REFORMATTING XP

ok i need some help.


im on xp. my cpu is riddled with viruses. i get the error message 'Windows cannot locate the file Sys/System32.exe'

my comp is just playing up like a little bitch.

i need to re-format.

yet i think i lost the xp startup disks.... if i borrow someone else's will that matter? or do i need the xp disk originally registered to my cpu.


anyone with info on formatting xp, and/or system32 stuff, please hook a nigga up!

get a XP cd in your pc, set your computer to boot off it and do a repair install

ok sweet, any XP disc will be sweet? i lost mine...

yeah should be ok

thanks for help brother!

peace

cpu riddled with viruses ? :o

this can happen ?

ab - some people refer to the entire computer as a "CPU"

get on another computer and make a bartpe xp disk (bootable cd xp os) if you add the networking compnent you can then run a virus check online to get rid of everything and or ghost the partition to save all your data. then install from scratch, i find repair installations ive done to be buggy.

don't ghost those virus tho.

yeah, i am one of these 'noobs'

good to see you guys read the 1st thread that states "no paying out on people who ask 'dumb' questions but genuinely need help"


tanx dudes

cheers man.. sorry tho, like i say im a noob, prob cant manage with that

you've found repair installations to be buggy? in what way, and was that wif xp?

Don't fuck around with repairing the install, just format and be done with it. Too much hassle especially with viruses and spyware and the like, your system will not be stable.

Bob, I really can't see a n00b firguring out BartPE.

I would have expected you to have thicker skin than that grindfiend especially re some of the stuff youve posted in lounge and ca

They werent really paying into you tho but yes partpe can be a bit much for some, fucking handy tho.

If you make a ghost image you can then browse it as you wish later and pull out all the settings and files you want to keep tho yes you dont want to reactivate the virii.

Save your files onto cd or whatever then format and reinstall a fresh copy.

haha all good man. wasn't implin that anyway

cheers for yer help

In true Windows style, it always comes to pieces eventually. Luckily, Microsoft are aware of their OS's regularly requiring a format and have now made it easier than ever to be back to square 1. Find someone elses CD, bang it in the drive and hopefully after BIOS it should ask you to (quickly) press f5 or f8 (I forget) to go to maintenance. Here, from what I remember you can easily surf through the options to format and then create a new partition and file system. I do recall it keeping my key details between builds, but I could be wrong so either find your key (we're onto you buddy ) or check out somewhere online first for a XP Home / Professional CD Key that will work after SP1.

Before you start the actual format tho..

Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Files and settings transfer wizard.


Go here and make a copy of your windows settings, and maybe visit backup too. Save your Outlook emails and address book seperately, don't trust these utils to catch everything. Then copy / burn up any data you wish to retain. Depending on how riddled your PC is, you are potentially making a big bugged CD so make sure when you go to reinstate this shit to your PC you do so after a thorough virus scan (free ones available at places like AVG, google it).


I also recommend, that if you know what you're up to keep a copy of your registry for future reference. There's always some app you don't have all the necessary shit for once you're done formatting. Make sure you make another CD full of drivers for your mobo, sound, video etc first as well.. Else you might get shafted upon reinstall.


Good prep is the key to a successful reinstall, the easy downhill part is the actual performing of the format. I hope this is helpful, as it seemed like maybe you weren't really getting what you were after


I really do recommend that you download a good virus scanner, and just as important thesedays is a good spyware cleaner such as Adaware from Lavasoft (google that too).


Good luck man

And Charlie if you make a comment about how Windows sucks and we should all be using Mac OS - I'll give ya e-noogies

that was explained so well dr J even i might be able to follow those instructions, only for the fact my pc is so full of SHIT cos i like saving stuff to my desktop (ive had many people freak out at the desktop alone)

tHANKS Doc, you da man! you da man!!!!!

yea and make sure you format the right drive, i learnt the hard way

lost me 80GB of mp3 and music videos cause i formatted the wrong drive

i once ghosted a 8gig partition onto a whole 160 gig disk rather than just the first partition on it. I cried - had to do a raw recovery and ended up with 9 gigs of jpegs named jpg00001,,, 00002 etc plus wav files that were 48 hours long and avis that cut between different scenes and even movies. I had the important stuff backed up but i lost all my mp3s movies and isos.

Thats why you share all your mp3s and movies with your friends - you can go and get them back from free offsite storage