what will re installing windows do?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick The Man
  • Start date Start date
Nick The Man

Nick The Man

New member
here is the problem ..... i cannot install the updates from microsoftwindows.com and having my computer in out of date updates is putting it into a unstable state. Does anyone know if re-installing Windows XP professional will completly wipe out all the information on my hard drives?
 
It could. If you choose to re-install, make sure you back everything up. There is always the possibility of stuff getting nuked during a re-install.
Be careful.
Ed
 
Nick The Man said:
here is the problem ..... i cannot install the updates from microsoftwindows.com and having my computer in out of date updates is putting it into a unstable state. Does anyone know if re-installing Windows XP professional will completly wipe out all the information on my hard drives?
Click to expand...

There should be a repair option. Still do the backup, windows quite often munges a repair and destroys instead of fix.
 
for back up try an external harddrive
and to get a stable pc again the best thing to do is format c,d ect and reinstall windows
 
Nick The Man said:
by back up do you mean put everything on disks?
Click to expand...

In this case backup means put any files you don't want to lose, on something besides the harddrive in question. If you have an external harddrive, that is best. Anything will work, but it could take many cd's to do this. If you use the pc for internet and documents, don't forget to back up settings, and saved emails, and addresses etc....

Search through, and find all the stuff you don't want to redo, and put a copy some place safe. Then you will be ready to re-format.
 
Man i really need an external harddrive..... cause i also do video editing and i have a ton of footage that can not be lost
 
well i got 22 gigs on one hard drive and 15 gigs on the other..... cds are not gonna work...... or im gonna have to use a whole spindel. by the way does a bootable disc mean that you can reload it on to your computer from that disc?
 
Yes, go for the external harddrive.

You can simply reinstall windows in the same directory it is in now, and it will work, however, you registry will be reset, and you will lose everything in the "Documents and Settings" folder. The registry loss will mean that every program the uses the registry in any way will not run anymore, unless you reinstall it. This is true for some (of the bigger) VSTs aswell.

You footage, if kept well away from the windows or documents and settings map (that includes My Documents!), will be save, but a special partition for just the footage is better. An external HD is even better.
 
this is what i wanna do...... get a 40 gig external and put all my stuff i wanna keep on that.

then i want to completely delete everything on my computer because there is other things wrong with it.

then since i currently have windows xp home edition i want to install windows xp professional instead of home edition....

how do i go about doing this


thank you everyone!
 
never mind i only need to fit about 23 gigs on something..... i just wanna be able to put all 23 gigs back on my computer after i fix it.... is that even possible with DVD+R
 
I'd go for the external HD, although not that one. 100 bucks seems too much. I got a 160 gig external HD for 120 bucks. Search a little and you'll find a better deal.

May I ask, why are you going for XP Pro? I have seen absolutely nothing that I would want to do that I cannot do with Home. As far as I know, Pro has more options when it comes to setting up networks and such. For us workstation guys, I don't see the point though.

When you insert the CD with windows on it and reboot, hit F11, you'll be asked if you want to boot from a CD. Select the drive that the CD is in and hit enter. The rest is easy. The installer will ask if you want to format something or everything. No need to do that before hand.
 
i wish i could just have someone come over and do it..... it just seems like there is too many things that could go wrong.... and i really can't lose the footage on my computer


oh and not to mention i only have 15 bucks to my name right now
 
Nick The Man said:
here is the problem ..... i cannot install the updates from microsoftwindows.com and having my computer in out of date updates is putting it into a unstable state. Does anyone know if re-installing Windows XP professional will completly wipe out all the information on my hard drives?
Click to expand...

make it suck less for about 3 days :D
 
giraffe said:
ignor me, i'm just playing.
Click to expand...

thats ok .... im just really tryin hard to figure this computer out so any controbution is good
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top