Destructive syatem restore

[oxyjen]

Ok if you come from the virus and icky forum then you know i am so not computer smart :eek: .. SO ,I have been reading on what to do before the ol' man tosses my computer out on the street...
I had so much trouble with the about.blank , torjan start.page and so on but as a cable modem user who used to love to click that connect button and watch the page fly up right before your eyes I am now a cable modem user who overpays (lol) and it takes anywhere from 30-50 minutes to get the computer online...UGH!!!
It's frustating, I have a HP511w and I have taken everything of importance off and burnt it onto cd's pic., favorites, etc... So , now i want to erase the whole computer and re -install Xp , good or bad idea?
Mine came pre-installed when we bought the computer...And lets not forget the teenager who would click on anything :mrgreen: to cluster up the computer...
Should I do the destructive restore and start over? Nothing on here that I haven't got off and my comcast disc is sitting beside me (saying do it do it !!) :confused: ......Thanks for any input ....Sincerely Jennifer

[oxyjen]

and obviously i can't spell either it's system and trojan ... :mrgreen:

[Catweazle]

If you have a restore CD with that PC then yes, it would be wise to use it.

If it came with a Windows XP disk then make sure you have all the installation disks for your programs ready, because you'll need to install them again.

Either way, yes, wiping and installing fresh is the best way to get rid of residual problems!

[oxyjen]

Thank You Cat where would I get restore CD?
I got nothing but a microsoft moneyworks with the computer....
It says to go to the programs and go through the destructive restore and that it will erase the hard drive and re-install the Xp the way it was when we got the computer?
thanks in advance jen :mrgreen:

[Catweazle]

What make and model of computer have you got? Was it purchased new or secondhand? If it's a 'brand name' PC it should be accompanied with either a 'Restore' or 'Recovery CD which can be used to restore it to its original installed stae, or with the necessary files on a 'hidden' partition on the hard drive which is accessed by a factory set keypress combination at power-up.


If it is not a 'brand-name' PC, it should have come with a Windows CD.

If none of that applies, and you are still using the Windows installation which someone else put there from their own Windows install CD, you will need to purchase your own copy of Windows!

[oxyjen]

Cat,
it is a Hp pavillion 511w when we bought it @ wal-mart 4 years ago it had xp pre-installed on the computer ...Will i need to go and buy a new xp home edition?
Thanks....Jen

[dlh6213]

I haven't actually used, or even seen one, but I've heard there are computers coming out now that don't have a restore CD with them, they have the all the XP files and other programs that came installed on the computer on the hard drive. The model you have I believe came this way and the files are probably on your "D" partition. Is that the "Destructive Restore" you mentioned?

Once you get it reinstalled, see this thread before going online again:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread16365.html

[Catweazle]

Did it come accompanied with installation discs and you've since lost them? If so you will need a new copy of Windows to install with, and you will also lose all of the software which came with it.

Did it come accomanied with instructions on restoring the hard drive included in the product documentation, and you've since lost the documentation? If so you'll need to contact the support people via HP's website and get uinstructions for restoring the hard drive.

One thing's for sure. It definitely WOULD have come accompanied with a method of restoring the original drive image it was provided with.

If that drive image was included on a 'hidden' drive partition, and you've since used partition tools to remove the hidden partition, then you've lost it.

This page mentions HP recovery CDs:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?dlc=en&lc=en&product=77620〈=en&cc=us&docname=bph07143