I need to know what is the best way to reinstall windows on my computer. It has a virus that I am unable to get off of there. I have a Windows XP Professional CD but only a Windows XP Home Edition key. Any help or ideas on what to do?

10/17/2006 3:30:07 PM

reboot with the disk in the drive.

press f12 as soon as logo appears on screen

use arrows to boot from cd-rom

press any key

select "set up windows"

I would then follow the direction to set up "repair" or "R" because I seriously doubt the need to reinstall the entire program. Once you get it up and running I would then reboot in "safe-boot mode" and run some virus removal programs in that mode. They are more effective in removing them there, than in normal mode.

Adware is pretty good. And so is hijackthis. It's just a blaster worm or some trojans reeking havok in some important files.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 3:42 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 3:38:40 PM

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

And it should be fine as long as you don't have an OEM Windows XP Home install (aka no install cd, hidden restore partition etc). Which is what it sounds like you may have. I would look in the documentation that came with your PC and see what instructions they give for doing a system reinstall/repair to make sure.

10/17/2006 3:50:58 PM

Thanks for just REWRITING what I JUST said. A cerebral young man you are.

10/17/2006 4:01:11 PM

Earl, shut up.

If someone else wants to provide further input into the solution to a problem, that's a GOOD thing when it's helpful and explains more.

Get over yourself, you're not special.

10/17/2006 4:06:39 PM

This computer is my friends old VAIO desktop computer and he doesn't have anything that it came with. It is screwed up beyond belief and only a complete reinstall will fix it. It has Windows XP Home on it, but I only have a XP professional disk. I was maybe thinking that a XP home and XP professional disk might be the same thing and that when you install windows and type in the product key, the installer then installs the correct version (professional or home). Any chance of it?

10/17/2006 4:14:30 PM

the short answer is no, you need the specific disk for the version you're trying to install.

you should try to find someone that has a xp-home cd ... that's really your best bet if he doesn't have his original sony "system restore" cds.

10/17/2006 4:27:17 PM

I disagree with doing a repair install. If there's a virus on this machine, and the removal tools you've used can't remove it, doing a repair install leaves the very real chance that the virus will still be present.

you shouldn't take the chance. do a full wipe and reinstall. that's the safe approach.

and i agree... if you're going to install, you need a CD and key that match. if the machine came with XP home, and has an XP home key, it'd be best if you can get the original OEM cd's.

10/17/2006 4:41:38 PM

Quote :

"Earl said: Adware is pretty good."

missing a "-a" in there somewhere, champ?

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 4:45 PM. Reason : -]

10/17/2006 4:45:10 PM

Ok I will just to find a XP home cd somewhere and start from scratch.

10/17/2006 4:46:51 PM

Quote :

"missing a "-a" in there somewhere, champ?"

Missing a a in there somewhere?!!? Your grammar...ouch.

Quote :

"If there's a virus on this machine, and the removal tools you've used can't remove it, doing a repair install leaves the very real chance that the virus will still be present."

If a scan is performed in safe mode, then It will catch the bug. Im pretty sure the scans have been performed in normal mode. They have better hiding spots there. No need to reinstall everytime you get a bad bug. It will only waste time. Especailly if he dosn't even know how to properly wipe the drive with certain disk. He'll just run the risk of the tedious multi-step tasks and not even solve the problem.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 5:01 PM. Reason : Back to square one]

10/17/2006 4:56:42 PM

Quote :

"Earl said: Missing a a in there somewhere?!!? Your grammar...ouch."

-a and a aren't the same thing. nice try.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 5:04 PM. Reason : Ad-aware]

10/17/2006 5:03:06 PM

Yea I tried doing everything in safe mode a few weeks ago. It is probably 6 years old and Windows has never been reinstalled so it is probably time anyhow.

10/17/2006 5:36:20 PM

sawgolf4me: i'm still agreeing with you, do a reinstallation of windows, find an XP Home disc. that way you ensure you get what you want, a virus free machine with minimal hassle. of course it goes without saying, INSTALL ANTIVIRUS BEFORE CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET this time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earl: "There are so many fallacies in this statement, I don't know know exactly where to begin:

Quote :

"...performed in safe mode, then It will catch the bug..."

not always true, especially in extreme cases as this one sounds to be. fallacy +1

Quote :

"...Im pretty sure the scans have been performed in normal mode. They have better hiding spots there..."

how on earth can you claim that virii have better hiding spots in "normal mode"? fallacy +1

Quote :

"...No need to reinstall everytime you get a bad bug. It will only waste time..."

true, most virii can be cleaned ... but for the REALLY bad infestations, it's your best bet, why be only mostly sure you destroyed the problems? start clean! half-fallacy +.5

Quote :

"...Especailly if he dosn't even know how to properly wipe the drive with certain disk..."

how could wiping/reinstalling windows xp be MORE difficult than doing a repair? it's not. in fact, it's very easy to follow the prompts. fallacy +1

Quote :

"...He'll just run the risk of the tedious multi-step tasks and not even solve the problem..."

reinstallation is tedious, sure, but it WILL fix the immediate virus problem. fallacy +1

wow, putting my l33t math skills to work, i count roughly 4.5 fallacies in ONE paragraph. and what's suprising is that your first post was actually helpful.


[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 6:34 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 6:32:38 PM

^
Somebody beat me to several punchlines.

sawgolf, on a separate, non-infected computer, I would recommend installing Symantec Antivirus (free from NCSU) and creating emergency boot disks to clean your current system. That's a start. We need additional description of what's happening on your system (it's a virus is a conjecture, not a description) to be more certain of what should or shouldn't be the next step beyond that.

10/17/2006 7:35:10 PM

Quote :

"If a scan is performed in safe mode, then It will catch the bug."

Wrong. Anyone that's done any manner of technical support will tell you that's flat-out wrong. Virus scanners can be fooled, especially if they're not kept updated. What's more is that we don't yet know the actual problem, so a virus scanner may be an inappropriate tool for solving the issue, if it can be solved at all.

Quote :

"No need to reinstall everytime you get a bad bug. It will only waste time."

I agree with this statement, but you missed the point. For an end user without experience in troubleshooting a problem in-depth, it's a matter of being practical. I'm not going to encourage a user to muck around with their files or system registry if they don't have experience doing it.

Quote :

"He'll just run the risk of the tedious multi-step tasks and not even solve the problem."

No offense intended, but if the user followed your "repair it, don't reinstall" advice, that's exactly what would happen. The problem would likely not be solved.

10/17/2006 7:49:17 PM

Quote :

"Wrong. Anyone that's done any manner of technical support will tell you that's flat-out wrong. Virus scanners can be fooled, especially if they're not kept updated. What's more is that we don't yet know the actual problem, so a virus scanner may be an inappropriate tool for solving the issue, if it can be solved at all."

That's not wrong. This mode DOES allow the virus scan to work better and in a safer condition (*note* safe mode). You need to read-up more. It's true that virus scanners can be fooled (thats what the best viruses do). On top of that;

sawgolf4me

Quote :

"it has a virus that I am unable to get off of there."

plusdelta

Quote :

"What's more is that we don't yet know the actual problem,"

A thinking fallacy. Or maybe a fallacy in your reading comprehension skills.

You really don't read very well. Or you just like diving in the troll pool that has infested this thread. Notice how I don't respond to troll post at all. The guy obviously lacks experience, and dosn't know how to boot from rom. He probably dosn't know that disabling system restore will free up hiding spots for bugs too. There are tons of things that he could potentially screw up, being inexperienced. That said, I want to lead him down and easier path first to see if that fixes the problem.

It's disturbing how desperate you guys are. Now you're just reaching for junk. You've got nothing on me.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:13 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 8:06:26 PM

Quote :

"That's not wrong. This mode DOES allow the virus scan to work better and in a safer condition. You need to read-up more. It's true that virus scanners can be fooled (thats what the best viruses do)."

I'll be polite about this, and then move on. Yes, you were wrong. Scanning for viruses in safe mode does not guarantee that you will find them if they're present.

And just to be clear, I do this professionally for a living, so I don't "need to read-up more." I've read and written plenty of anti-virus documentation. If you attend NCSU and/or connect to ResNet, you've probably read something I've written in the past 4 years. In addition, please feel free to ask any of hundreds of College of Design students with Windows laptops that I've personally helped over the past two years. PM me if you have any other questions. I'm not going to respond further here.

10/17/2006 8:13:51 PM

Notice my word selection never used guarantee. Beside, if you do this for a living you never provided any input on "what to do". You basically said what I said the whole time. Whether it be repair or reinstall.

I still think you need to read up more. No offense, but noone ever reaches their pinnacle of knowledge. The virii are getting smarter. They're evolving.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:22 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 8:17:24 PM

Quote :

"...That's not wrong. This mode DOES allow the virus scan to work better and in a safer condition. You need to read-up more..."

YOU ARE WRONG. it has nothing to do with a "better and safer" condition for the virus scanner to work in. safe mode is safe mode because it loads very minimal system resources and thus has LESS POTENTIAL of loading a virus into memory before you are able to run the antivirus/cleaner. you're best bet is to always use a livecd or antivirus startup disk to scan for or repair a virus.

Quote :

"...You really don't read very well. Or you just like diving in the troll pool that has infested this thread. Notice how I don't respond to troll post at all..."

look who's trolling now. and if you're calling my post a trolling, then you should re-evaluate ALL of your posts, because all you do is call out "fallacy!", then fail to back it up.

Quote :

"...The guy obviously lacks experience, and dosn't know how to boot from rom. He probably dosn't know that disabling system restore will free up hiding spots for bugs too. There are tons of things that he could potentially screw up, being inexperienced. That said, I want to lead him down and easier path first to see if that fixes the problem..."

conducting a system repair and then rummaging through system files is NOT easier! especially when the guy started off looking to reinstall windows anyway! how you can possibly think it takes less time and effort to figuratively crawl around on hands and knees through system directories in safe mode searching blindly for files that someone else says to look for, is beyond me!

you're just spouting off nonsense in a poor attempt to make yourself sound worthy of ... something!? who knows.

10/17/2006 8:22:18 PM

I am probably a little better than a novice. I can reinstall windows, but I don't know any tricks or anything like that. I guess I have been lucky over the years. On my machines I jsut use antivirus and don't install programs that I don't know exactly what they are. So I haven't had to do anything to them.

His computer is really bad. Antivirus finds a virus about every 3 seconds. And when it boots about 30 pop ups come up. I wouldn't know where to start. I think it really would be quicker just to reinstall windows, plus I would get everything then.

Once I installed norton antivirus, its email checker found that the computer was sending out mass emails. Probably 40 a minute to who knows who. So fixing that is way out of my league. I started up IE and there was about 10 toolbars (Yahoo, Google, etc). So this computer has about every spam program there is on it.

I've never seen anything like it.

10/17/2006 8:23:11 PM

Some of your components could be damaged and prevent a successful reinstallation. And you might need to know some "tricks of the trade to do so".

I once had something similar happen to my pc. It was rendered useless, almost to the point where I couldn't log on. The bug had dug itself in deep. I did a reinstallation and it failed to work. There was absolutely nothing more frustrating than waiting that entire reinstallation process, only for it not to work.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:29 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 8:26:48 PM

sawgolf4me:
One other possibility occurs to me here, if your friend is willing to spend a little money. Stop by the campus bookstore and pick up an academically-priced copy of Windows XP Pro. It won't be too terribly expensive, and that will solve the problem of not having the correct media and key.

If not that, then you really do need to locate a copy of the original install media if you can. Sony's tech support department may be willing to ship out reinstall CD's for a small fee, too.

10/17/2006 8:28:52 PM

If you try reinstalling and it dosnt work. Don't I repeat do not go and spend more money ordering or buying disc. Simply take it to comp USA and get it fixed professionaly (50$) and the problem is history. Then download some good anti-virus software. The NCSU software is execellent. Make sure you keep the directory updated on it.

[/THREAD]

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:37 PM. Reason : I do technical work for comp USA. I could help you]

10/17/2006 8:33:18 PM

Quote :

"[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:37 PM. Reason : I do technical work for comp USA. I could help you]"

... explains everything.

Earl, for crying out loud, if they guy wants to reinstall, LET HIM REINSTALL, quit waving your p33n around, we don't care who you think you are. and compusa is the worst place to get your stuff fixed, they will seriously overcharge you for simple fixes and repairs. the same goes for best buy and circuit city. not to mention, we've already proven the 'quality' employees that work there.

10/17/2006 8:46:16 PM

I leaving this thread. The grammar is killing me. Especially that last post. Ouch

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 8:52 PM. Reason : Capitalization. Sentence structure. *phew*]

10/17/2006 8:51:11 PM

earl you are one of the worst grammar butchers here...

10/17/2006 8:53:33 PM

Earl, even though i know much more than you about proper usage of the english language, you won't likely find me correcting someone else. i'm not on here writing a thesis or grading papers, so get over it, because i sure don't care and won't change the way i type. if you want, look at all my posts, i'm consistent.

it's great how you completely avoid and ignore everything i've said and only point out that my "sentence structure" and "capitalization" are lacking. you're such a tool.

oh, and you're leaving because of grammer? puh-leeaze, you just can't admit that you are wrong.

i'm here to help people, you're just causing problems. sentence structure has nothing to do with tech support. so just leave the board already and quit annoying people.

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 9:06 PM. Reason : grammer, hah.]

10/17/2006 9:00:11 PM

saw, from your description it sounds like the system is infected with spyware beyond belief. Earl's mentioning of being able to fix it through safe mode is incorrect ... it might be possible, but not 100% guaranteed.

Quote :

"If you try reinstalling and it dosnt work. Don't I repeat do not go and spend more money ordering or buying disc. Simply take it to comp USA and get it fixed professionaly (50$) and the problem is history."

There are three options, this is the most expensive and likely a midrange on time. The price to reinstall Windows does not include the price to transfer files from your original hard drive (another $40 I think), or the price to clean off any transferred files that are infected (another $50). Another option is to pay somebody on TWW $20 an hour to fix this ... there are enough of us on here who will do it and this is your quickest option. A third option is to do it yourself, which is possible, but going to be difficult without the proper tools / spare equipment. Cheapest and slowest. (A fourth option might be RESNET ... though I don't know if they offer these sort of services.)

[Edited on October 17, 2006 at 11:04 PM. Reason : .]

10/17/2006 11:01:51 PM

Thanks for the info. I am going to attempt to find a Windows XP cd before i try anything else. Reinstalling windows won't be a problem if i could find a cd.

10/17/2006 11:27:05 PM

Quote :

"A fourth option might be RESNET"

ResNet will not help users reinstall Windows.

10/18/2006 6:47:24 AM