Reformating PC

[Zero_X]

Hey guys I was looking for some help on my current situation.

ive had to replace my motherboard in my pc twice and i didnt reformat my pc on either time...come to find out now it may be why ive lost soo much cpu power and got just an over all "sluggish" feeling. im going to reformat my pc tonight...well try anyways but i only have the Windows XP recovery cd and im not sure if i will be able to get my pc back to normal using just that after the format. I have some information about how to create a bootable windows xp install cd using the files from the recovery cd but once again i really dont know if any of this will work. Im really not in a hurry to go buy another copy of Windows. Any help would be great! Thanks

[VirtualAce]

If this is a proprietary system and the recovery CD does not work, contact your PC's manufacturer. However, I would go and buy a copy of XP and remove the proprietary version from your PC.

If this is XP Pro or XP Home OEM then there is no reason to go and buy a new copy of XP unless your CD is damaged in which case MS will replace it for you. They have a very good tech support area and they are very good at sending replacement CD's.

Another option is to simply defrag the system using Diskeeper Pro 10. This will significantly increase performance on your PC. This program is amazing and I don't say that very often. It will keep your disks in tip-top shape.

I do NOT recommend using the Windows Defrag that came with the OS. I think it is coded by the folks that made Diskeeper, but it is inferior, dangerous, and unstable at every turn compared to the real deal.

[joeprogrammer]

OK, I've reformatted PCs many times, and here is what I've come to learn BEFORE erasing the hard disk:

- Make notes of all the drivers and hardware installed–it can be hard if Windows cannot detect the hardware after a reformat.
- Don't forget to backup your stuff! This is pretty obvious, but this can also mean important fonts, program settings, even.
- Find those old CDs for your hardware, because you might be needing them when reinstalling XP. Trying to find them when XP needs them can be difficult (who likes pressure?), so being prepared helps.
- If your system has historically been prone to viruses, make sure you run every file you're going to backup through a virus checker. It won't do any good to put viruses back on your clean machine.
- Try to avoid backing up programs, as reinstalling them from CDs tend to make them run faster.

Good luck!

[Mario F.]

O&O Defrag makes also for a good defrag software.