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Uninstall -Reinstall
Help, I do not know where or what board I should be posting on.
I have a Dim. 8100, Pentium 4, Processor 1.4GHz, 384 of RAM, 40 GB Hard drive.
Bought it in June of 2001. Started giving me trouble right after I bought it...30 days in I had a tech to tell me I should of got them to take it back and send me a new one. they came out and put a new Mother Board in, a few months after I had it. The last of 2003 a new hard drive in, they told me that was the problem. Then they said I didn't have enough RAM. I bought more Ram from Dell and put it in for all I had to begin with was 128 Ram. I ordered it with 40GB Hard drive, for I wanted to be able to store alot on it. I still have 3/4 of it to fill.
Dell has had me to clean my computer 3-4 times now. (Sad, I can't remember how many times without going thru' all of my Stacks of notes) and now they were wanting me to do it again. It always seems to be their answer to all problems. Every time I have to do this I have to make sure everthing is backed up...and invariably I would forget something. One thing was all of my contacts in MS Outlook. The last 2 clean outs, I asked each time how to copy them...they would tell me...and I'd do what they said..and when I put everything back on computer, My contacts were not copied to a disk??????? If someone can explain that procedure to me, I would appreciate it, so as I would know I did it right, if I do have to clean it out again. Which yesterday, they told me looked like I would have too! I keep a box of Kleenex's beside the computer now!
My next question, has anyone else who has Win Me had the same problem as I? It seems that each tech thinks Win Me is causing some of it? But why do they continually exchange all of the hardware, and then have me to clean the slate all the time. My warranty goes out in June of this year...and considering how much I have been able to use the Dell, I am very frustrated. I know it is a GOOD computer. We had several at work and never had the problem that I have with this one. Just wondering if I got a lemon. My computer locks up a lot, or completely shuts down. Giving me errors. This is usually when I call into Dell. I tried to do a system restore at one point and it wouldn't do that. Had problems with Norton SystemWorks, ended up uninstalling and reinstalling it. Is Win Me such a problem, that it gets bogged down.
Any suggestions will be appreciated!
Thanks, Jan D. (Bear2001)
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Posted March 30th, 2004 19:00
Just for completeness it should be noted that this problem has also been addressed in Customer Care - General.
Flooby
2 Intern
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3031 Posts
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Posted March 30th, 2004 18:00
It would help to know exactly what problems you're having with it now, as far as why a clean installation of the operating system is being suggested.
That being said, the 8100 isn't a bad system, although it appears to have been somewhat more problematic than some of Dell's other top-of-the-line models. My guess would be that the RDRAM that's in that model has at least something to do with the number of complaints, but that's just a guess. Likewise, Windows ME seems to have been more troublesome than Win98SE was, and certainly more so than Windows XP is. If I had an 8100, the first thing I'd do is dump the ME and install Windows XP.
By the same token, a lot of PC problems are caused simply by the applications the user installs (or allows to be installed), as well as how the system is used. An overabundance of spy/junkware, file sharing applications, poorly engineered freeware - any one or combination of these can completely hose a well running system. In that regard, it's important for the user to be conscious of what is installed, and how it's installed, and regular maintenance is essential. Used improperly, Norton System Works can do far more harm than good, which is probably why it's not usually recommended for use with Windows XP.
As far as losing files during these reinstallations, that's just something you're going to have to educate yourself about. Formatting the drive equals everything gone, plain and simple. The Microsoft Knowledge Base has articles on how to back up address books, etc., as do the onboard Help files for these applications. Regular backups of user generated data are simply essential, and there are a number of web sites and books devoted entirely to these tasks. Study your application Help files, have a look around this forum, do a Google search for "system backup tips," or stop by the local bookstore and grab a recommended How-To guide for your operating system, and these tasks will become second nature to you in no time.
You might also find that using the Solutions tab above, then the Reinstall Guides link (with your particular system information entered) will let you know the proper way to reinstall your OS and applications, and reviewing this material in advance makes the job much easier to accomplish.