Questions about reloading OS

Greetings. I scrolled through this forum at length, and found a tutorial on reloading my OS. Thanks. But before I do that, I have a few questions:

First, should I delete whatever programs I have first, or is this unnecessary?

Second, My OS and apps are on one hard drive, and my files are saved on a separate drive. Will reloading my OS effect the files on my second hard drive?

Third, The reason I am doing this is that my PC got infected with some crap that I can't get rid of. Now it runs too slow for video editing. I decided to take it off line to prevent future problems and use it as an editing only machine. Will reinstalling my OS start me completely fresh? Will this solve my problem?

Fourth, I will be using my Dell supplied re-install disc. Will this also have some of the typical bundled software, like Media Player, etc? I ask because I don't want anything I don't need on this system.

Thanks for your help.

 

Greetings,

What do you mean by reloading?

Formatting and installing from fresh or installing Windows over itself?

 

Good question. I'm not sure. Everything is still on the PC. I have removed nothing. Should I (or could I) clear the drive somehow, or just reload it without doing that?

I'm in no rush. I'm willing to do this the best way possible.

 

What do you want to acheive?

Also, from my understanding of Dell, they normally don't give you a Windows CD, just a recovery CD, so it may have a lot of their cr@p on it.

 

I want to get my system running quickly and smoothly like it used to. I've tried various software to get my system cleaned up, but nothing works. I figured reloading the OS, the software I need, and keeping it offline to prevent future invasions was the best way to go at this point. I am however, open to suggestions.

 

If your PC was infected with a virus or Spyware, no one will be able to help you more than the Spyware Forum.

Also, your options will depend and result will depend on whether you have a Windows CD or just a recovery CD.

As I stated above, Dell normally only supply a recovery CD.

A format and fresh install will always give the best result, but it's up to you if you want to take that action.

Again, if you were infected, the Spyware Forum is as good as you'll get.

 

Thanks,

My biggest fear in doing a recovery is losing the files on my second hard drive. Will this be a problem?

 

No, it shouldn't be a problem, but if you value the files then make a copy of them as nothing is guaranteed.

As long as you don't format or install anything on that drive it shouldn't be a problem though.

To answer your original question, the only time you need to remove programs before you format is for certain types of recovery software.

Go Back for example will lock your drive if you attempt to format without uninstalling it first.

Generally though just about all programs don't require to be uninstalled beforehand.

 

if you have your stuff on a 2nd h/d then i'd recommend that you unplug it prior to reinstalling your os! i just lost access to my 2nd h/d (after an os reinstall), and i'll post what western digital told me! - sos

For your future reference, whenever you do an Operating System install, you should always remove any other drives in your system except for the drive you intend on installing the Operating System. When you leave other drives connected to the system even though you are not installing the Operating System, Windows will corrupt the partition table. You will now need to run a Data Recovery program to get your data off the drive.

After you have recovered your data I would suggest that you Write Zeros to the drive with our diagnostics software to do a low level format wiping all the data off the drive and clearing the boot sector of the drive. Then repartition and format the drive in Disk Management.

 

Okay, now I'm getting a little paranoid that I might be overreacting. I don't mind reloading my OS, but obviously I don't want to if it's not necessary. I read through the spyware forum, but the problem that I have is that the PC is offline. I can't download anything. I already have Ad-Aware, and Spybot, which I have naturally run.

So maybe I'm wrong about my PC speed. Maybe I'm paranoid and it's running fine. THe problem is that, since I have ME, I don't know what processes are running, or the CPU use % since it doesn't show up in the task manager on ME.

(Yes, I know I need to upgrade to XP, but I can't at the moment)

Is there a way to see what processes are running in ME, and how efficient things are running?

If there is a way, will seeing that info help me detrmine if my PC is up to speed, and if not, will that info help me figure out what's wrong?

SOrry if I seem ignorant, but it's because I am.

BTW, it's Dell 8100 with a 1.4 gig P4, and 768 megs of RD Ram, running ME.

Thanks for indulging me, I'm a bit befuddled.

 

well, you should be able to right click on my computer and see what is your available ram. if you hit ctl alt del, you should be able to see what's running in task manager. if your trying to get it running like it used to, my guess is that over the years you've installed a bunch of stuff (like messengers, etc.), and alot of it is running in the background? how much stuff do you have running by your clock (see pic below)? this isn't my computer, but all that stuff adds up and slows it down.

i would see what % you have free and start disabling stuff you don't need (running in the background), reboot, and see if that helps some

start --> all programs --> startup (you can see some of your startup stuff here)

start --> run --> type msconfig (you can do a selective startup), and disable some stuff here (some you can make out by description, or path). however, you could accidentally disable something that another program needs. (see pic below).

anyway, take your time and ask questions, and it should all be good. just don't disable too much on startup, etc. - sos

fyi, i used to have me on my home computer and it wasn't that bad (speedwise), however since i've changed os, it starts up faster etc.

1 ghz
680 ram

 

Thanks for th tips. Some of this stuff I've done (like disabling a few startup programs) I don't have any messenger apps.

The problem with the Task Manager in ME is that it only shows running apps, not processes. In 2000, which I have on my laptop, I can see the processes running and what percentage of my CPU is being used. Is there a way to do that in ME? The programs "running in the background" don't always show up under apps, do they? When I look there in ME, it only shows what I know I have open (latelyjust the task manager or My Computer). How can I find out what's running in the background?

Thanks for your patience.

 

You can use process explorer, they have one for Win9x/ME. Click here

 

Through the properties on my C drive I see that 80% of my resources are free. I'd like to increase that a little, but it's not nearly as bad as I thought.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Your original question/assumptions seem clear enough:
First Question: You shouldn't have to uninstall anything as dropping in the OS CD should prompt you to FORMAT before INSTALLATION -I have no experience with DELL, though, and I *suppose* it may be different -someone here will surely clear that up.
Second: The Installation should not effect any data you have on a second physical drive -but to be safe you should unplug that drive (as others have mentioned).
Third Question: It is doubtfull -but not impossible that your secondary drive is infected -try an Antivirus scan on that particular drive -if unsure you can always just try reinstalling on your primary drive and seeing if the same problems occur.
Fourth (again, I've never dealt with Dell) I would assume that the Dell CD will try and install whatever is on it: but I would also assume that it will give you the option of a 'typical/full' install or a 'custom install' -if it gives you the option that select the 'custom' install and un-check anything you don't want.
-Hope this was helpful(l).
-Yours,
522.
ps-you seem to assume that many people would advise you to upgrade to XP -in my opinion you are assuming correctly. -Many very knowledgeable (far more knowledgeable than me) people advise against ME.
(before following my advice to the letter you may want to give it a day to see if someone more savy responds).