a couple of times but it was a while ago so needed a helping hand!

I think when I install from this CD I'm not given the option of installing SP2 separately?

I have now put the newly downloaded SP3 onto Cd so can install from that... wont need a temporary folder then will I?

Thanks for your patience!!

Sue

Riley

 

****************************************

The more people I meet the more I like my dog!

 

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:D

I KNEW you would make it sound easy! I have done it before a couple of times but it was a while ago so needed a helping hand!

I think when I install from this CD I'm not given the option of installing SP2 separately?

I have now put the newly downloaded SP3 onto Cd so can install from that... wont need a temporary folder then will I?

Thanks for your patience!!

Sue

SP3 cannot be installed on a bare XP system. You need SP1 or SP2 installed first so if it prompts you for XP2 cd then do that. If you have SP3 on a cd then you can run it from the CD. If you copy it to a folder on your HD first, it will speed the operation up a bit, but running it from the cd is fine Sue.

 

Remember, don't connect the PC to the internet until you have SP3 installed, one risks getting all sorts of crap on ones' new build without the protection from the system vulnerabilities that are fixed by SP2+SP3.

The problem isn't what people don't know, it's what they know that just ain't so.
Vaut mieux ne rien dire et passer pour un con que de parler et prouver que t'en est un!
Mi, ch’fais toudis à m’mote

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