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system really slow and want to wipe the HDD clean
New to the forums and i think they are a great idea. Here is my problem. My computer is now very slow. the computer is almost four years old and without any major problems with it. muy system is a dimension 3000. the slow that i refer to is loading after the system boots up, sometimes up to 20 minutes before you can do anything with the computer, having programs load. lately i have lost all of my desktop icons and called support to somehow repair this problem. i have gone inot msconfig and to the start tab to see what programs are silently running in the back ground and i have made changes there but still.......... very, very slow with a reboot. also, i have alot of freezing that can last for up to a minute or two before I open the task manager and end the task out of frustration. i recently bought an external HDD and am prepared to wipe the computer clean and start all over. my biggest concern how and where to start. i have done this in the past but with the grateful help of a dell tech over the phone and it seems like it took hours. any help is appreciated.
thanks
dg27
675 Posts
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January 20th, 2009 13:00
There are a great many excellent posts on this forum dealing with reinstalling your operating system, which is what you'll likely want to do. A few preliminary questions:
1) What is your OS and service pack? (I assume it's XP; service packs are the bulk updates that have been applied to you OS.) XP is up to serviced pack 3 right now.
2) Have you moved your data (all documents, music, movies) to the external drive yet? That should be the first thing you do before anything else.
3) Do you have installation discs for your system? Situation varies depending when you bought your system.
In order to help others help you, you should post additional details about your current system. I'd also recommend searching this forum for "Reinstall Windows XP" (if that's your OS).
There are a lot of issues to think about and make sure you've addressed in this situation, to ensure the best outcome. Do you have a lot in internet bookmarks you want to keep? Do you have a lot of emails you wish to keep as well? Knowing which browser and email client you're using will help others guide you on how to save the specific files you'll need.
Keep in mind that completely wiping your boot drive will eliminate everything, so you do want to proceed slowly before you take that step.
dg
dg27
675 Posts
0
January 20th, 2009 13:00
Windows system restore, which you can also access from the Control Panel, may or may not solve the problem: It will depend largely on whether the issues were present at the time the restore point was created.
Some Dell systems also have the capability to restore the system to the (supposedly) "as shipped" condition. This was provided with systems that were shipped without OS discs. Keep in mind that you still need to move your data over to your external HD before choosing this option.
dg
ottizz
2 Posts
0
January 20th, 2009 13:00
thanks for the replies. i am using XP and have transferred all of the files i want to keep (hopefully) to the external HDD. my biggest concern is making sure i install the proper drivers when reloading the OS. i have all of the discs that came with the system to re-install everything.
Bhupal_Pradhan
2 Posts
1
January 20th, 2009 13:00
if you are trying to restore the system, what you have to do is that you need to restart the system and when you get black screen you need to keep on pressing ctrl and keep on tapping f11 key. you will get the restore point , you just have to select the restore and your job is done....
dg27
675 Posts
0
January 20th, 2009 14:00
Drivers usually aren't a big issue, since the majority of drivers for many devices are included within XP.
What browser do you use? If it's Firefox, you'll need to save your bookmarks file and re-insert it into the same folder in the new installation. If you previously used IE, I'd recommend switching to Firefox.
dg
TheRealFireblad
4.6K Posts
0
January 21st, 2009 14:00
You can download them off the Dell website, and copy them to wherever you've backup your other files as well.
The important thing, is to make sure you install them in the right order :emotion-55:
WT Hunter
3 Posts
0
January 21st, 2009 15:00
I would agree with dg27's suggestion to switch your browser to Firefox, import your favorites from IE, and then use the FoxMarks add-on to back up all your favorites(IE's term)/Bookmarks(Firefox's term). Also, ottizz makes a very good point about installing your drivers in the CORRECT order... Dell systems are tempermental that way! lol Good Luck!