HOME
TOPICS
ABOUT ME
MAIL

 
If you've decided to stick with one of the older versions of Windows, save this article.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

How to reinstall Windows from scratch, and why you might need to do it


Oct. 13, 2002


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, The Post-Standard

   I met a guy at the State Fair this year who told me, "I know you. You're the one who tells people to reinstall Windows every week."
   He was kidding, of course. But I got the message. Sometimes I seem to be telling Windows users to take the most drastic step possible to fix relatively small problems. After all, I do recommend that Windows users who run into trouble reinstall Windows from scratch at what must seem a ridiculous rate -- every 6-12 months.
   But there's a good reason. Windows 95 and its two newer cousins, Windows 98 and Windows Me, get messed up easily. Some of the vital files belonging to Windows get the heave-ho every now and then, usually when you install software that uses different support files that unfortunately have the same names as the ones Windows needs.
   The two newest versions of Windows behave much better. They were designed to resist these wounds and seldom need to be reinstalled from scratch.
   But you probably already know that Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the two modern versions, usually won't run on old PCs. They need a lot of memory, gobs of hard drive space and fast computer chips.
   If you've decided to stick with one of the older versions of Windows, save this article. I'll tell you how to do a full reinstallation. You need three things -- copies of your essential documents, copies of the installation programs for software you've installed on your computer and a working Windows restore disk.
   BACKUPS. When you reinstall Windows from scratch, you lose everything on your computer. ("Everything" means every single shred of every single file.) You can't reinstall Windows 95, 98 or Me successfully without replacing everything. So if you have files you need to keep, you have to copy them. This is called a backup.
   You don't have to back up everything. That won't help. You should back up only your documents -- your word processing files, your digital images, your music files, your address book and possibly your saved e-mail letters, to give a few common examples. You might have a lot more items than that.
   What's the best way to save your files? Copy them to CDs using a CD burner. Most won't fit on floppy disks, so don't even think of using floppies. And don't store them on your computer's hard drive. After all, you're going to wipe that drive clean when you reinstall Windows.
   INSTALLATION PROGRAMS. When Windows gets messed up, the programs installed on your PC get messed up, too, so they have to be reinstalled along with Windows. This means you need to have your software installation CDs handy. If you've downloaded and installed programs over the Web, you need their installation files, too. Go get them again if you can't find them -- download them again, in other words -- and be sure you save them from now on. Save any registration codes, too.
   RESTORE CD. This is a compact disk that eases most of the work of reinstalling Windows. You put the CD into your CD drive and reboot, and the recovery disk erases everything and puts Windows back the way it was when the PC was new. If you don't have a recovery CD, ask the manufacturer if you are supposed to have one. Try your best to get one, because nothing beats a recovery CD when you want to return Windows to pristine condition.
   If you don't have a restore CD and the company that made your computer pretends it doesn't have a clue about what you mean when you ask for one, you'll have to choose between making your own version of a restore CD and using a standard Windows installation CD.
   To make your own version of a restore CD, do this:
   1. Install a second hard drive that's a lot larger than your main hard drive.
   2. Install Drive Image software (www.powerquest.com)so you can make an exact copy of your main C: drive.
   3. Install Windows cleanly using your Windows installation CD. (You'll only have to do this once.) Install all your standard software, leaving out all the stuff that might cause problems such as games and oddball freeware.
   4. Make a copy of your C: drive using Drive Image. Store the copy on your new second hard drive, making sure to set it up to use maximum compression so the copy of the C: drive will fit easily on the second drive. When you have to restore Windows, you merely boot from the Drive Image floppy or Drive Image CD and restore your previous good system from the second hard drive.
   If you can't (or don't want to) use Drive Image as described here, you'll have to restore Windows using the Windows installation CD that came with your computer. Please note that some computers are delivered without Windows installation CDs. If yours doesn't have one, tell the store or manufacturer you need one. Don't accept "no" for an answer. Leaving out the Windows CD is like selling a car without a spare tire. (The next time you are buying a computer, refuse to accept it if it doesn't have a Windows installation CD.)
   This seems like a lot of fuss. But spending an entire weekend trying to get a messed-up Windows PC to behave is much more trouble.