WHY Reinstall Windows XP?

So why do you want to reinstall Windows XP, aside from the obvious hard disk failure, etc.?

The best reason:  It has been over a year since your last clean Windows XP install.  If you have managed to make it a year without noticing a slow down or worse, count your blessings, get prepared, and get after it before you are forced to perform this drudgeries task with the additional burden of being desperate.

The subject of this page is all about reinstalling Windows XP, so I don't want to go too much into symptoms of Viruses, Malware, and all sorts of other annoyances that prompt people to throw in the towel in favor of a reinstall.  But, if your reason for seeking help reinstalling XP is off and on uncontrollable mouse movements, system instability, and the like, you should consider getting rid of the root problem prior to proceeding with a nice clean install of the operating system.

A clean install will definitely get rid of whatever virus or spyware you have, put the registry back in pristine shape, and so on, but if you are currently dealing with an unknown annoyance, the likelihood of it coming back after you reinstall is high.  The reason is your browsing habits and how you use your computer.  I recommend solving the root problem first with Ad-Aware 2007 Pro, or installing it immediately after you reinstall XP to ensure your clean install stays clean.

I have spent hundreds of hours talking people through getting rid of spyware, malware, and browser hijackers.  A basic 'scan and fix' with some virus checker may seem enough, but it doesn't take long to realize that "anti-virus" programs are simply not enough.  Ad-Aware 2007 Pro is the only product I have found to actively protect against every type of threat, without using so much resources that it is counterproductive.

I know some people frown on the concept of periodically reinstalling XP for no reason.  The simple fact though, is after so many program installs, upgrades, ad-ons, fixes and so on, Windows operating systems simply bog themselves down to varying degrees.  There are many reasons why this happens, not the least of which is what goes on in the registry every time you do almost anything.

TuneUp Utilities 2007 makes short work of tweaking everything tweakable.  Use it for everything, including Registry Cleaning to maintain peek performance.  Keeping the registry lean and clean will forestall the inevitable XP re-install for as long as possible.

Using Recovery Console to Reinstall Windows XP

Run Recovery Console from the Windows XP Professional operating system CD:

1. Insert the Windows XP Professional operating system CD into the CD-ROM drive, and restart the computer. When prompted, press a key to start Setup.  If the machine does not boot up from the CD, you might need to go into the BIOS Setup and change the boot order so the CD drive comes first.
2. At the Setup Notification screen, press ENTER.
3. After the Welcome to Setup screen appears, select To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console by pressing R.
4. At the prompt, enter the password for the local Administrator account to access the contents of the local hard disk. Recovery Console accepts only the local Administrator account password.

To use the CD-based Recovery Console, you must set the CD-ROM as the primary boot device (the first item listed in the boot order). If the CD-ROM is not listed as a boot-order option in the computer firmware, you cannot start your system by using the Windows XP Professional operating system CD.

Note: If you need help getting rid of those extraneous files and folders that the reinstall leaves, let me know, and I will help you get rid of them.

Reinstall Windows XP by using Windows XP

Reinstall Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD

Back Up Document and Settings Files

Restore these Documents and Settings files and folders prior to reinstalling the applications themselves; this will save you a lot of time getting your apps re-setup with your personal preferences.

Of all the above "C:\Documents and Settings\BeachBum\My Documents" is the most important.  Reinstalling applications without having restored all their settings first will take more time and effort later on, but its only time versus irreplaceable documents (actual data files) such as pics and so on.  Albeit, if you use an email client with a lot of email, addresses, and calendar data, this could be just as irreplaceable as other data.

Check for and Save all data files, setup and .ini files; i.e. ArmyOps.ini and user.ini files from America's Army's System folder.

Don't forget about all those internet usernames, passwords, software reg-codes and serial numbers.  Can you really remember them all?  If you haven't been using RoboForm, now is when you are really going to wish you had.  I can not recommend RoboForm enough for all it does for the consummate internet guru.  It manages all your usernames, passwords, auto-fills form and password fields, and much more.  It is free to try, and works with all browsers.  You won't know how you lived without it.

If you do not have RoboForm, you will need to Save, write down, or in some way document all username/password combinations, registrations, reg codes, unlock codes, and keys for software you intend to reinstall.

Also, here is a link to all sorts of other information you may need to know when reinstalling Windows XP from Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/286463

Install

Before getting carried away and installing too much, straighten out the start menu.  These seven Start Menu folders are where everything should end up.  Hey... it's a fresh install.  Organize the Start Menu so you can find things for a change.

Accessories
Communications
Games
Graphics
Internet
Microsoft Office
Multimedia
System

Combine all the shortcuts for the applications installed thus far into the All Users account by dragging and dropping, cutting and pasting, or whatever floats your boat.

Move everything from here:   C:\Documents and Settings\BeachBum\Start Menu\Programs
To here:   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs

Tip:  Use Windows Explorer and go to
  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs
and drag and drop all those shortcuts from folder to folder to get organized

Trick:  To hide the Startup Folder from showing up in the Start>All Programs menu, drag the Startup Folder in your user account to the All Users account, click OK to replace the one that is already there, then right click it and check the Hidden check box.

Once a network connection is established, download and install All That Other Stuff you need.  Likewise you should examine the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, and remove any applications that you don't want.  Windows frequently installs applications that most people don't want or need.  By removing unwanted programs, you accomplish two things:  You free up the hard disk space, and if you remove a program that loaded a piece of itself at startup, you make Windows load faster and run better... let's try to keep this new install "clean."

Stop Unwanted Processes

After getting everything reinstalled, have a look at the the system tray, next to the clock on the task bar.  The icons that appear there represent programs that are running in the background.  Some of these are necessary, but most are not necessary and just take up memory and cpu cycles.  For example, the autoloaders for QuickTime, AOL, and so on are not necessary.  Right-click each one and look for a command that lets you into its properties or options.  Look for a way to prevent them from loading automatically at startup.

Many programs today default to allow themselves to automatically check for updates.  You will want to disable that too.  While it seems convenient, having auto-update enabled adds another program into the system startup menu to auto-load every time you start windows.  This unnecessarily uses precious resources.

Reboot, and take a look at the running processes in the Task Manager.  Identify those with disable potential, to make Windows run leaner and more efficiently.

1. Shut down all running programs, and close all open windows.
2. Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
3. Click the Processes tab, and click once on the "Image Name" column to sort the list alphabetically.
4. Go to AnswersThatWork or LIUtilities: System Process Library for a list of processes, and look up each process to make sure it is useful.
5. Use the procedure described in the next section to eliminate any unwanted processes from startup.

Using Selective Startup:  Selective startup can help turn off unwanted processes so they don't automatically load when Windows starts.  Before using selective startup, exhaust all other methods of turning off automatically loading programs.

In SUMMARY:

• Use Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel to get rid of any applications you don't want.
• Identify system tray icons that are not desired to load when Windows starts, right-click and look for disable.
• Remove all shortcuts to unwanted programs from the Startup folder.  This does not uninstall the program itself.

If there are still unwanted processes running, tackle them using MSCONFIG

MSCONFIG (the System Configuration Utility) provides a way to disable startup applications and processes without having to manually edit the Registry.  To run it, select Start > Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK.

On the Startup tab, look for entries that correspond to those you have not been able to eliminate otherwise.  Clear its checkbox, and then reboot to see if that stopped it from starting on System Startup.  Repeat as necessary.  If you make a mistake and turn off something that causes a problem, or causes Windows to not boot correctly, go in under Safe Mode and turn it back on in MSCONFIG.

Working with Services:  Services are background processes that perform useful tasks in Windows; maybe.  They're typically closely associated with Windows itself, rather than being third-party add-ons.  I have dedicated a whole other section for dealing with Services, one by one.

Let RadarSync Figure Out What Updates You Need

RadarSync checks your PC, and after identifying all your hardware and software, gives you a detailed list of driver and software updates your system needs.  It's free and takes less than 2 minutes.

Staying Updated with Updates

Manually keeping all those drivers and software up to date can be a never ending task.  I maintain LINKS to all  the major download sources for Display Drivers, Communications Software and Clients, Internet Browsers, Tools, and ad-ons, Multimedia applications and players, Graphics Programs and Tools, System tools, and so on.

Again... RadarSync can be a great time saver.  Occasionally run it to find out what needs updating.  If you purchase it, it even saves more time by providing direct links to the current updates you need.

Ad-Aware 2007 Pro Actively Protects Against Threats

I have spent hundreds of hours talking people through getting rid of spyware, malware, and browser hijackers.  A basic 'scan and fix' with a virus checker (even with resident, active virus protection) may seem enough, but it doesn't take long to realize they simply are not.  Ad-Aware 2007 Pro is the only product I have found to actively protect against every type of threat, without using so much resources that it is counterproductive.

TuneUp Utilities 2007 Tweaks Everything Tweakable

TuneUp Utilities 2007 makes short work of tweaking everything tweakable.  Use it for everything, including otherwise risky Registry tweaks, as well as Registry Cleaning, to make your system as fast as it can possibly be.

I highly recommend this sweet system tweak utility.  It has it all.

TuneUp Utilities 2007 will make Windows faster, more comfortable and more secure.  All aspects of system configuration, security, cleanup, and maintenance can be accessed through a single graphical user interface. 

I have recommended other system tweakers, but this new release of TuneUp Utilities 2007 beats all others, hands down.