 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Windows Forum / Windows XP / Basics / September 2007BIOS - COULD THERE A PROBLEM WITH MY PC'S BIOS?
Hi! I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem. I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back ups and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I have taken until now. In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am trying to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the experts in these forum. My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS? Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the two internal hard drives on my PC? I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive. I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly require step by step help. Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as by other means. You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of knowledge. Anxiously awaiting reply, I am InfoHungry Thanks in advance. If the bios is 'sick' then the PC probably wont post or boot, it'll be dead Bios updates are released usually to cure a bug or give greater functionality ie support more hardware. Your motherboard web site is the place to look, unless its a large OEM, eg Dell/HP or Laptop If you propose formating D, which is your current sys drive, I'd suggest you disconnected any other hd's first to ensure you finish up with a C sys drive. Use the winxp cd to delete partitions/create/format/install Ensure you install drivers from manufacturers and not winupdate > Hi! > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > I am InfoHungry > Thanks in advance. Hi DL, Thank you for your advice. I am definitely only look at the motherboard website to see if the updates they have are indeed needed so to fix any previous edition bugs. I can still boot from any of my two drives iven though the process can take up to 40 minutes. I will take your advice and put it to good use. Much appreciated. IH > If the bios is 'sick' then the PC probably wont post or boot, it'll be dead > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > > I am InfoHungry > > Thanks in advance. First it could be you have too much crap (especially temp files) on your hard drive. Take a look at CCleaner as a tool to remove Internet history info, cookies, temp files, auto complete and other junk. In the 'Windows' tab listing check the item types you want deleted. Also available is customization, see Options/Custom to add any other/additional folders you want files deleted from. http://www.ccleaner.com/ It also could be a specific sub-process or application that's taking all the CPU resources and slowing down your PC. To do this try Process Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx Once you have Process Explorer installed and running: In the taskbar select View and check 'Show Process Tree' and 'Show Lower Pane' options. Then expand the process named 'Explorer' (click on the + sign) In the column on the left named 'CPU', look for any high CPU usage. Next click on the CPU column to sort the processes by %CPU usage (Highest to Lowest). Then click on the process that's using most or all the CPU % the highlight it, Now that it's highlighted, right click and from the options listed select: Search Online This should display what out there on the web about that process. You can also double click on any process to open up a more detailed 'Properties' window. Note: some entries like Explorer and System/Services may need to be expanded to show the detail, (sub processes), in this case click on the + located to the left of the entry. JS > Hi! > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > I am InfoHungry > Thanks in advance. Hi JS. Greatly appreciate your advice. You are 100% correct in saying that there is too much crap in my hard drive. I know that much. I DO delete history, cookies, and temporary files in IE but I am not sure how to clean windows temporay files. I run Disc Cleanup every now and then since I found out about it not long ago, I defrag every few months too. I think that there are too many processes running but had no idea how to sort through them and stop what is not needed. my Task Manager tells me that the are 40 +- processes running and lately CPU Usage has been reaching 100% at times. So I am going to the sites you have indicated and will learn about Process Explorer. Thank you very much IH > First it could be you have too much crap (especially temp files) on your > hard drive. Take a look at CCleaner as a tool to remove Internet history [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > > I am InfoHungry > > Thanks in advance. > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem. That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer version is available. If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as necessary. > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back ups > and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS? There's no such thing as a sick BIOS, and BIOSs don't develop problems. The reason for updating the BIOS is to provide additional support for something not in the earlier version. Your problem with running slowly has nothing to do with the BIOS. Post back with information about how long you've had the problem, what did you do or install shortly before it began, what your hardware is (especially CPU and RAM), what programs start automatically, and most important, what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs you run, and how often you update them. > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the > two internal hard drives on my PC? No. > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly > require step by step help. Assuming that your problem is not hardware-related, then reformatting and reinstalling will almost certainly solve it. But in general I think that doing what you propose is a poor choice, and shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting the problem. This notion stems from the technical support people at many of the larger OEMs. Their solution to almost any problem they don't quickly know the answer to is "reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect solution for them. It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always works, and it doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a skill that most of them obviously don't possess in any great degree). But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and application updates,you have to locate and install all the needed drivers for your system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your apps to work the way you're comfortable with. Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs? Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you like? Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and far between; reinstallation should not be a substitute for troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only after all other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person have failed. Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.  SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup 'Ken Blake' wrote, in part: | That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you | are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] | example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as | necessary. . . | Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation. _____ Nicely presented. Phil Weldon | > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should | > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem. [quoted text clipped - 77 lines] | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation. > 'Ken Blake' wrote, in part: > | That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Nicely presented. Thanks very much, Phil. > | > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should > | > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem. [quoted text clipped - 88 lines] > | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the > | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation. SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Absolutely right, besides there is no better way to learn how to fix your PC problems, I am all for it. IH > 'Ken Blake' wrote, in part: > | That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you [quoted text clipped - 108 lines] > | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the > | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation. Hello Ken, thank you for your time and very helpful advice. Following is some info about my computer. Hope it helps you help me. System Information report written at: 09/25/07 23:58:05 System Name: [System Summary] Item Value OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600 OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation System Name System Manufacturer System Manufacturer System Model System Name System Type X86-based PC Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~3000 Mhz Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~3000 Mhz BIOS Version/Date Award Software, Inc. ASUS P4S800 ACPI BIOS Revision 1004, 09.Jul.03 SMBIOS Version 2.3 Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32 Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2 Locale Australia Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)" User Name \User Time Zone AUS Eastern Standard Time Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB Available Physical Memory 68.43 MB Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB Page File Space 1.22 GB Page File C:\pagefile.sys Nero Info tool says that the configuration Is: Primary IDE Channel with a Master - DMA off, Slave DMA on, Secondary IDE channel with a Master DMA on, Autorun on, Slave DMA on, autorun on, and SiS OCI to USB Enhanced Host controller(+ my all in one printer scanner copier's name) with no referrence to DMA. Prim IDE Master : WDC WD800BB-00JHC0 DMA OFF Slave ST3120022A DMA on Sec IDE Master - _NEC DVD_RW ND-1300A DMA on Autorun on Slave - HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10N DMA on Autorun on SIS PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller HP PSC 2355 USB Device Disk 0 = E: NTFS Capacity 74.52GB – 61.26 GB Free Space = 82% Free Space = Partition Basic Healthy (Active) The above disk IS the D: drive that I have put in . It shows as E: when I am logged into the C: (original) drive Disk 1 = C: NTFS capacity 112 GB – 63.95GB free space = 57% free space = Partition Basic, Healthy (System) Disk 3 – removable G: Cd – rom 0 – DVD (D:) CD – rom 1 – DVD (F:) I have had the PC for about 4 years and knew less then then now about anything computer wise so I guess i have slowly messed it up to get it to this point. I have learnt a little bit about maintaining so I have rum disc clean up a couple of times since I found out about it, I defrag every 3/4 months, I clean IE temporary files, cookies, history almost daily. I have hibernation turned off on both drives I run the trendmicro house call scan and the windows live One care scan about once a month. I have automatic updates turned on I have trend micro PC-cillin internet security 2007 with several daily updated, full scan per week I first noticed the PC being slow when I installed Norton internet security a couple of years ago. Had a lot of troubles with it and also with spybot search & destroy. at that time i also had the lovasoft adware freeware installed. Because i was having so many warnings and was having so much trouble getting Norton to work I uninstalled it and tried the Windows live One care trial with windows defender at the same time. As far as I can remember there were a few conflicts and in the mean time the WLOC trial was over and I was not able to purchase it because I live in Australia. I thought I had too much stuff in the PC so I uninstalled the lot of them as well as a lot of my own programs and went back to PC-Cillin which originaly came with the computer. the PC kept going slower and slower. my dvd burner did not work and i did not know how to back up, but read about it and ended up installing Windows backup Utility and used a few times but sometimes I could not burn to disc. I went to the repair shop and since could not be responsible for backing up my data they told me the best thing to do would be to install another internal hard drive and leave the C: drive as it was. so I got them to do that. they intalled/reinstalled Windows XP home about a year ago but there was no improvement and in fact things have gotten a lot worth since then. In view of all this I started searching for information to help myself FIX my computer and came across this forum decided to ask some question and let me tell you, i am impressed, I have learnt a fair bit form the info here. I have had several sugestions that I should format both disks, but I agree entirely when you say that I should first figure out what is causing the problem in the first place. Now, I have made matters a lot worse by copying things in an effort to BACK UP. after searching help some more I have bought an external drive for backing up and did a full back up with WBUp utility. But I think I went the opposite extreme. TOO MUCH back up if that is possible. I realise now I did several very silly things in my ignorance. Back ups did not work properply, copy/paste did not work properly, File transfer wizard failed miserably and to top it all up i accidentally CUT/PASTE some files. I do have enough to get me out of trouble I think but it will be a major job. Major mess. Will require a major clean up, irealise that. Still need to do something about the speed anyway. I can boot from either drive. I do have my WPX cd and key along with motherboard cd, drivers cd but am not sure about key for these ones, I do not think I got them with the pc. I have all my programs cds and keys and my printer, camera, broadband too. As to customizing, well, it should be a little easier this time and it is something I can live with, I guess. What I really want is to have a PC that works as normaly as possible. At the moment it is just a mightmare., and I realy want to avoid repeating past mistakes. As for the BIOS, it was just a thought, mine is probably just fine but I will check manufacturer's site and shall not FLASH lightly. Anyway, my atart time varies from 15 minutes and can go up to about 45minutes sometimes. Shut down is not as bad but I always have to end one NON RESPONDING program or another. In betweer start and shut down, sometimes it can go very slow - cpu usage gets up to 100% especialy if updates are taking place. the mouse pointer get hard to move and at time i click the mouse and it does not actually register that I have clicked something. I have a DSL 1500kps connection that also seams as slow as dial up sometimes, not always. I do not notice anything in particular that stands out apart form when the updates are dowloading or a scan is running. Btu then again my knowledge is limited and I might notice what is obvious to others. I know there are too many processess running but I do not know what can/cannot be stopped... As for start up, that is just a repeat of everything else, too many things there I think and not enough know how to find the info and change certain settings. To cut a long story short, You probaably NEVER saw a bigger mess. Hope I have given you usefull information to HELP ME!... I think I need to add some memory too. Please advise best way to go. I have been getting different opinions too in that regard. Thank you again. I anxiouly await your reply. IH Some Event Viewer Reports might be helpful! Please post copies of all Error and Warning Reports appearing in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for the last boot. No Information Reports or Duplicates please. Indicate which also appear in a previous boot. You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description are important. HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us Part of the Description of the error will include a link, which you should double click for further information. You can copy using copy and paste. Often the link will, however, say there is no further information. http://go.microsoft.com/fw.link/events.asp (Please note the hyperlink above is for illustration purposes only) A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from Event Viewer. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Hello Ken, thank you for your time and very helpful advice. Following > is some info about my computer. Hope it helps you help me. [quoted text clipped - 167 lines] > Thank you again. I anxiouly await your reply. > IH Thank you Gerry, I will look at it and post back . > Some Event Viewer Reports might be helpful! > [quoted text clipped - 207 lines] > > Thank you again. I anxiouly await your reply. > > IH > Hello Ken, thank you for your time and very helpful advice. Following is some > info about my computer. Hope it helps you help me. You're welcome. Glad to help. I don't see anything below that jumps out at me as being a problem. However two points: 1. You say the system gets slower and slower. These days that's often symptomatic of malware infection. You say you've run some anti-spyware apps, but unless you are always protected with two or three, it may not be good enough. I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by going to MVP Malke's malware removal site at http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and following the instructions there. 2. You say "I have made matters a lot worse." It isn't clear to me exactly what you've done, but disorganized random attempts to fix things *can* make matters worse, and sometimes to the point where you have no real alternative other than to reinstall cleanly. It isn't clear to me whether you're at that point, but it's possible. > System Information report written at: 09/25/07 23:58:05 > System Name: [quoted text clipped - 157 lines] > Thank you again. I anxiouly await your reply. > IH SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Hello KEN, I shall insert my answers into your reply so I do not miss giving you any info. and again thank you for your most helpfull advice. Please scroll down to find my answers: > > Hello Ken, thank you for your time and very helpful advice. Following is some > > info about my computer. Hope it helps you help me. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and > following the instructions there. Re 1.- I have actually printed out that page and I am following it step by step because Malke actually responded to my first post in ExpertZone - Windows Basics i think my post reference was "Steps before during and after formating hard disc drive" and he directed me there. But when it came to Backing up I ran into a lot of trouble and posted back more questions but did not receive a reply yet, so i kept looking for answers in other posts and ended up on this BIOS related post which now I think is the last thing I will need to address. I shall go back to it and start again. I was trying to copy my files to disc without knowing that I needed 3rd party software to do that. so I created folder called COPY OF C DRIVE, COPY OF D DRIVE on my Desktop. Clicked on the MY Computer, clicked on each of the drives in turn and clicked copy , clicked each respective COPY folder one at a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the effect that "this file could not be copied" and at this point I had the "show system files" "show hidden files" on. so That does not seem to be a reliable back up. so I opened the Drive file and the COPY file at the same time and started comparing them and trying to copy folder by folder from one window to the other. Result - by accident I CUT & PASTE some of my files including some of my VIP bookkeeping files. MESS RIGHT? So I went looking again for info on backing up. Installed windows back up utility from the CD, got myself an external hard drive and ran a full back up staight into the external hard drive, then I copied both the COPY OF DRIVE C & D folders I had done into the hard drive as well. THOSE FOLDERS are still on my desktop as I am too worried to delete them because I suspect I have copied the WINDOWS folder into them and if I delete those folder from C & D I am scared that might delete the REAL windows and other important files. BIGGER MESS, so I got kinda stuck here at this point not knowing how to clean up this MONSTER MESS as I call it that I created myself from NOT KNOWING WHAT I AM DOING properly. This means that the PC got much slower now because of the above and reaches CPU usage 100% most of the time. > 2. You say "I have made matters a lot worse." It isn't clear to me > exactly what you've done, but disorganized random attempts to fix > things *can* make matters worse, and sometimes to the point where you > have no real alternative other than to reinstall cleanly. It isn't > clear to me whether you're at that point, but it's possible. RE 2- As you can see from the above, I think it is quite possible or even certain that the drives including the external drive will all have to be formated. They are pretty messed up with my back up creations on top of whatever was causing the problem in the first place. I really would much prefer to clean up the mess without formatting because I am having problems retriving th BOOKKEEPING files which I am obligated to keep for seven years for tax purposes,. I am not sure what went wrong with these files but I have obtained a request for support form the actual program manufacturers and should be ok to save the files to disc by the end of the week I hope. Appart from those files there is nothing in my system that I can not replace apart from the driver & software?? for one of my DVD-rom drives which i do not think i ever got a disc for when I got the PC, unless it is included in the disc called DRIVERS that came with it. Everything else I have discs and keys > In regards to Malaware, that is a positive I think, and I am now following your and Malke's advise and installing a few antyspyware programs. So please give me the VERDICT = CLEAN UP???? or FORMAT??? I also notice a lot of left over files from uninstalled programs, and icons that do not work. LIST is very long. Please advise at your convenience. THANKS A MILLION> IH > > System Information report written at: 09/25/07 23:58:05 > > System Name: [quoted text clipped - 157 lines] > > Thank you again. I anxiouly await your reply. > > IH > Hello KEN, > I shall insert my answers into your reply That's fine. It's my preferred way of replying. I'm doing the same here. > so I do not miss giving you any > info. and again thank you for your most helpfull advice. You're welcome. Glad to help. > Please scroll down > to find my answers: [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Windows Basics i think my post reference was "Steps before during and after > formating hard disc drive" and he Malke is a "she." > directed me there. But when it came to > Backing up I ran into a lot of trouble and posted back more questions but did [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I was trying to copy my files to disc without knowing that I needed 3rd > party software to do that. No, you don't necessarily need third-party software. You get extra capability using third-party software, but depending on your needs, just copying them is often fine. > so I created folder called COPY OF C DRIVE, COPY > OF D DRIVE on my Desktop. Clicked on the MY Computer, clicked on each of the > drives in turn and clicked copy , Two points: 1. If you are planning on reformatting your drive, copying *anything* to it won't help you at all. Reformatting will wipe out anything you copy. You need to copy to an *external* device or devices--CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, external USB hard drives, etc. 2. For various reasons, you can't just make a copy of the C: drive using standard Windows facilities. If that's what you want to do, you need third-party software. However you *can* copy your data files that way; just be sure you copy to external devices. > clicked each respective COPY folder one at > a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the > effect that "this file could not be copied" and at this point I had the "show > system files" "show hidden files" on. so That does not seem to be a reliable > back up. No, it's not. See point 1, above. > so I opened the Drive file and the COPY file at the same time and started > comparing them and trying to copy folder by folder from one window to the [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > formated. They are pretty messed up with my back up creations on top of > whatever was causing the problem in the first place. I follow what you've said only partially, but certainly it's possible that formatting is your only good solution at this point. > I really would much prefer to clean up the mess without formatting because I > am having problems retriving th BOOKKEEPING files which I am obligated to > keep for seven years for tax purposes,. I am not sure what went wrong with > these files but I have obtained a request for support form the actual program > manufacturers and should be ok to save the files to disc by the end of the > week I hope. If you are having trouble retrieving the files, you will have the same trouble whether you do nothing or back them up, reformat and reinstall Windows, and then restore your backed up bookkeeping files. I would think you could simply copy and paste those files to external media, like your external drive, but I don't understand what you may have done to damage them. Hopefully the program manufacturer can help you with the details there. > Appart from those files there is nothing in my system that I can not replace > apart from the driver & software?? for one of my DVD-rom drives which i do > not think i ever got a disc for when I got the PC, unless it is included in > the disc called DRIVERS that came with it. If you need a driver for the DVD drive, you should be able to download it from the manufacturer's web site. > Everything else I have discs and > keys > > In regards to Malaware, that is a positive I think, and I am now following your and Malke's advise and installing a few antyspyware programs. If you decide to reformat and reinstall, you don't need to do that now. But be sure you protect yourself adequately for the future after reinstalling Windows. > So please give me the VERDICT = CLEAN UP???? or FORMAT??? Sorry, but I can almost never make that decision for someone else. It depends on so many factors, most of which I simply can't see from here. Besides not being able to see how badly your system is screwed up, I can't tell how much trouble a clean reinstallation would be for you, because I know nothing about what you have installed, how much customization you've done, what your skill level is, and so on. Most of the time I strongly recommend against reinstallation, but I suspect that your situation may be an exception, and you *should* reinstall. But please note the word "suspect." Suspect is all I can do, and I'm afraid you'll have to make your own decision. But for the future, whether or not you reinstall, I have two pieces of advice for you: 1. Make sure that you are *always* protected against malware. 2. Make sure that you *always* have a backup of any data you can't afford to lose, stored on external media. SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup HI KEN, HOPE ALL IS WELL. I HAVE GOTTEN OVER MY MAJOR HURDDLE WITH MY BOOKKEEPING PROGRAM. IT IS ALMOST BACK TO HOW I LAST LEFT IT. I JUST HAVE TO TIE UP SOME LOOSE ENDS TOMORROW. SO NOW I KNOW I HAVE A "GOOD BACK UP" OF IT ON DISC. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN, THANK YOU. > > Hello KEN, > > I shall insert my answers into your reply [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > > > > > You're welcome. Glad to help. AND YOU DON'T IMAGINE HOW GLAD I AM THAT YOU CAN AND ARE HELPING ME, THANK YOU SO MUCH. > > > I don't see anything below that jumps out at me as being a problem. > > > However two points: [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > capability using third-party software, but depending on your needs, > just copying them is often fine. I TRIED THAT BUT COULD NOT COPY THAT WAY, I GUESS I HAVE NOT YET FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THAT PROPERLY. I WILL TRY AGAIN AND LEARN HOW TO. BUT AT LEAST NOW I HAVE THE SOFTWARE AND CAN DO MORE WITH IT. > > so I created folder called COPY OF C DRIVE, COPY > > OF D DRIVE on my Desktop. Clicked on the MY Computer, clicked on each of the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > need third-party software. However you *can* copy your data files that > way; just be sure you copy to external devices. FOR THE 2 POINTS ABOVE: I DID INDEED DO COPIES TO CD/DVD AND EXTERNAL DRIVE. IT IS THE INTEGRITY OF THE COPIES THAT WORRIES ME AND ALSO I DO NOT KNOW IF I HAVE ALL THE "ESSENTIAL" FILES THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO RUN PROPERLY. I NOW HAVE ALL MY PROGRAMS AND VIP FILES ON DISCS. PUTTING THEM BACK INTO THE SYSTEM CORRECTLY AFTER FORMATTING IS ANOTHER WORRY FOR ME - I AM NOT 100% SURE IF IT IS STRAIGHT FORWARD ENOUGH FOR ME TO DO - IF I JUST HAVE TO COPY THEM BACK THAT IS OK, I THINK. FOR NOW I DO NOT REALLY WANT A "COPY" OF MY HARD DRIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY MESSED UP. I WILL WANT TO DO IT WHEN MY SYSTEM IS "CLEAN" AND WORKING WELL THOUGH. FOR NOW I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I COPY ALL NECESSARY FILES - I HAVE BEEN LOOKING BUT COULD NOT FIND A "LIST" OF FILES THAT ARE IMPERATIVE TO HAVE TO ENABLE ME TO GET THE PC TO WORK AFTER FORMATING OR SYSTEM FAILURE. > > clicked each respective COPY folder one at > > a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > No, it's not. See point 1, above. JUST AS I THOUGHT. SO APART FROM FILES THAT I CREATE MYSELF (LETTERS, PHOTOS, FAMILY MOVIES, BOOKKEEPING FILES) WHAT OTHER FILES DO I NEED TO COPY SO I HAVE ALL ABSOLUTELY NECESSATY FILES TO BE USED ON SYSTEM FAILURE OR HARD DRIVE FORMATTING/WINDOWS REINSTALL? > > so I opened the Drive file and the COPY file at the same time and started > > comparing them and trying to copy folder by folder from one window to the [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > I follow what you've said only partially, but certainly it's possible > that formatting is your only good solution at this point. WHAT I HAVE DONE IS: TOO MANY COPIES WHICH ALSO NOW HAVE COPIES OF THEIR OUWN AND BACKUPS THAT ARE IN REALITY NOT "USEABLE" AND ARE TAKING GB OF HARD DISK SPACE. I AM SURE I EVEN MANAGED TO HAVE WINDOWS RUNNING IN MY EXTERNAL DRIVE, SUCH IS THE EXTENT OF MY SO CALLED "COPIES OF" AND BACK UPS. I THINK THEY ARE IN THE GREAT MAJORITY - USELESS- AND I NEED TO GET RID OF THEM AND START FRESH. TO START FRESH I HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS DOWN BELOW: > > > I really would much prefer to clean up the mess without formatting because I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > manufacturers and should be ok to save the files to disc by the end of the > > week I hope. THE ABOVE IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM, I HAVE WHAT I NEED NOW, A "GOOD BACK UP" OF MY BOOKKEEPING ON DISC. > If you are having trouble retrieving the files, you will have the same > trouble whether you do nothing or back them up, reformat and reinstall [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > done to damage them. Hopefully the program manufacturer can help you > with the details there. I INSTALLED THE PROGRAM AND THEN MOVED IT INTO MY "BUSINESS" FOLDER. WHEN THE SECOND DRIVE WAS PUT IN AND I HAD TO REINSTALL THE PROGRAM, THE LINKS DID NOT WORK, SO I HAD TO REINSTALL THE PROGRAM AGAIN AND RESTORE THE DATA FILES FROM BACKUP. (THE PROGRAM'S OWN BACKUP FACILITY) NOW IT IS FINE. > > Appart from those files there is nothing in my system that I can not replace > > apart from the driver & software?? for one of my DVD-rom drives which i do [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Sorry, but I can almost never make that decision for someone else. I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER ABOVE AND APPOLOGISE, I JUST NEED TO ESTABLISH CLEARLY IN MY HEAD IF I HAVE WHAT I NEED IN CASE I NEED TO FORMAT. ALSO I THOUGHT THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE FOUND SOME CLUE AS TO THE STATE OF MY SYSTEM FROM THE INFO I POSTED LAST. UNFORTUNATELY THAT DID NOT PROVIDE ANYTHING CONCRETE... SO FOR NOW I THINK I SHOULD CLEAN UP SOME OF THE MESSY FOLDERS AND TRY TO DO A FRESH BACK UP, HOW DOES THIS REASONING COME ACROSS TO YOU? It > depends on so many factors, most of which I simply can't see from > here. IF YOU ACCESSED MY PC YOU'D PROBABLY BE ABLE TO FIX IT IN NEXT TO NO TIME. ME, IT IS A DIFFERENT STORY. I AM ON MY BABY STEPS AND I AM PROBABLY EVEN MAKING THINGS SOUND WORTH THEN THEY RALLY ARE JUST BECAUSE OF LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. Besides not being able to see how badly your system is screwed > up, I can't tell how much trouble a clean reinstallation would be for > you, because I know nothing about what you have installed, how much [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > But please note the word "suspect." Suspect is all I can do, and I'm > afraid you'll have to make your own decision. FOR THE ABOVE: I WOULD DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE TO TREAD VERY CAREFULLY AND WITH VERY GOOD AND CLEAR, COMPLETE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS IN WHAT RELATES TO BIOS. I HAVE NOT GONE IN THERE TO CHANGE ANYTHING, EVER. IF I NEED TO CHANGE BOOT PRIORITIES I CAN PROBABLY DO IT WITH GOOD INSTRUTIONS. I HAVE MY MOTHERBOARD INTRUSTION MANUAL AND DISC. I AM A BIT SCARED OF OPENING THE BOX AND REMOVE AND REPLACE DRIVES IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DO. AGAIN I WOULD NEED STEP BY STEP INFO. CUSTOMISING I DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS DONE BUT I AM CONFIDENT I CAN BRING IT ALL BACK EASILY. I HAD TO DO THAT WHEN THE SECOND HARD DRIVE WAS PUT IN. FORMATING BASIC SHOULD BE OK BUT I WOULD HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT PARTITIONS OR SIMILER THINGS. I HAVE NO PROBLEM INSTALLING PRINTER,CAMERA, PROGRAMS I FORMATED MY EXTERNAL DRIVE FROM FAT32 TO NTFS BEFORE USING IT TO BACKUP BUT IT WAS QUITE STRAIGHT FORWARD. I DEFINITELY HAVE DIFFICULTIES WITH START UP CONFIGURATION. I KNOW I HAVE TOO MANY PROCESS RUNNING THAT SHOULD NOT BE, BUT I AM READING UP ON IT. I DO HAVE A LOT OF CLUTTER SUCH AS: LEFT OVER FILES FROM UNINSTALLED PROGRAMS - 840 ENTRIES THAT DO NOT WORK IN THE REGISTRY, AND GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH SPYWARE/MALAWARE GONE UNDETECTED THAT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIND AND CLEAN. IF FILES HAVE TO BE DELETED I AM NEVER SURE IF IT WILL AFFECT THE SYSTEM AND OTHER PORGRAMS. NOW FOR ANOTHER QUESTION TO HELP ME CLEAN UP A BIT: IS IT SAFE TO DELETE THE FOLDERS I CREATED OF "COPY OF C" AND "COPY OF D"? WINDOWS WAS COPIED AS WELL. IT RUNS IN MY EXTERNAL DRIVE IF I CHANGE THE BOOT.INI. I AM SCARED THAT IF I DELETE THOSE FILES IT MIGHT DO SOMETHING WRONG TO THE ORIGINAL FILES IN THE HARD DRIVES. AT ONE POINT MY EXTERNAL DRIVE SHOWED AS "MBR" IN DISK MAHAGEMENT. PLEASE EXCUSE MY IGNORANCE BUT THIS IS VERY PUZZLING FOR ME. I KNOW THEY ARE "COPIES" BUT I AM ASKING JUST IN CASE IT CAUSES ME MORE GRIEF. PLEASE ADVISE I DO NOT HAVE ANY GAMES, SCREEN SAVERS INSTALLED BUT I SHALL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILED INFO OF WHAT I HAVE INSTALLED IN MY PC LATER IF YOU WANT TO LOOK FURTHER INTO IT, SO I DON'T MAKE IT TOO LONG HERE AT THIS STAGE. I RAN A DISK CHECK FROM SEAGATE AND BOTH DRIVES CAME UP WITH A PASS BUT I REMEMBER HAVING FATAL ERROR MESSAGES AND BAD DISK SECTOR MESSAGES IN THE PAST, QUITE EARLY IN THE PIECE, CAN NOT REMEMBER DETAILS THOUGH. > But for the future, whether or not you reinstall, I have two pieces of > advice for you: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > afford to lose, stored on external media. > ONCE I K NOW WHAT FILES ARE NECESSARY FOR A "GOOD" BACK UP I "WILL" HAVE A GOOD BACK UP, I USUALLY TAKE CARE BUT IT IS JUST SAD THAT I FAILED AT ALL MY ATTEMPTS TO HAVE A GOOD BACK UP. BY THE WAY I RAN A SEARCH OF "BACK UP" AND FOUND A LONG LIST OF FILES SOME OF THEM FROM WHEN I TRIALED WINDOWS LIVE ONE CARE AND WINDOWS DEFENDER. HOPE THIS IS USEFUL FOR NOW. PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME A LITTLE LONGER. I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND INPUT. TILL NEXT POST. THANK YOU AGAIN IH > HI KEN, HOPE ALL IS WELL. > > I HAVE GOTTEN OVER MY MAJOR HURDDLE WITH MY BOOKKEEPING PROGRAM. IT IS > ALMOST BACK TO HOW I LAST LEFT IT. I JUST HAVE TO TIE UP SOME LOOSE ENDS > TOMORROW. SO NOW I KNOW I HAVE A "GOOD BACK UP" OF IT ON DISC. > PLEASE SCROLL DOWN, THANK YOU. You're welcome. But for the future, please do *not* post in all capitals. It's very hard on the eyes, and it feels like you're shouting at me. Normally, I would ignore a message like this with all these capitals, but since we've started corresponding about your issue, I'll make an exception for you, and read it and continue. See below. > > > > You're welcome. Glad to help. > AND YOU DON'T IMAGINE HOW GLAD I AM THAT YOU CAN AND ARE HELPING ME, THANK > YOU SO MUCH. You're welcome again. > > No, you don't necessarily need third-party software. You get extra > > capability using third-party software, but depending on your needs, > > just copying them is often fine. > > I TRIED THAT BUT COULD NOT COPY THAT WAY, I GUESS I HAVE NOT YET FIGURED OUT > HOW TO DO THAT PROPERLY. It depends on what you are trying to copy. See point 2, quoted immediately below. > > 2. For various reasons, you can't just make a copy of the C: drive > > using standard Windows facilities. If that's what you want to do, you [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > FOR THE 2 POINTS ABOVE: I DID INDEED DO COPIES TO CD/DVD AND EXTERNAL DRIVE. > IT IS THE INTEGRITY OF THE COPIES THAT WORRIES ME Look at what you've copied. Open the files. > AND ALSO I DO NOT KNOW IF I > HAVE ALL THE "ESSENTIAL" FILES THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO RUN PROPERLY. Not everyone wants to back up all the files the system needs to run properly. Read below for the two approaches to backup. > I NOW HAVE > ALL MY PROGRAMS AND VIP FILES ON DISCS. PUTTING THEM BACK INTO THE SYSTEM > CORRECTLY AFTER FORMATTING IS ANOTHER WORRY FOR ME - There are two very different approach to backup. 1. You can create an image (or clone) of your entire drive (usually on a removable hard drive). That requires special software to do it. It can not be done by simply copying files. If you do that, and the original drive dies, all you need to do is replace the original drive, then restore your image to the new drive. 2. You can back up individual files that contain important data, not everything on the drive. If you lose the original drive in that scenario, what you have to do is acquire a new drive, reinstall Windows on it, then reinstall all your programs and restore you backed-up data. Note carefully that what you can *not* do is restore backed up programs. A backup of a program is useless, because all programs (except for a rare tiny one) have many associated files and references to themselves within Windows, in the registry and elsewhere. If you reinstall Windows, all of that is lost, and the programs won't run. Since you say "I NOW HAVE ALL MY PROGRAMS ... ON DISCS," you apparently weren't aware of this. Except as part of an image or clone of the entire drive, backing up programs is a waste of time and effort. > I AM NOT 100% SURE IF IT > IS STRAIGHT FORWARD ENOUGH FOR ME TO DO - IF I JUST HAVE TO COPY THEM BACK > THAT IS OK, I THINK. For data, yes. For programs, no. See above. > FOR NOW I DO NOT REALLY WANT A "COPY" OF MY HARD DRIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE > VERY MESSED UP. I WILL WANT TO DO IT WHEN MY SYSTEM IS "CLEAN" AND WORKING > WELL THOUGH. FOR NOW I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I COPY ALL NECESSARY FILES - I > HAVE BEEN LOOKING BUT COULD NOT FIND A "LIST" OF FILES THAT ARE IMPERATIVE TO > HAVE TO ENABLE ME TO GET THE PC TO WORK AFTER FORMATING OR SYSTEM FAILURE. You can't find it because it doesn't exist. To repeat what I said above, what you would need to do is 1. Reinstall Windows. 2. Reinstall all your programs. 3. Copy your data files back to the drive. Notice that in step 3, I said "data files." That's why such a list doesn't exist. Nobody but you knows what data files you have. > > > clicked each respective COPY folder one at > > > a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > SO I HAVE ALL ABSOLUTELY NECESSATY FILES TO BE USED ON SYSTEM FAILURE OR > HARD DRIVE FORMATTING/WINDOWS REINSTALL? See above. You are misunderstanding the difference between the two approaches to backup. > > If you need a driver for the DVD drive, you should be able to download > > it from the manufacturer's web site. > OK THEN. DO THEY NEED KEYS? I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY OF THESE. Do you mean software keys? Highly unlikely. > > > So please give me the VERDICT = CLEAN UP???? or FORMAT??? > > > > Sorry, but I can almost never make that decision for someone else. > I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER ABOVE AND APPOLOGISE, I JUST NEED TO ESTABLISH > CLEARLY IN MY HEAD IF I HAVE WHAT I NEED IN CASE I NEED TO FORMAT. See above. You need your Windows CD, installation CDs for all your software, and backups of your data. > ALSO I > THOUGHT THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE FOUND SOME CLUE AS TO THE STATE OF MY SYSTEM FROM > THE INFO I POSTED LAST. UNFORTUNATELY THAT DID NOT PROVIDE ANYTHING > CONCRETE... SO FOR NOW I THINK I SHOULD CLEAN UP SOME OF THE MESSY FOLDERS > AND TRY TO DO A FRESH BACK UP, HOW DOES THIS REASONING COME ACROSS TO YOU? Again, I can't make that decision for you, but based on what you've said it sounds like it might likely be the best course. > FOR THE ABOVE: I WOULD DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE TO TREAD VERY CAREFULLY AND > WITH VERY GOOD AND CLEAR, COMPLETE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS IN WHAT RELATES > TO BIOS. Except changing the boot order to enable you to boot from the CD, so you can do a clean reinstallation, forget about the BIOS. It isn't involved with this at all. > I HAVE NOT GONE IN THERE TO CHANGE ANYTHING, EVER. IF I NEED TO > CHANGE BOOT PRIORITIES I CAN PROBABLY DO IT WITH GOOD INSTRUTIONS. I HAVE MY > MOTHERBOARD INTRUSTION MANUAL AND DISC. I AM A BIT SCARED OF OPENING THE BOX > AND REMOVE AND REPLACE DRIVES IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO > DO. AGAIN I WOULD NEED STEP BY STEP INFO. Opening the case should not be needed. > CUSTOMISING I DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS DONE BUT I AM CONFIDENT I CAN > BRING IT ALL BACK EASILY. I HAD TO DO THAT WHEN THE SECOND HARD DRIVE WAS PUT [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > KNOW THEY ARE "COPIES" BUT I AM ASKING JUST IN CASE IT CAUSES ME MORE GRIEF. > PLEASE ADVISE Since it appears that you will be reformatting and reinstalling, there's no question of whether it's safe to delete anything on the drive. When you reformat, *everything* gets deleted, so there's no need to delete anything in advance. To reformat and reinstall, just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when prompted, then create a new one). You can find detailed instructions here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html or here http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm One more point here, and it's an important one. Please don't feel insulted, but it's very clear from the questions you ask, and some of your misunderstandings that you are a beginner at this. I'm very concerned that if you were to attempt this by yourself, you might not succeed. It would be wise to enlist the help of a more knowledgeable friend who could work along with you and show you what to do. It might even be worth it to pay a professional (and by "professional," I do *not* mean an employee of CompUSA, Best Buy, or some similar store. Look for a local service person who comes recommended by other people in your area, such as your local PC users' group). SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Sorry Ken I have offended you with all the capital letters. I had no intention whatsoever of upsetting of offending you in any way. My only intention was just to highlight my answers as I was replying into a reply with other replies in it. My deep appologies. I need the help of the experts in the forum and I am getting good help, it was silly of me not thinking about that detail. I hoped it would be clear from the language that I did not mean any harm. > > HI KEN, HOPE ALL IS WELL. > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > capitals. It's very hard on the eyes, and it feels like you're > shouting at me. Sorry again, i had been compiling my reply for an hour and when I posted i got bombed out at 2 am in Down Under and had to redo it. My eyes were going square so i used the capital to make it easier to see my new answers, believe me I did not intend to shout at you in this way. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Please forgive me. > Normally, I would ignore a message like this with all these capitals, > but since we've started corresponding about your issue, I'll make an [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Look at what you've copied. Open the files. I have been cheking the folders and files within are the same and also their size. Most of them are the same. some are empty. I will do a more thorough check on the weekend. > > AND ALSO I DO NOT KNOW IF I > > HAVE ALL THE "ESSENTIAL" FILES THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO RUN PROPERLY. [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > of the entire drive, backing up programs is a waste of time and > effort. Sorry, I meant to say I have original instalation cds for the programs. And yes i was not aware that the programs would be useless if "copied" unless it is done as you mentioned above, as image/clone with Acronis or another sililar software. I think I got the idea now. ( did copy them as well, but "not" with image /clone method as I do not as yet have that sort of software, so those discs can now go in the garbage so I do not get confused and try to use them.) >Some programs have been downloaded, (Express Burn/Rip) but I can re-download them - I have checked with the manufacturer and I know what to do to reactivate my licences, I did order the cds, in case I loose internet connection, so I should have them soon. > > I AM NOT 100% SURE IF IT > > IS STRAIGHT FORWARD ENOUGH FOR ME TO DO - IF I JUST HAVE TO COPY THEM BACK > > THAT IS OK, I THINK. > > For data, yes. For programs, no. See above. Ok. I am much clearer on the back up now. I think I would benefit from having an 'image" - I learnt from this forum that I need Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost to do that. so I understand that with copies of my data I should be good because i do have the sofware for programs and the items that are connected to the box. Yes ??? Like printer, webcam, mouse, keyboard, handycam/photo camera, mobile phone, iPod and MP4, and I have the cds for the motherboard, windows, drivers, MS Office, bookkeeping as well ( these are not copies, they are the originals). > > FOR NOW I DO NOT REALLY WANT A "COPY" OF MY HARD DRIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE > > VERY MESSED UP. I WILL WANT TO DO IT WHEN MY SYSTEM IS "CLEAN" AND WORKING [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Notice that in step 3, I said "data files." That's why such a list > doesn't exist. Nobody but you knows what data files you have. Ok. Say i go to Word and type a letter and save it in a folder, or I dowload photos or movies form my camera, they become my data files. I understand i need to copy those which I have on cd and on external drive as well. My bookkeeping program has an inbuilt backup facility and it backs up to this folder outside of itself. If I did't know about this, and did not copy that particular folder, even if I reinstalled the program I would not be able to restore my work. I learnt how to restore these. Are the backup logs part of my data? what about the files that internet security puts in quarantine? Do I need to copy those? I have now copied my Favorites - I did not realise that I could and should copy them or back that up. ( duh) I thought that I would find "all" my data in the "My Documents" folder I am probably wrong again. > > > > clicked each respective COPY folder one at > > > > a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > See above. You are misunderstanding the difference between the two > approaches to backup. Yes I was very confused with this. I know I do not have an image copy, so I would have to work from a back up to do a restore (and here, at the moment I would be restoring the present problems) or I format, reinstall OS, periferals and programs and then copy my data files back in afterwards, or just try to clean it up first.( a daunting task for sure). If I do it myself and stuff up the process, is the worse case scenario, a professional should be able to undo/redo FIX it up? Or are there things that can happen that I could render my machine totaly unrecoverable? and in need to get a new pc ? > > > If you need a driver for the DVD drive, you should be able to download > > > it from the manufacturer's web site. > > > OK THEN. DO THEY NEED KEYS? I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY OF THESE. > > Do you mean software keys? Highly unlikely. Yes that is is what I meant. so I am good with this point too. I was not sure. > > > Sorry, but I can almost never make that decision for someone else. > > I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER ABOVE AND APPOLOGISE, I JUST NEED TO ESTABLISH [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > you can do a clean reinstallation, forget about the BIOS. It isn't > involved with this at all. Ok, here I think I should be able to manage that after educationg myself a little more on the subject. > > I HAVE NOT GONE IN THERE TO CHANGE ANYTHING, EVER. IF I NEED TO .. > > Opening the case should not be needed. Great, what a relief, anyway I would have to find a reliable technitian then because I don't think I would dare myself to do any of that and risk causing myself more problems. > > > CUSTOMISING I DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS DONE BUT I AM CONFIDENT I CAN [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > Look for a local service person who comes recommended by other people > in your area, such as your local PC users' group). No ofense taken, that is the pure reality and I agree with you on the above and that is why I am asking so many questions, to figure out wether I can do this myself or if I best leave it to someone with the knowledge . finding a reliable person or place is the hardest part because that was my very first step but the repairer refused to help me back up my data and here I am in this mess. I am looking for another technician in my area. Then again I am learning and the only good way to learn sometimes is by the mistakes I make but please don't get me wrong, I will not attempt it unless I have the necessary help at hand, or I might just get tired of investigating and take the box to the techn if I find a recomended one. I should know if I can do it myself after studying the websites you have recomended above. I am off to go and do that right now. Thanks again. IH > Sorry Ken I have offended you with all the capital letters. No, no--I wasn't offended. I was just pointing out that it's difficult and uncomfortable to read. Because of that, I usually don't bother, and just skip to the next message. I made an exception in your case, because we had already started together, and because you clearly didn't understand the difficulties of dealing with all caps. > I had no > intention whatsoever of upsetting of offending you in any way. My only > intention was just to highlight my answers as I was replying into a reply > with other replies in it. Your text is differentiated from quoted text by not having the > in front of it, as mine is here. That works fine. Nothing else is required. > My deep appologies. I need the help of the experts > in the forum and I am getting good help, it was silly of me not thinking > about that detail. I hoped it would be clear from the language that I did not > mean any harm. No offense taken and no apology necessary. I was just trying to point out for the future that all-caps text might be ignored by many of us. It's likely to get you less help. > > > HI KEN, HOPE ALL IS WELL. > > > [quoted text clipped - 92 lines] > so those discs can now go in the garbage so I do not get confused and try to > use them.) Well, what's on the CDs? Although you can't use any programs copied to them, you can use any data that's there. So unless you're sure it's just programs, I wouldn't be too quick to throw them away. And, as I said, an occasional small program is self-contained, and can work without having any entries in \Windows. > >Some programs have been downloaded, (Express Burn/Rip) but I can re-download them - I have checked with the manufacturer and I know what to do to reactivate my licences, I did order the cds, in case I loose internet connection, so I should have them soon. > > > I AM NOT 100% SURE IF IT [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > having an 'image" - I learnt from this forum that I need Acronis True Image > or Norton Ghost to do that. Not necessarily. Those are *two* choices, but there are others. Personally I like Acronis True Image the best, and I dislike anything from Norton. I personally prefer imaging my drive to having just data backups. That's because I have invested substantial time and effort in customizing Windows and my applications to work the way I like them to. If I had only data backed up, and lost my drive, yes I could restore the data and reinstall the apps, but I would lose all that customization. Putting it back the way I like it would take me many extra hours or days Other people run much more vanilla systems, and for them, backing up just data can be fine. > so I understand that with copies of my data I > should be good because i do have the sofware for programs and the items that > are connected to the box. Yes ??? Yes. > Like printer, webcam, mouse, keyboard, > handycam/photo camera, mobile phone, iPod and MP4, and I have the cds for [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > photos or movies form my camera, they become my data files. I understand i > need to copy those which I have on cd and on external drive as well. No, you don't *need* to copy them to both places. If you reinstall Windows cleanly, you'll need to restore your data, but you only restore from one place. On the other hand, even though you don't *need* to, having two copies, one on a CD and one on an external driver, protects you against the possibility that a single backup might be unreadable. Just like originals, backup disks *can* fail too. > My bookkeeping program has an inbuilt backup facility and it backs up to > this folder outside of itself. If I did't know about this, and did not copy > that particular folder, even if I reinstalled the program I would not be able > to restore my work. I learnt how to restore these. > > Are the backup logs part of my data? Sorry, what backup logs are these? > what about the files that internet security puts in quarantine? Do I need to > copy those? Generally not. But what internet security? What files? > I have now copied my Favorites - I did not realise that I could and should > copy them or back that up. ( duh) > I thought that I would find "all" my data in the "My Documents" folder I am > probably wrong again. Two points here: 1. Things like favorites, E-mail, and contact lists are not normally kept in My Documents. If you want to save what's there, they will need to be backed up separately. Even application programs like Word don't necessarily always save in My Documents. My Documents is the default (almost always, but some programs *could* do it differently), but whenever you save a file, you *could* change the location from the default. In all probability, all your data except for favorites, E-mail, and contacts will be in My Documents. I don't mean to scare you, but for the sake of completeness, I wanted to point out that some (or even all) of it could be elsewhere. I can't tell you where your programs store their data, not do I know whether you have ever not used the defaults. All I can do is caution you to look around carefully. Since you're the one who created the files, you should recognize the names of any data files that are elsewhere. > > > > > clicked each respective COPY folder one at > > > > > a time and clicked PASTE. Had a lot of warnings saying something to the [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > can happen that I could render my machine totaly unrecoverable? and in need > to get a new pc ? No, no. There's no risk of physical damage to the computer. The risk is to your data (and your nerves). > > > > If you need a driver for the DVD drive, you should be able to download > > > > it from the manufacturer's web site. [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > because I don't think I would dare myself to do any of that and risk causing > myself more problems. As an aside, because it's not really pertinent here, although the inside of the case may appear daunting, it really needn't be. Changing or adding hardware in the case is really easy. It isn't much different than plugging the components of a stereo system together; the only real difference is that with a computer, the plugging-in is done inside the box. The only real risk is accidentally zapping components with static electricity, so you want to be sure you've discharged yourself to a ground before putting your hands inside. But as always, if you've never done it before, it helps to have someone who has done it work with you the first time. > > > CUSTOMISING I DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF THINGS DONE BUT I AM CONFIDENT I CAN > > > BRING IT ALL BACK EASILY. I HAD TO DO THAT WHEN THE SECOND HARD DRIVE WAS PUT [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > Then again I am learning and the only good way to learn sometimes is by the > mistakes I make That's very true, but sometimes that kind of learning can be very costly. I don't know how important your data is to you, but to many of us, losing it would be a traumatic experience. > but please don't get me wrong, I will not attempt it unless I > have the necessary help at hand, or I might just get tired of investigating [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks again. You're welcome. Glad to help. SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Hi Ken > > so those discs can now go in the garbage so I do not get confused and try to > > use them.) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > said, an occasional small program is self-contained, and can work > without having any entries in \Windows. Ok. Probably better just put them aside then, since the cds contain other files too, not just the programs, they may prove usefull if other alternatives fail. At least with your help I have been able to learn not to restore the copies of the programs but to use the intallations cd instead if I use the cds to restore data. > > > For data, yes. For programs, no. See above. > > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Personally I like Acronis True Image the best, and I dislike anything > from Norton. I personaly am not a great fan of Norton either. Most of my present problems started when I installed Norton Internet Security, I did not do very well with it. It might suit other people but I would give Norton a place at the back of my list. I will check out a few programs before bying one. > I personally prefer imaging my drive to having just data backups. > That's because I have invested substantial time and effort in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > customization. Putting it back the way I like it would take me many > extra hours or days I am growing pretty fond of the idea of getting imaging software, I will look into what is available when I fix my existing problem. Too bad I did not know about this earlier, I would have saved myself a lot of grief and the forum experts a lot of time especially you Ken. I am still in time to avoid problems in future by using such software on my PC. > Other people run much more vanilla systems, and for them, backing up > just data can be fine. I usually worry more about safety features then anything else but looks like I did not do a good job of protecting my PC. I am better equiped for the future though. > > so I understand that with copies of my data I > > should be good because i do have the sofware for programs and the items that > > are connected to the box. Yes ??? > > Yes. my data files. I understand i > > need to copy those which I have on cd and on external drive as well. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > driver, protects you against the possibility that a single backup > might be unreadable. Just like originals, backup disks *can* fail too. Yes, my idea was that if cds failed to help me restore I could try the external drive and/or vice versa, kind of like backing up the back up. > > Are the backup logs part of my data? Logs created by Windows B/up Utility at the time of backing up. Unfortunately they are momentarily gone. I had to perform a system restore 2 days ago because the system was unworkable, ie taking more than 10 minutes to open a file and many applications stopped responding for reasons that are unclear to me. > Sorry, what backup logs are these? When I did the back up with Windows B/Up Utilitity it created logs of the back ups I have made > > what about the files that internet security puts in quarantine? Do I need to > > copy those? > > Generally not. But what internet security? What files? TrendMicro Internet Security 2007 - when it runs a scan and finds viruses or spyware tries to clean then and if it can not it will quarantine those files and create a log of those files. I leave them in the quarantine because I don't know if they should be deleted or not. I have seeked support from TM in this respect several times with no solution to my questions. I understand that I should know what files what files should deleted but I can not decide due to lack of knowledge so I leave them in quaratine. There are files with worms and viruses that read like this: DEL193.tmp in C:\Documents & Settings\user\Local Settings\temp\ mmc32.exe in C:\WINDOWS\temp\_ISTMPI.DIR\ C:\System Volume INF - BFB9-F152896DF473)\RPS521\A0098710.DLL and other similar ones with .exe and .dll extensions also C:\WINDOWA\System32\silc_dll.dll I have lots of logs filled with files like the above mentioned. I have installed HIJACK THIS and will try to export the files to one of their forum for analysis as I am not at all able to decide what to do with them myself. > > I have now copied my Favorites - I did not realise that I could and should > > copy them or back that up. ( duh) [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > you're the one who created the files, you should recognize the names > of any data files that are elsewhere. Thank you. This is just the kind of guidance I have been searching for. I will go and find out how and where my programs save data and back it up. Is this the way to go or are there better/simpler ways to do this? considering my particular difficulties with everything? I would love to be able to do a search of *user created folders* - I will search anyway I can. Anything is better than nothing. I am going to read again all the advice I have received in this thread and apply it. I will install a few anti-spyware programs and follow steps to clean malware in my pc, ie follow the advice in the elephantboycomputers' website. I will study all the websites you have indicated previously and take action recomended in them. Meanwhile try to make sure I have all my data backed up and hope that by the end of this process my PC will be working a lot better. Then I will clean up my files - delete what I don't need, uninstall programs I do not use. When I am done with that I think I will take a look at my start up menu/programs and clean this up as well. If all the above does not solve the problem of my pc being so slow, I will then think again about formating my hard disk drives. When and if I decide to format them I will seek some information and suggestions on how to set up my pc in a more efficient way. Sounds like a plan, but your input on my plan would be greatly appreciated at your convenience. Then I will get on with the cleaning up and free you up. I truely appreciate the patience you have had with me and my inexperience. I also truly am greatful for your time and knowledge. I hope one day I may be able to help someone too in any small way. Thank you. IH It looks like most of your questions have been answered by now. There are just a couple of points I'll add below. > > Sorry, what backup logs are these? > > When I did the back up with Windows B/Up Utilitity it created logs of the > back ups I have made I know next to nothing about the Windows backup Utility. I tried it once or twice long ago, and haven't looked at it since. So I can't really tell you anything about its logs. > > > what about the files that internet security puts in quarantine? Do I need to > > > copy those? [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > installed HIJACK THIS and will try to export the files to one of their forum > for analysis as I am not at all able to decide what to do with them myself. No, you shouldn't need any of the quarantined files. they are presumably infected, and were saved "just in case." > I am going to read again all the advice I have received in this thread and > apply it. I will install a few anti-spyware programs and follow steps to [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Sounds like a plan, but your input on my plan would be greatly appreciated > at your convenience. Sure. I think that's fine, as long as you realize that things may at this point be screwed up enough that you will decide to clean install in the near future. > Then I will get on with the cleaning up and free you up. > I truely appreciate the patience you have had with me and my inexperience. I > also truly am greatful for your time and knowledge. I hope one day I may be > able to help someone too in any small way. > Thank you. You're welcome again. Always glad to help. SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Hi Ken You have been tremendously helpfull and I am extremelly greatfull for it. I have learnt a lot from your posts. Thank for your time as well. Please see below: > It looks like most of your questions have been answered by now. There > are just a couple of points I'll add below. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > once or twice long ago, and haven't looked at it since. So I can't > really tell you anything about its logs. That is ok. Thank you. I will search for answers elsewhere.You have helped me greatly. > > > > what about the files that internet security puts in quarantine? Do I need to > > > > copy those? [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > No, you shouldn't need any of the quarantined files. they are > presumably infected, and were saved "just in case." Ok thank you > > I am going to read again all the advice I have received in this thread and > > apply it. I will install a few anti-spyware programs and follow steps to [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > this point be screwed up enough that you will decide to clean install > in the near future. Totally agree with you on the above. I have a feeling that it will need to be done sooner rather than later but anyway I still want to follow the clean up process first just for the sake of learning about it, what to do, what to look for and so on. > > Then I will get on with the cleaning up and free you up. > > I truely appreciate the patience you have had with me and my inexperience. I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > You're welcome again. Always glad to help. IH > Hi Ken > You have been tremendously helpfull and I am extremelly greatfull for it. I > have learnt a lot from your posts. Thank for your time as well. Any time. Always glad to help. SignatureKen Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup Forget the BIOS. You are barking up the wrong tree! I also think you need to deal with one issue at a time. Your computer skills are most likely not up to multi-tasking. You say you your computer is running extremely slowly. What do you mean? Is it slower than it has been? Does it take a long time to boot? If yes how long? Is it slower running any particular operations. If yes what operations? Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak? How much RAM memory? How large is your hard disk and how much free space. What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements? SignatureHope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Hi! > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > I am InfoHungry > Thanks in advance. > Hi! > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem. Only update the BIOS if there is a reason to do so. > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back > ups [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS? The computer will not complete the POST routing. This is a self test of the BIOS. > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the > two internal hard drives on my PC? Only to change the boot device. > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I am InfoHungry > Thanks in advance. I am sorry, but you really haven't told me much about your computer except that it seems slow to you. Jim Gerry and Jim, I also want to thank you for coming to my aide. I realy appreciate it. Please refer to my reply to Ken Blake above as I tried to include in it as much info as I could and it is quite lenghthy. There should be enough info there I hope. If not let me know. Thak you again. And Yes Gerry I think you are tight. I was not sure if my PC problem had anything to do with the BIOS and I asked this question mainly to get information because I know for a fact that 99.9% of the problem resides in the Windows side of things and in my lack of knowledge. Thanks again IH > Hi! > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > I am InfoHungry > Thanks in advance. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.