JohnPop

Swift Running Computer

Many people who have had their computers for 18-30 months now complain of laggy performance and have the dire wish to upgrade. There is a quick (rather long actually) fix to this.

Backup
Format your harddrive
Reinstall Windows XP (don't you dare go back to W98!)
Reinstall all of your programs.

Any questions?

This is a rather primitive guide but thorough > pcmech.com/show/os/70/2

Basically on XP after you have have backedup, you just have to put in the XP disc and restart. Its automated all the way to the finish. (Then you have to reinstall 10 or so programs that you absolutely need) Now you will have a computer without the preinstalled software that you dont need, and be reorganized.

Christ Reynolds

i do this once every six weeks or so, improves my system performance immensely, especially when i try out programs that i dont usually use, game demos and other stuff. actually, i am about due for another format right about now.

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

Max Leung

You could always get Norton Ghost. Install XP and your essential programs and drivers. Then all you need to do is ghost it onto another hard drive/partition/DVD-R. Then, when you have the urge to reinstall, just restore from the ghost image! It'll be much much faster than reinstalling...maybe 10 minutes or so.

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Gameshow host: "Is taking Viagra kosher during Passover dinner?"
Whoopee Goldberg: "Not if it leads to pork."
Kermit the Frog: "Hey, that's my line!"

JohnPop

Ya, Ghost works very well.

JamesHl

Every 6 weeks? Geez.

XP/2000 is a lot easier to maintain than 98, I haven't had to reformat/reinstall any of my systems using either of them yet. You just have to keep on top of what's on there and make sure stuff is really gone when you uninstall, and make sure you don't put huge files places where you'll forget about them.

Christ Reynolds

usually...i did one today, and i have no idea how it happened, but i have way more spyware garbage on my computer than before. frustrated does not even begin to describe how i am feeling now. i ran spybot and it found a couple hundred entries, ad aware found 50+. i dont know where from, i hadnt even gone to any sites except this one. does anyone know any more good spyware programs?

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

NickSo

Rob Gillespie

Nick - no. It's a partition-based application.