i need to format and reinstall windows as im having problems on startup and a few other gremlins, and its actually been nearly 2 half years since it was built so ive been luck really that ive not had to do it before.
When i bought the pc, it came with a windows recovery cd, which im not sure what it is.
I think this will do a fresh install but im not certain..
OR.. should i just bite the bullet and download a version of xp from here (i think i have xp black edition i d/l for a pal somewhere)
And install that..
If i should d/l a new version of xp here. which one should i go for..
the pc is just for every day use and a few games.
Amd 3500
x850xt
2 gig ram.
Any help will be very greatly appriceated, im not a total novice, but any advice on what i should do will be very welcome..
thanks folks..
harry..
Use the Recovery CD, it includes the drivers needed for your PC, if you choose to download a copy then have a look on your Manufactorers Website for some drivers.
ReplyDeleteYeah i would recommend using the recovery CD too as it will restore your computer back to factory settings and with all the drivers included (which will save you time having to search for and download later). However, the recovery CD may install crapware onto your computer once you reinstall the OS. These include things such as antivirus/firewall trials etc which are a pain to uninstall manually. It's your decision anyway.
ReplyDeleteif you use the recovery cd which is probably the best thing you will have to update windows and other progs with 2 years worth of updates and you will need to reinstall any program you added from new
ReplyDeleteIf you wouldn't mind the trouble of downloading the drivers needed for you system, which would be good cause there would be newer versions of them, I would do this:
ReplyDeleteThere are some free programs that can read the serial of your Xp (if it is not written down to any of the recovery cds).
Download one and write down your serial.
Download a version of Xp that is the same with yours, that is if you have Home download Home Edition.
Install and insert the serial you already have. That way they will be genuine.
It works cause I have done it to my laptop several times. I just had to call Micro&soft cause the key would not be recognized through the net. Little trouble....
Forget the Recovery CD mate ......... it's probably a limited OEM version of XP anyway ......... go for the real thing!
ReplyDeleteFirst thing to do is install Everest (PC hardware information tool). Using Everest make a list of ALL your hardware then go to the manufacturers sites and download the latest drivers. Save your drivers to a CD or to a different partition to the OS so they are safe for future use ........ but make sure you get ALL the drivers you need
Then download either a Corporate or Student version of Windows XP Pro SP2 (No problems with activation and WGA on those versions)......... forget those customised versions, they have programs you might not want and the cosmetics are something you can do yourself once XP is up and running.
Burn two CD's (one for backup) of your ISO XP download and burn them at 4x speed. I know this is a slow writing speed but I have seen too many posts on this forum where people end up with errors on their CD's because they write at too fast a speed.
Then download HirensBootCD.
Use HirensBootCD (Partition Magic) to format your HD and set up any partitions you want .......... have a good think about what you want when it comes to the partitions cos it saves messing about with the HD at some time in the future.
With your HD partitions set up the way you want and with all your drivers safely tucked away you are now ready to install XP. Just put the CD in your drive and away you go.
If you do it this way you also have everything at hand for future use ....... it takes away the worry and anxiety of your OS ever going corrupt on you.