Introduction
Divide to conquer
The operation
Digital Fail-Safe |
The operation
Chances are, your PC came with a set of product-recovery CDs and not with a freestanding Windows XP operating system disc. These discs contain the operating system files, plus whatever else the manufacturer threw into the package -- special drivers required for supplied hardware, "value added" features, and so on. It's also possible your PC has a hidden recovery partition containing all that's needed.
In case of doubt (or if you've lost your recovery discs), contact the manufacturer to order a set, which should cost you somewhere in theAU$50-$100 range. Don't think this is a cheap way to buy Windows XP, though; the discs are of no use on any system other than the one for which they're designed. The recovery package probably comes with little or no instructions, other than perhaps a vague reference to starting off with the "bootable recovery CD," which is otherwise unidentified. If so, insert disc 1 in the CD drive, reboot, and follow the onscreen instructions. You'll also see a warning that your hard drive will be reformatted during the operation. Agree with whatever shows up onscreen and swap discs when prompted. You'll see an endless stream of progress reports, and there'll be some lengthy periods of seeming inactivity and a few reboots along the way. The whole operation may take an hour or two to complete, so have a good book handy.
Post-op procedures
Your squeaky-clean operating system may have installed some "features," whether you wanted them or not. So before you start reinstalling the applications you do want, pay another visit to the Add or Remove Programs list to look for things you don't. If you see any uninvited guests -- a trial version of someone's antivirus software, updates for applications you don't use, whatever -- wipe them out right now.
With the operating system in as good shape as it's ever going to be, now's the time to make a fresh drive-image backup and stow it away so you won't have to go through all this again. You'll make subsequent backups later on, of course (you will, won't you?), but this is the one you'll want to use the next time your system needs to be put back into good-as-new condition.
With this task done, you can now reinstall each major application. As you do, choose each application's custom-install option, if it has one. You'll be prompted to make various selections as the installation progresses, and this is a good time to opt out of options or add-ons you know you don't want. On its own, an application may install an outdated version of QuickTime or Adobe Acrobat Reader, pick up file associations you don't want it to have or make other unwanted decisions for you. So take charge of the installation and accept only the options you want, not the ones the application wants you to.
Also consider creating a system restore point before installing each major application. If the application causes grief later on and won't uninstall itself nicely, you can restore the system to the condition it was in just before the installation. On the downside, the system restore will also take out anything installed after the troublesome application, so you'll need to reinstall these applications. So think of this as an "if all else fails" line of defense -- definitely unpleasant, but possibly faster than other means of damage control.
Wrapping up
These procedures are certainly no one's idea of a pleasant way to spend the day. In fact, you may not even consider subjecting your PC -- or yourself -- to such an intense round of cleaning. But if you're spending more and more time trying to figure out why your system isn't quite right these days, the virtual scrub brush just may be your most effective tool.
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hensleys_1999@yahoo.com
20/01/2006 09:08 AM
what if you've done the system recovery a few times and there is still some sort of "virus" popping up and causing problems? can you actually completely wipe your hard drive clean so that even some obscure virus cant possible survive after recovery?
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Alan
08/12/2006 01:39 PM
if you get the answer to your question let me know cause im in the same boat
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paradiseliven@hawaiintel.net
14/02/2007 02:02 PM
haven't use my +laptop in a while and forgot admin password is there any to by pass to get on the comp
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downie
04/03/2007 12:08 AM
i bought my pc about a year ago an got windows me took out of my pc an in place i got windows xp pro installed an its a fake how do i wipe my hard drive to reinstall my windows me back in it
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Needs some computr heeelp
17/05/2007 10:31 AM
I need to reinstal W2000 (Windows 2000) but I need to erase all da udder operating systems. I tried a million ways and day wont go away. Thers only 6.42 gb on da hd so i nede 2 get rid of dem udderwise it will be slow ash heck. Pweese tell me hou 2 overrite all dee exsisting operating shistems wid a new 1. UUUUUUURGENT
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Guest
09/07/2007 10:47 PM
Guys Use Dariks Boot And Nuke (google it) Dowload it then copy to CD/DVD then Restart ya comoputer Witht he CD/DVD in it and the boot From CD/DVD rom And it will auto Run Type DOD The it will wipe yor hardrive 100% you wont be able recover anthing!!!!! then simply Reinstall You OS
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bobby2681
16/07/2007 03:59 AM
i have a dell dimension p100t and i need help. i need to wipe the drive but my os is already gone how do i do this
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stew00d
03/09/2007 09:56 PM
hmmmm
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smoothbill
03/11/2007 02:39 PM
cool
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lolcat
12/12/2007 04:36 AM
I love how people ask questions that were just answered in this article.
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tom5411
20/12/2007 06:12 AM
my hardrives is completely gone, the sound card is messed up, the validation code is'nt right so i can't download and install updates i need, can i buy a new hardrives, its a dell dimension 3100,a brand new one though not a second one
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daniel
27/12/2007 02:55 AM
you can unstill windows xp everybode bye formateing your computer or restill window xp with cd have you got vista send me it if good at it
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warren
25/01/2008 04:11 PM
i deleated all things that was on my flash drive now every time i reboot all the info goes on my desk top i have to delate the information all the time how do i clear off my computer
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little_shuey
27/02/2008 05:55 AM
i have the same problem as hensleys_1999. is there away that i could make it to were it's like my hard drive was never used before?
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Jerry
23/03/2008 04:12 PM
anyone know how t set a server that we can run wipe and install os from?
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olivern
02/04/2008 08:21 AM
There is also free software that you could use to clean your hard drive. You should try: http://dban.sourceforge.net/ You can also pay for similar software if you want like. http://data-eliminator.com/
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DINO
29/04/2008 02:37 PM
EXCELENT
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Xiahoudun32
14/07/2008 03:21 AM
So, I own a toshiba laptop, and I have save all my media and saved game files, etc. to an external hard drive. There is nothing necessary on the computer I need to keep... I have a vista "anytime upgrade disk" and the product key associated with it, along with 2 driver cds... my question is, what do I put in my cd drive first, the driver disk, which has the option to format the drive, or do I install vista followed by the drivers? (ps, I only have 1 internal hard drive)
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stan lott
19/08/2008 11:17 PM
one of the best willsee you again thank you
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