posted
I wish I could reinstall windows. However, all of the computers I now have running were loaded with Windows XP by Dell, who included no Windows XP disk to allow reloading the system.
BAAAAA on Dell and on Microsoft.
I run AVG Free antivirus, which in addition to being FREE is also automatically kept up to date and automatically cleans out any crap thjat so much as looks like a virus that some evil-doer might have hacked into my machine. I like it better than any other I have tried and I have tried most of them. Additionally I have Microsoft's "Windows Defender", which also runs automatically and Eusing Free Registry Cleaner (each free to download) that I run maybe once a week. Those latter two clean out all sorts of stuff that has come into my machine under guise of some other purpose and may or may not actually do damage, but also those that may be adding me to spammers list and such.
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
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it installs on your toolbar all by itself and begins telling you that you are beng attacked. and you need to buy their chit to get rid of the problems..
it's not particularly difficult to remove, but i either made an error on one of the processes i stopped, or it tries to stop you from removing it... in any case, it installs itself into severl places at once.. the warnings appear to me to be written by chinese speaking person who can read and write English but doesn't speak it. i know this from all of the chinese advertising sites i have read.
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise. Posts: 36378 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
[QUOTE]Originally posted by bdgee: I wish I could reinstall windows. However, all of the computers I now have running were loaded with Windows XP by Dell, who included no Windows XP disk to allow reloading the system.
BAAAAA on Dell and on Microsoft.
I run AVG Free antivirus, which in addition to being FREE is also automatically kept up to date and automatically cleans out any crap thjat so much as looks like a virus that some evil-doer might have hacked into my machine. I like it better than any other I have tried and I have tried most of them. Additionally I have Microsoft's "Windows Defender", which also runs automatically and Eusing Free Registry Cleaner (each free to download) that I run maybe once a week. Those latter two clean out all sorts of stuff that has come into my machine under guise of some other purpose and may or may not actually do damage, but also those that may be adding me to spammers list and such. [/QUOTE
I think you can reinstall windows with system restore. Just save all your harddrive, it puts it into a separate folder. Then after you restore you go back in and get the stuff you want.
-------------------- Let's Go METS!!! Posts: 3317 | From: CT | Registered: Dec 2006
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But one of my machines has lost the ability for system restore. I have no idea how or when that happened. A couple of other things seem to have died too, like Windows Update. Thus, I'd like to be able to reinstall from a disk as I used to with older Windows varieties.
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Ya I have a Dell and feel the same way about not having a disk to reinstall. On top of that any problems have to be solved thru Dell not directly with microsoft.
-------------------- Let's Go METS!!! Posts: 3317 | From: CT | Registered: Dec 2006
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: i use anti-spy ware too.
this one is really screwball.
it installs on your toolbar all by itself and begins telling you that you are beng attacked. and you need to buy their chit to get rid of the problems..
it's not particularly difficult to remove, but i either made an error on one of the processes i stopped, or it tries to stop you from removing it... in any case, it installs itself into severl places at once.. the warnings appear to me to be written by chinese speaking person who can read and write English but doesn't speak it. i know this from all of the chinese advertising sites i have read.
It was due to a similarly acting evil that I originally downloaded and installed Windows Defender. It is on the Microsoft site and is free. If you are still having that thing reappear after you think you have deleted, erased, and cleaned, which is what it did to me, check into the Windows Defender.
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I didn't get a disk with my Dell either. I didn't need one for about 3 years, and then ironically about a month after the warranty expired the OS died, and I needed to re-install. I called Dell and they told me there was nothing they could do because my warranty was expired. They seemed more interested in asking me what was wrong with my computer so they could try to sell me their repair services, but I told them I knew exactly what was wrong with the computer and just needed to restore Windows. After about 20 minutes of my insistence that they send me a FREE copy because I never received one with the computer, they finally gave in and sent me a restore disk. It wasn't true copy of Windows, and reinstalled all the "bloatware" that comes with a new Dell, but it got the job done.
Also, (and I wish I knew this before I used the restore disk), you can use ANY copy of the version of windows that came on your Dell to install a fresh OS without all the Dell "bloatware", just make sure you use the product key for Windows that came with your Dell instead of the one provided on the disk you are using... Hope this helps.
NR.
P.S. Sorry for taking this thread off-topic.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: my sony didn't come with a disk either, i made it myself first thing, copied it right off the hard dirve.
From what I understand, "imaging" your drive is the easiest way to restore your computer to "scratch" if you run into problems major problems and have to "wipe" your hard drive, assuming your hardware is EXACTLY the same as when you "imaged" the drive. My better half is the expert in that field though, so any detailed questions on that and I will have to yield to her... LOL
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
if you look in your control panel? you should have a sytem recovery icon, that will allow you to make a system restore disc among other things.....
mine is called the VAIO reovery wizard. the best thing about it is that it has a feature that allows you to go to a list of image capture times and resart your computer to the exact specs it had on that day... i automatically create system "image" every other day..
say you got a virus today? after you wipe it out? you can go back to the last scheduled "copy" of your sytem and restart it... you may even be able to just go back to the last date and restart without cleaning the virus out, but i never tried that.
if you press F1 (on my 'puter it's F1 it may be another (Fx) ) for others) when you start your computer? you should go to a black screeen (BIOS) instead of the windows startup screen. that will give you the option of going to safe mode and should even allow you to restart the 'puter to the last captured setting that worked...
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise. Posts: 36378 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Just make sure you keep all your install files... back up all your misc files and reinstall the OS from scratch. It is the fastest your computer will be. Don't have the disk? Any OS can be downloaded and installed. I have a stack of OS' probably a hundred disks high. Currently on Win 7 64 bit, build 7000 after a love afair with linux for a few months. Don't fall in love with you OS or you'll end up making excuses for why it's so slow.
Posts: 2965 | Registered: Aug 2005
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