Dimension 3000 Clean format

Question

I have a Dimension 3000 that is running very, very slowly. I took it to staples for the free tune-up and the tech recommended that I clean the hard drive and restore the factory settings.

I tried to do the F11 process put all that happened was that the keyboard froze, so I requested the CD's from Dell. The CD's arrived with no instructions.

All data is backed up. All extras are disconnected. I used the Windows XP home CD to reinstall the OS. Many of the forums talk of establishing partitions, etc. I never saw any of that.

The next step I tried was booting from Diagnostic CD to try clean 1k to reformat hard drive. My options don't match the ones listed.

This is becoming very frustrating. I have spent about 10 days off and on trying to correct the problem. I guess my old Compaq had me spoiled - it came with a restore CD set...1,2,3...all done.

I am willing to do what I need to in order to reset this computer back to factory settings. Since the warranty has long run out I really need your help to make this happen.

I do have another computer to continue internet contact while I work on the first.

Thank you for your guidance.

Blessings,

Hereford Farmer

PETER345 · Answer

The Windows CD install should give you the option to partition the HD. Since you already have an OS, it should give you the option to repair, don't choose that. Delete the partition and recreate it. Then the install will be clean.

Did you press control-F11 to restore the machine? Press several times once you see the Dell logo.

Peter

Hereford Farmer · Answer

Peter,

This system won't respond to the Ctrl+F11. I've tried several times. It was shipped 09/2005 - is it too old or something? The system just beeps and goes on with normal start up.

I just tried this process for the millionth time and it finally worked! Once this restore runs, do I need to reinstall Windows and all the drivers?

PETER345 · Answer

It should have the PC restore. To verify go to Disk Management (right click My Computer/Manage/Disk Management) and check for a 3rd partition of about 3.5G. That is the PC restore partition.

PC restore can be disabled if you write a new MBR with fixmbr or by install an OS. There are ways to repair the PC restore feature if you have it. Try searching for it.

Personally, I think you are better off with a clean install. With PC restore you will get back a bunch of stuff that was loaded on the machine but is pretty useless.

Peter

PETER345 · Answer

I think it is quite fast (a few minutes or so). If it is taking more than 10 to 20, then I think it has gone wrong. You can try powering off and starting over. If it doesn't work again, I would just do the clean install.

Peter

PETER345 · Answer

I probably takes an hour or two if you include reloading the drivers. There are instructions on the Dell web site (support.dell.com). It is pretty simple: boot from the CD, delete the Windows partition (and PC restore because it is useless), create a new partition that uses all the space and then install. You might want to download the drivers first if you don't have the resource CD. Install the chipset drivers first.

Gotta run ....

Peter

Hereford Farmer · Answer

Peter,

Powering off and back on did nothing to change the situation. The screen remains the same.

I would like to do the clean install, but I will need step by step instructions. Can you tell me how long this might take? I only have about 1 hour left today beofre I need to leave.

Hereford Farmer

Hereford Farmer · Answer

Peter,   Thank you for your help today.   HF

Hereford Farmer · Answer

Peter,

Thanks for your help so far. I am fairly computer literate, but not in the technical stuff. I ran the PC restore Through Ctrl+F11. Now the screen says:

Loading PBR for descriptor 1 ...done.

Loading DRMK Version 8.00...

How long should this take?

What do I do next?

Thanks for your patience.

Hereford Farmer

shesagordie · Answer

Hereford Farmer

How to carry out a clean reinstall of XP.

First, disconnect all the peripherals from the system except the keyboard, mouse and monitor.

How to configure a Dell Dimension series system to boot to the CD or DVD drive.

How to reinstall, XP.

While installing, remember to delete all existing partitions when you are prompted, then recreate the partitions and format the hard drive, following by installing XP.

Note: You need not delete the small 40/50mb EISA Partition, if you wish to keep Dell diagnostics on the hard drive.

After installing XP, you need to install the drivers and applications in the following order,

Desktop System Software [if applicable]
Intel Chipset
Video
Network Interface Card [NIC]
Audio
Modem
All other drivers.

Then, install the Anti Virus utility and update the definitions, followed by all the critical Microsoft updates.

Try to note the type of hardware devices you have, prior to reinstalling the operating system. This can help you select and install the correct drivers and applications.

Bev.

===================================================
Please don't send me questions about your system by DCF Messenger.
Post the issue in the appropriate Board, where they will be answered.

jackshack · Answer

Hereford Farmer;

Your restore likely went just fine, but for some reason the Diagnostics Partition has become corrupted. Following the instructions given by shesagordie will work just fine, but if you wish to attempt a recovery of your existing installation, you need to learn about it from Dan Goodell's site here. Basically you will want to find the tool he has that allows you to reset the active partition to the second one on the disk (PBR2).

Whatever you decide, good luck!

Hereford Farmer · Answer

Thank you all for the help. The detailed list did make this project much easier. I'm sorry I didn't ask for your help much sooner!! Maybe now my daughter can complete her college assignments on her computer instead of mine!

This is a great resource.

Blessings to all and Happy Easter!

Hereford Farmer

Storage, Drives & Media

Dimension 3000 Clean format

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