Reinstalling your Operating System

Computer Care: Best to reinstall your OS when problems mount

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED Oct. 25, 2009 12:08 a.m.

On occasion, I find myself attempting a tuneup on a computer that is beyond tuning. If your registry is corrupt, you have unnecessary programs run at start-up and check disk initiates every time you boot up, you have a problem.

If there are too many pop-ups to navigate the desktop — and even when you can, nothing happens when you click an icon — then a tuneup is not the answer. Sure, it could probably be fixed, but it would take longer than another option and you might miss something anyway.

When there are that many problems in a system and it is that unstable, it would take less time to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows than it would to attempt a repair. It also makes better sense. With the latter, you would not even be certain you fixed everything.

With a reinstall, you would not fix what ails the system, you would be erasing it. It will get rid of any malware and possible viruses, toss the trojans, the temps, clean the cache and give you a fresh version of the registry.

It may seem a bit intimidating to take on such a task, but it is really the more sensible choice. It is even more so now, with the release of Windows 7. It is a good time to upgrade from XP or Vista, a must if you still have the Millennium Edition.

The upgrade from Vista to Win 7 won’t hurt at all. You’ll even get to carry over your settings. With XP though, you’ll need to wipe everything. If you’re just replacing XP with itself, depending upon your choices, your data may also be saved. As much as I liked working with XP, this new operating system is a pleasure and I don’t have the regrets I had with Vista.

You will hear from the naysayers that Windows 7 is nothing but Vista with a fresh coat of paint. I say it is more. They gave it a better engine with more horsepower. It now runs like a race car instead of a jalopy.

Should you decide to go with a reinstallation, you first need to make sure to save what you don’t want to lose. I’ve had clients ask me where their address book was or that their Favorites or Bookmarks were gone after I wiped their hard drive. Sure they were. If you don’t save it, it won’t be there.

All it takes is an external hard drive or a couple of DVDs, depending on how much data you want to back up. You might just copy the entire My Docs folder. Alternatively, look for My Pictures, My Videos or My Music. Give the desktop a once over just in case there is a stray file or two out there.

You could use a wild-card search to be sure. For example, in the search box, type *.*jpg if you want to see all the jpegs in the system. Use *.*doc to find Word documents.

If you have a dedicated backup utility, now is the time to use it. Vista has a program to help you with the task. Pick and choose carefully what you decide to keep.

Tools like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image will create an image or a snapshot of your hard drive, operating system and all.

But this, too, warrants caution. If you are reformatting because of problems with your system, you will be transferring the problems with an image, defeating the purpose of the reinstallation. You’d be better off just copying what you need manually, unless you created an image back before you had issues.

If you plan to upgrade to Win 7, then the image won’t do you any good. Just back up your files.

If you want a clean fix with the same operating system, it usually works one of two ways. PC manufacturers either ship a system restoration disk with the computer or include a rescue partition on the hard drive. If you didn’t get a disk, look for a D drive under My Computer. It should say either Recovery or Rescue.

Before you initiate a reformat, make sure you have something to put back on the hard drive in the form of an operating system; otherwise, you’re just creating a doorstop.

Start to finish should take two to three hours, again depending on how much you have to save.

It is important to note that you will have to reinstall any programs you had. You can’t copy a program.

Once you get going, Windows does most of the work. You’ll get the occasional question about time zone, computer and network name, but for the most part it is on auto pilot.

You might check out a web site or two to gain some confidence before you begin. Just Google, “Windows reinstallation” and choose.

There is no down side to this. Your system will be cleaner and faster than it has been in a long time. You can live with a corrupt computer, replace it or just reinstall Windows. Have a plan, back up what needs backing, take a deep breath and get to work.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville.
His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

When Your Computer Crashes

Computer Care: If your computer crashes, you may have to rebuild it

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED Aug. 23, 2008 5 a.m.

As I turned my computer on recently, I was greeted by that omnipresent Microsoft logo. Half a minute later I was still staring at it. Nothing else happened and I realized that was all I was going to see.

I had a sinking feeling I was in for a long afternoon. My computer crashed. After a brief contemplative moment of why, I got to work.

If it should happen to you, you have options. You could call someone like me or attempt to fix it yourself.

With lots of problems, your computer may be infected with a virus or assorted spyware. You may not be able to navigate, move your mouse or close boxes down. In this case, it would be easier to reformat and reinstall than to try to solve all those problems independently.

First and foremost, be sure your system is backed up. Copy your data to CDs, a flash drive or external hard drive. Remember to get your photos, e-mails and anything else important off of your hard drive before it's too late. When you reinstall the operating system, everything will be lost. Everything.

Second, have a recovery disc that you either got from the PC manufacturer or one that you created. Some PCs come with a second partition that has a recovery setup on it. Either way will suffice.

Aside from a backup of your OS, you'll need all the device drivers on a CD. Without them you won't have sound or an Internet connection among other things. You'll also need the discs for the programs you installed, such as Office or Photoshop, as well as your anti-virus and spyware programs. Simply copying from the Program Files folder won't work in most cases. When an application is installed, it goes to various places on your hard drive.

To be sure you can boot to a disc, you'll need to access your Basic Input Output Setup. When your computer boots up, you'll see instructions flash on screen for a few seconds. It will say something like, "Press F12 for Setup." It may be the Delete or Escape button or another F key. Whichever, access the BIOS and find Boot Order.

Some PCs have a prompt for Boot Order, saving you the trip into Setup. Follow the instructions on how to place the CD drive first, not the hard drive. If you make changes, be sure you save them by pressing F10 before you exit.

If you have a rescue partition on your computer, usually your D drive, access it and initialize the recovery. If you have the discs, put the OS disc in the CD drive and reboot. You'll see, "Press any key to boot from CD." I've had folks ask which key that is. That would be the space bar. Tap it after the prompt and the CD will start spinning.

Once you're in, you'll have to answer a few questions. It will tell you that are about to lose all data. Say that you know. Then you'll have to choose where to install it. Choose your C drive and go to town. Aside from then having to choose a time zone (GMT-5 hours is Eastern Time) and naming your system, the rest is done automatically.

You will eventually need to reinstall your printer, so find that CD, too. Be advised to run the install disc before you connect the USB cable to the printer. Whatever else you have to put back on your system, reinstall your anti-virus program last. It gets in the way of other programs' installers.

Keep an eye on the install process. Most of us click Next and OK without much consideration. One of those pages most people disregard places the program you're installing in the startup group. That's the group that loads with Windows. All those icons on your task bar by the clock are the culprits. You don't need every program to run all the time. They run in the background whether you need them or not, sucking away precious system resources, slowing your system down. So just don't check that box giving them permission to do so.

If you need to run a program, click its icon on the desktop or from the start menu.

As long as you're taking the time to rebuild your system, treat it as you would anything else you might rebuild. Take your time. Make it cleaner and stronger -- better.

By the time you've completed the task, your computer will be trouble-free and run faster than it ever did before.

Arthur Glazer is freelance writer and computer technician whose column appears biweekly and on gainesvilletimes.com. Readers are invited to submit their computer questions or problems to Arthur for future columns.

Be Prepared for System Crash

Computer Care: Be prepared when your system crashes

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED May 28, 2008 5:01 a.m.

Computers are like cars. We replace them every five years, they both take us places, they are fast and they crash.

Yes, even the best quad core multi-megahertz system will eventually fail. It's not a matter of if, but rather when. Keeping that in mind, the best thing to do is have a plan for when it happens, because it will.

If your computer fails, first try to access System Restore. It is one of the best, yet little-used applications incorporated in Windows. It will return your system back to a time when all was well. You don't lose data you created, but you will lose recently installed programs. The restoration can be undone and takes only minutes.

Another built-in tool is Safe Mode. With it you can fix your system with only a bare minimum of components running. Go into Safe Mode and run some tools or try to delete the culprit program that's wreaking havoc with your computer.

Access the Safe Mode by pressing the F8 function key during the boot process. Tap it once per second until it beeps or you see a screen with choices. Scroll with your cursor keys to Safe Mode (or Safe Mode with Networking if you need the Internet) and hit Enter. When done, all you need to do is reboot.
If you still have a problem after you've worked on the system, the last resort is to (deep breath) reinstall the operating system.

Many people shudder at the thought of that, but it sometimes is your only option. It will take a few hours, but when done your system will be rid of all of the junk files it had accumulated. It will also be rid of any problems.

You need to remember to back up any data you want to keep because all will be lost. You will also have to reinstall any programs that did not come with the operating system. It is a trade-off, but well worth it in my opinion.

Most computers either come with a set of recovery discs or have a rescue partition on the hard drive. To use the latter it's a matter of simply pressing another function key during the boot process. On my HP, it is F11. To use the discs, boot your system with the disc in the drive. From there it is just a matter of following the prompts for either method.

When you get your new computer, you're not thinking of what you'll do when it won't boot. You take those CDs that came with it and toss them aside. But it's prudent to remember where you put them because you will need them eventually.

If you have a recovery partition then you won't need the discs, and vice versa. If you have neither, then it's a good idea to create a set. Many systems will also allow you to create your own rescue discs. I erased my rescue partition just because I needed the space. But I already created a set of recovery CDs prior to the erasure.

As an alternative, there are applications that will back up your system. There are as many ways to accomplish this task as programs to do it. Programs like Norton Ghost create an image of your hard drive, compressed with data, settings and all. All you have to do is boot with it when your system fails.

Acronis (www.acronis.com) and Paragon (www.paragon-software.com) have products that will back up your system using various methods. There are also services that will backup your system online for a small fee.

Many external hard drives come with built-in applications. Instead of putting your backup on a CD or DVD, you'll use the external drive. The thing to remember is that you'll need at least as much room on your destination drive as your source has. If you want to copy a 15 GB hard drive, even with compression, you will need a dozen or more CDs, three DVDs or an external hard drive with some extra space on it. With today's devices, most come with 180GB or more, so that's not a problem.

Short of having a system completely backed up or replaced, you could always keep an emergency boot disk on hand that will get you into your computer when all else fails. You can make your own, download a free one (www.bootdisk.com) or purchase a factory original (www.restoredisks.com). It will at least provide another option to allow you access to your system to repair it.

Whichever method you choose, be sure you know where your disk is. You will be in panic mode when you look for it.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician who lives in Gainesville. First published May 17, 2008.