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How to re-install Windows

A Windows re-install is a nightmare to me. I would rather try anything else before attempting to re-install XP. I've burnt my fingers so many times. However, I can do it with my eyes closed now.

Let me show you how to do it properly.

If you have regularly been using your computer for more than two years, it seems that eventually you will have to reinstall Windows, because it becomes unstable over time.
There are several reasons why a computer will slow down: files become disordered, unnecessary software fills up useful space, there are too many files not being used anymore, the Windows registry is overflowing with rubbish or you have a computer trying to load all the applications installed on it, at startup.
A sudden slowdown and instability might be caused by a malicious program you picked up on an internet surfing expedition.
The decision you will have to make is how much of a reinstallation you would like to perform. Do you want to reinstall only Windows, or the whole system? It has been my experience that a complete reinstallation of Windows and all the applications you make use of is the only real way to ensure your computer has a clean start and it will then be just about the same as the day you bought it.
Installing Windows from scratch, including reformatting the hard disk, then reinstalling all your applications, setting up and tweaking the computer to your taste, is a lot of work and will take some hours of your time. Sometimes more than a day.
I have also learned the hard way that it is necessary to install everything methodically in sequence and not leave anything for later. Some drivers and applications must be loaded before others. I have, on one occasion, lost the sound and on another, I couldn't get the network working properly. On both occasions I had to start over.
If you think that you don't want to go through all that hassle then you can always try to do a Windows repair install. When you boot from the Windows Installation CD, it will be an option you will have. You'll be able to reinstall Windows without losing your applications and data, but if there is a problem in one of your installed applications, a Windows reinstall will not fix it.
However, this tutorial is for a complete new install and reformatting of the C drive.
Your first step is to gather your Windows CD, all your application CDs and drivers for reinstallation. In my case, I needed an updated chipboard driver, as well as updated drivers for the graphics and sound cards, which I had to download. You must also download Windows Service Pack 1, Windows Installer and Windows Service Pack 3.
Most computers are sold with a restore CD from the vendor, rather than a Windows CD. Some vendor CDs give you all the options of a full Windows CD, but with better instructions and the convenience of having all the right hardware drivers. Others can do nothing except reformat your hard drive and restore it to the condition it was in when you bought the PC. The restore CD that came with my laptop was somewhere in between, as it had drivers on it but not the repair feature.
Ok, first things first, back up your data files and C:\Documents to another hard drive, network or a removable medium before reinstalling Windows. Also, back up any other folders in which you store your data files. Also, export your Address Book, lookup your Outlook Express emails and save them if you want to keep them afterwards. To make it really easy later on this is done by searching C:\Documents and Settings for *.dbx and saving them exactly as they are onto another drive.
You also need to unplug all the cables and peripherals on the computer and only have the power cord plugged in. This is to stop Windows from randomly loading drivers for printers and attached devices etc. which may upset the configuration and sequence.
Boot your computer with your Windows CD-ROM inserted. When you get the 'Press any key to boot from CD' message, do so. (If you don't see that message before Windows starts, restart Windows, press the key, usually F2, you're prompted to enter for your PC Bios Setup and change the boot order so your CD drive will boot first.)
At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press Enter. Soon you'll be told that there's already a Windows installation on the computer. Press Esc to begin. Select your C: partition and press Enter. When you get the warning that says an operating system is on that partition, press c. When you are asked your partition preference, select Leave the current file system intact (no changes). When you're told that a Windows folder already exists, press l ('ell') to delete it and create a new one. Follow the series of prompts. When the installation program asks for your name, enter the name you use for logging in.
Once the installation is complete, your system will reboot into Windows, and you'll be logged on with your user name.
Now you've got Windows going, and if any drivers for chipboard, graphics and sound, came on your vendor restore CD, it should have reinstalled automatically.
Now you have to go to Windows Update at the Microsoft site and download all the critical updates for your Windows version. You can now decide which other updates you need to install from Windows Update or you can leave it for later when you've set your update schedule. Now for the applications you use regularly. No, not yet! First is your antivirus program. Install the program you use and get the latest virus signatures immediately and let it do a scan for virii. We've been using AVG Anti-virus Free for a while now and we haven't had any virus problems. The next installation is the anti-malware software. One utility can't catch everything that's lurking out there, so, we use three proven ones to keep out the baddies as much as possible. First up is AVG Anti-Spyware Free which is usually downloaded together with AVG Anti-Virus Free. Install AVG Anti-Spyware, update it and let it scan for spyware. Next download and install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM). At the end of the install, place a checkmark next to the Update MBAM and Launch MBAM. It will now automatically update and launch. Perform a quick scan and when completed, view the results and if any malware were found, check all of them and choose Remove Selected to move the selected items to the quarantine. If MBAM asks to restart the computer, comply with that request, so all malware traces are removed. Now download and install the 30-day trial of TrojanHunter. There is no updating feature available in the trial version, so you must download the ruleset and unzip all the files in it to the TrojanHunter folder. Now restart Windows and boot into safe mode. Open TrojanHunter, select all the boxes and do a full scan. Schedule these three programs to run often and you shouldn't have any worries about "badware" infecting your computer and slowing it down. You can surf the internet feeling rather safely now. Now it's time to let Windows keep itself updated. You've already downloaded the critical updates, so, now just go to Control Panel, Security Center, Manage the Security Settings for Automatic Updates, and set it to update automatically. You can use the custom install, if you want to see and control the various steps in the process. I use Windows Explorer frequently and I like setting up different windows to open different directories when I click on them. I also like seeing everything that's on my computer so I customize Windows Explorer as follows: In Tools, Folder Options, View, Advanced Settings I select the following: "Display contents of system folders", Display full path in title bar", "Show hidden files and folders", deselect "Hide extensions for known file types", deselect "Hide protected operating system files", select "Show Control Panel in My Computer" and deselect "Use simple file sharing". Then click Apply (at the bottom), and then Apply to All Folders (at the top) At this stage you can start installing all your applications and configure them the way you like using them.
I have, however, found that it may not be necessary to do a reinstallation or a reformat of Drive C. I have researched and tested not less than 30 programs, utilities and methods over a period of several months, to get top performance from our PC's without any hang-ups or system crashes. There are 17 free products I recommend, each of which is designed to do a certain task on the computer. We use 11 programs and utilities on a regular basis to keep our PC's ship shape. I do not think I'll have to reinstall Windows ever again.
To really speed up your slow computer you need to:
- Remove unused applications.
- Clean your browser's history, temp data and your Favorite or Bookmark list.
- Optimize the Windows Registry.
- Scan for and remove threats like viruses, malware etc.
- Make the boot process considerably faster.
- Kill all those superfluous startup applications.
- Free your PC’s memory whenever possible.
- Schedule your cleanup programs to run automatically.
- Place all your data files together in one easy to use location.
- Defrag and organize your disks so that your most used files are in the fast lane.
- Optimize, tune and tweak your PC for optimal speed and stability.
My ebook How to Fix Your Slow Computer addresses all the issues mentioned above and is a detailed, step by step tutorial, on which I spent months of research and testing, for improving your slow computer’s performance and thereby saving you valuable time and money and reducing the need to have to reinstall Windows.

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