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How do I wipe clean, do fresh install?
I am almost positive someone has asked this before since it's such a popular thing to do, so a proper link would be more than appreciated (or uh yeah...it'll be appreciated). I want to do a fresh clean do-it-my-way install on my new laptop. I don't want any Dell bloatware like mcaffee or aol or msnmsgr, I don't like not knowing what's running on my computer. I don't necessarily want to get rid of the hidden Dell paritions though, anything important can stay..
Thanks!
Message Edited by blueoakleyz on 12-02-2004 02:44 AM
JohnWD
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December 4th, 2004 07:00
Does DELL still send out DRIVER disc's? Back when i used to work for DELL I know they sent them out, I just recieved mine and did a format/reinstall much to my dismay to find no drivers.. I have downloaded whatl looks like the drivers I should need, but it would be nice to have the OEM driver disc to install properly. Thanks
-JWD
GreyMack
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December 4th, 2004 11:00
GM
JohnWD
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December 5th, 2004 09:00
GreyMack
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December 5th, 2004 17:00
GM
blueoakleyz
18 Posts
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December 5th, 2004 19:00
Thanks but I'm definately not reinstalling anti-virus, firewall software etc... but what about this partitioning? how do I find out about this?
dageezerus
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December 5th, 2004 20:00
GreyMack
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December 6th, 2004 11:00
... do a clean reinstall (versus a repair) of your operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications. If your data is stored on a separate partition, it will still be there after you reinstall. If your data is on the same partition as the operating system, it will be lost during this process. Of course your data should be backed up at all times anyway, in case of a hard drive failure or other catastrophy, but having it on a separate partition may be convenient.
... use imaging software to back up your operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications. If you collect a large ammount of data and keep it on the same partition as the operating system, imaging the partition can become rather time-consuming, and if you back up the image to CD or DVD, it can require quite a few disks. Of course you should back up your data anyway, but having it on a separate partition allows you to back up your operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications on a separate schedule from your data backups. Again, this advantage becomes more pronounced as the magnitude of your data collection grows. (Drive/partition imaging software can provide swift and complete recovery (to the time the image was created) of your operating system, drivers, utilities, and applications even in the event of a hard drive failure/replacement, if a copy of the image is stored on a separate hard drive or CD/DVD media.)
GreyMack
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December 6th, 2004 12:00
A software firewall can be useful in notifying you whenever a program on your computer requests permission to access the internet or an attempt is made to connect to your computer from the internet. Though the notifications are not always illuminating, they can help you become familiar with the normal behavior of your PC. Most users probably don't want to be bothered with constant requests or notifications from their firewall software, but it can reveal a lot of information over time. A dial-up connection, a hardware firewall or NAT router makes a software firewall less necessary, but it is still a good tool for studying.
Anti-virus and anti-spyware software can be used to detect and remove malicious programming from your system, and in many cases prevent it from entering your system in the first place. Check the Virus/Spyware Information and Removal board for case studies.
Avoiding problems without the use of these tools is best left to the experienced daredevil who knows the risk. It's beyond the scope of my expertise.
GM