Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Reinstall

Minimizing the hassle of reinstalling everything?

Alabaster — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:03:01 -0800

Help me save time and frustration reinstalling my programs/settings after a fresh Windows install / upgrade / etc. Reinstalling my system after an OS upgrade, system wipe, or on a new PC always becomes an enormous task -- usually taking several days plus weeks of random annoyances ("oops, have to find that codec, oh gee, I don't have Java installed, oh no I have to re-map all of my keyboard shortcuts, etc. .")

I'm thinking of wiping my bloated Vista 64 system and upgrading to Windows 7, but I don't have the time to go through the whole process. (I use Acronis TrueImage for emergency restores, but this won't help with an OS upgrade).

The problems:

* I use LOTS of software regularly
* I'm a tweaker, and have a lot of personalized settings for everything
* Tracking down install files (some on discs around my house, some downloaded, some need to be re-downloaded)
* Many of my programs have been through several patches and upgrades which will need to be gathered and re-applied
* Many programs require online registration/authorization. Some will need to be re-registered because authorization code is tied to system hardware.
* Many programs have a lot of tweaks, settings, plugins, presets, presets, advanced settings, key bindings etc that I would like to retain.
* All those random things like Flash, Java, video codecs, .NET framework, runtime libraries, etc.

Steps I've taken pre-upgrade:
* Backup all data, obviously
* Keep data on a separate partition from programs/OS
* Use portable versions of programs whenever possible to eliminate the need to reinstall
* Save all purchased program serial numbers in one location
* Whenever updating/patching a program, save the patch installer in a folder called "Program Updates"
* Whenever possible, export program settings/presets into a catch-all folder called "Presets" for easy reinstall. Prior to upgrading, go through all crucial programs and export. Make a note of settings which will need manual re-setting
* Use Driverbackup software to gather all of my drivers into one place for easy reinstall. (Is there a similar program for codecs?)

I'd appreciate any advice on:
1.) How I can reinstall all my stuff as quickly/efficiently as possible
2.) How I can maintain my system from now on to make future upgrades/restores hassle-free (I'm curious about using some kind of VM for all but my most essential programs, but I don't know much about this)
3.) If I get lazy and decide to do an in-place upgrade (from Vista 64 Home Premium to Windows 7 x64 Home Premium), will I regret this? Does a Windows 7 install clean up a lot of system bloat and other issues?

Thanks

Help me feel better about buying a new laptop.

logicpunk — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:44:59 -0800

My computer is having a hardware issue when booting... I think. Started getting BSODs when booting (Windows XP, SP2). I can't say for certain what the error is since the computer restarts immediately on throwing the error (even with the automatic restart disabled). The error isn't consistent: sometimes windows will boot up fine, and I'll be able to use it normally (I'm typing on it Right! Now!).

Ran memcheck on it, and it passed. Downloaded "The Ultimate Boot CD" and booted from that - I was able to run the basic utilities, but any attempt to boot a disk image that came along with the cd either hung or threw an error.

Furthermore, the system is dual-boot, and I tried booting into the secondary OS (not booted for a couple weeks, no additional software installed for > 1 year) and it also BSODs.

So I'm thinking it's a hardware issue...somewhere. I've ruled out the memory, and the hard drive doesn't seem to have anything to do with it (else why would it hang on booting from cd), so it's probably something on the motherboard, i.e., I need a new laptop. Still, I have this nagging feeling that it *might* be software, somehow, so I'm wondering if there are any other diagnostic steps I should take to convince myself the laptop is (soon to be) toast.

Reinstalling WinXP hosed my drive letters...

jluce50 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:50:14 -0800

WTF? I thought I knew what I was doing! I reinstalled WinXP on C:\ and it screwed up all my drive letters and made a secondary partition into a system partition. Help me get it back to normal! Here's how things were before I screwed it up:

HDD0 - WD 160GB
C:\ - WinXP OS (30GB)
D:\ - Data (My Docs, music, etc) (120GB)

HDD1 - Seagate 160GB
E:\ - Backup

I made sure I had all my ducks in a row and the reformatted C:\ and reinstalled Windows. When I got into Windows I noticed that the 'D' and 'E' drive letters had been switched. All the data is still present and accounted for. I went to rename 'E' back to 'D' and noticed that 'C' is designated as a Boot partition and 'E' (which should be 'D') is designated as a System partition, so I can't change the drive letter.

I'd love to know how this happened but I'm much more interested in how to fix it. How do I make 'E' back into a non-System partition without putting the data in jeopardy?

Okay, so plate spring on vocals only?

Cantdosleepy — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:22:48 -0800

Please help get my old iBook to be as fast as possible! Hey all,

I've had an iBook G4 14" 1.42GHz for a few years now (bought it about a month before they switched to Intel chips). I haven't treated it super-kindly (the day-to-day account is also the admin account, since I didn't realise you were meant to make yourself a limited user account; I've installed and uninstalled all sorts of software of varying quality; and I've made it a bittorrent packhorse for days at a time) and the battery was on the point of dying. I recently put a new battery in, and now that I'm not permanently tethered to the wall I'm enthused about fixing the machine up to get it as fast as possible.

I've been using the DAW Reaper for a few months now and like it a lot. Unfortunately my computer isn't fast enough to do any audio effects work - every channel has to be clean or the program judders and overloads.

My goal for this project is to be able to use Reaper and Reason ReWired together for recording sketches in my bedroom. Nothing too ambitious - I'm not talking about running bitcrunchers, choruses and delays on dozens of channels - I'd just like the ability to use panning, compression and reverb on four or five tracks to make things sit nicely together.

So how do I squeeze out the speed? Will reinstalling the OS help? I've already got the maximum amount of RAM that this computer will hold. What processes run in the background that I don't need? Does the Quicksilver launcher eat up a lot of memory (I currently use it)? Would installing Leopard be a bunch faster, or would that money be better spent elsewhere? Can I tell the computer to prioritise one program at the expense of others? Should I set up a separate user account for recording that has almost everything disabled that isn't needed for ReapsonWire?

Aside from music making I'll be using this machine to cruise the internet, watch '.avi' files and write bits and pieces - so nothing too demanding.

Any and all tips considered. Thanks!

Disk Drawer Double Bind

Acheman — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:09:57 -0800

My friend's only Admin account on Windows has been ripped to shreds by a virus, an uninstaller program, or both; his CD drawer won't open or shut manually at all; and his BIOS settings, which are protected by a password we don't know, are to boot from a CD in the drive before anything else. Help me to not destroy his computer with an axe. I'm a Mac user who somehow became the Tech Support for our shared house. (It started with showing a friend how to use a bittorrent client and is now way beyond my control.) For various reasons, one friend's computer never got the once-over, with new antivirus software etc., that I'd been meaning to give it. I thought 'Hey, he uses Firefox and hardly ever even downloads anything. Things won't go too badly wrong for the time being'. And boy am I regretting that now.

A couple of days ago, he came to me telling me that his five-years-old antivirus software had detected virus infection, and this was corroborated by the appearance of thousands of popup windows for a poker site. The antivirus told him it had deleted four viruses, but clearly hadn't - the popups continued along with some other strange stuff. He immediately shut the computer down and came to me.

When we started up the computer, the popups appeared to calm down to a manageable level. I decided to get rid of his old antivirus and install AVG. Here's where a couple of nights' terrible insomnia led to my making a mistake: I tried to do those two things in that order. After deleting a bunch of files Revo Uninstaller suggested I delete, I couldn't open any programs from his user account - I got messages saying that it was 'not authorised' to open them. Switching to the Guest account meant I was able to do anything the Guest account can do, but this didn't include installing AVG or repairing his Admin account. The Guest account started to be beset by popups after a few minutes and we shut down.

My friend still has his Windows XP pro CDs and doesn't have any important files he can't retrieve from email attachments, or any music that isn't from his own CDs. So we were all set to do a clean reinstall, until he reminded me about the CD drive.

Since he dropped the computer about six months ago, the CD drawer won't open or shut manually - it has to be opened using his DVD-reading software. Also, his BIOS settings are set to boot from the CD drive if there's anything in it, and always have been. This has already caused problems when he left a CD in the drawer before shutting the computer down, but after attempting to boot for about five minutes it would move on to the HD and all would be well again. Trouble is, this won't work when trying to reinstall Windows from the CD - as I understand it, it can and will just boot from the Windows installation CD again and again and again.

I'd already tried to reset the BIOS settings, but they're password protected and he was never told what the password was. (He got it as part of a government entitlement for disabled students, and so it came from some little outsourced office somewhere).

This weird little logic loop is most tormenting: I can't boot from the hard drive until I've removed the disk with the DVD software, and I can't remove the disk with the DVD software until I've booted from the hard drive.

Will a USB external CD drive work to install Windows from straight out of the box? Can I get a pirate version of Windows and install it from a USB flash drive? Is there some really simple, far less radical solution to this that I'm missing? I'm in way over my head with this, and keep coming back to fantasies about the violence I might enact upon this infernal devil-box.

How do I copy browser histories & saved passwords from one machine to another on XP?

GuyZero — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:40:00 -0800

How do I copy browser histories & saved passwords from one machine to another on XP? My PC got hit by a trojan. Not dead, but not well. The only way to be sure is to nuke it from orbit. Is there any way I can grab the browser profiles for IE and Firefox and re-install them after reformatting so that I still have my web history, saved passwords, etc?

How can I clean my computer when it won't let me?

bjork24 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:56:11 -0800

I need to swab my old laptop as completely as possible before I sell it... the only problem is, I don't have a restore or new operating system disc. Please help! I'm wanting to sell my year-old HP DV1000 laptop, but HP did not include a restore or original Vista reinstall disc with the computer. Instead, they suggested I create and save a restore point on my laptop, which, of course, I chose not to do. Now I need to sell the laptop, but I want it as close to a clean slate as I can get it. I've uninstalled every program, deleted all personal files, cleaned out all caches and temporary file folders, but I still feel uneasy. I've also tried to create a restore point, but it's now saying that would require more space than is on my hard drive (wtf?!).

Does anyone have suggestions on how I can wipe my uncooperative laptop as clean as possible without having to shell out money for a new OS install disc? Thanks!

PS - It's running Vista Home.

Maybe this partitioning scheme wasn't as clever as I thought ...

Nelsormensch — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:30:54 -0800

Is it possible to reinstall Windows XP on a small partition (~20 GB) of a single 300 GB hard drive? When I installed Windows XP originally, I made a small partition for Windows and left the rest of the disc unpartitioned. After installing SP2 (when Windows can detect hard drives greater than 127 GB), I partitioned the rest of the 300 GB hard drive for everything unrelated to the OS. I did this to allow Windows to be reinstalled without having to worry about backing up and restoring hundreds of GB of personal data.

However, today when pondering an OS reinstall, I realized that the installer on the Windows XP disc can't correctly handle HDs greater than 127 GB. It doesn't detect my HD being one 20 GB partition and one 280 GB partition. Instead it just sees one 127 GB partition of an unknown type. Obviously this means I can't just nuke the Windows partition and reinstall the OS by itself.

Aside from backing up the 280 GB partition and restoring it after reinstall up to SP2, is there any way to reinstall Windows XP without affecting the other partition?

Where's my disk space?

dangerousdan — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:59:25 -0800

My Dell XPS M1710 required a complete windows re-install (XP SP2 Media Centre). All went swimmingly (if not labouriously) until I went to re-install other programs. My 110Gb hard disk now only has 2 Gb free. Where are the the other 95Gb and how do I get access to it? I only have one partition on this drive.
Looking at file list (including both hidden and system files), I can only account for about 20 Gb.

The file list is:
Dell - 270 Mb
Documents and Settings - 1.73 Gb
Program Files - 8.5 Gb
RECYCLER - 0
WINDOWS - 3.86 Gb
Pagefile.sys - 1.57 Gb

Young Pooterstein

Huplescat — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:41:25 -0800

I have some novice questions about a re-install with dual booting in Windows XP. More inside.... My computer is a little over four years old and has fallen bit by bit into the ranks of the walking wounded. Now I’m hearing a pronounced whirring from the hard drive on start-up and a couple more times during the five minutes or so that it takes to boot up. It used to boot a lot faster and, for that matter, do everything a lot faster.

It had some problems before but everything pretty much went to hell when I screwed up while renewing my AVG subscription and set its virus vault free to wreck havoc. Now I know better, and I’ve caught a lot of that stuff with various free programs. Nevertheless it looks like the system will never be the same again, and I suspect my hard drive might have been near the end of its useful life anyway.

In any case, over the last year or so I picked up a virgin copy of Win XP and an 80 gig external hard-drive and I still have my old CDs that I used for the initial install plus a reinstallation CD from Dell for Win XP service pack 1a.

Can I just install everything on the new hard drive and forget about the old one or should I tear the old one out?

Will I be able to tap back into the old drive without malware crossing over and infecting the new one?

I don’t know much so any and all insights are greatly appreciated.

I don't really feel like rating over 2000 mp3s all over again, so help me not have to do so!

Effigy2000 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:52:32 -0800

I'm thinking of nuking my hard drive and reinstalling Windows XP. This means iTunes, which sits on my C Drive, will obviously be wiped and reinstalled. If I do this, will I lose all the star ratings and other individual settings I have for my mp3s (which are stored on another partition that I won't be wiping)? If so, is there some file in the iTunes directory or somwhere else that I could back up and add to my new iTunes installation so I don't have to individually rate every mp3 I have all over again?

XP Setup Bootstrapping Question

unvivid — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:15:08 -0800

Boostrap windows XP setup on a computer that cd-rom is not working on? Helping a friend reload the OS on his old Toshiba Satellite - the DVD drive is not apparently reading disks correctly.

I've got a usb adapter for the drive and I've got the drive pulled and hooked up to another one of my PCs. I've copied the XP setup files over to the drive, now I just need to run them. However, I'm having issues getting to a command prompt so I can actually run the setup.

I've tried to format the disk and copied boot.ini, ntdetect.com, and ntldr over to the drive in an attempt to get it to boot to a standard command line. I keep getting errors on this however. I've got a windows vista system and an xp laptop that I can fall back to. How can I format this drive so it will boot to a command line and be able to run the xp setup. I've tried to extract a couple of win98se bootdisks to the drive but I keep getting the same errors, I'm assuming it's something in the MBR that it's not finding.

Anyone had any similar scenarios? And off the wall ideas. I'm thinking the solution to this is much more simple than I'm trying to implement. How hard is it to get a simple command prompt loaded on the HDD when you're not booting off of it?

Harder than I thought

Hasta la Vista Baby... but if I want my baby (Vista) back?

jacobjacobs — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:24:51 -0800

I bought a new HP laptop. Vista is installed, I am going to install XP. If I want to reinstall Vista later on, after an SP or two, how can I reinstall w/ my legal copy's credentials? My Vista laptop did not come w/ installation cd/dvds. XP was not an option upon purchase

Help me find a driver backup application that can be scripted to run without prompting...

doomtop — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:51:39 -0800

Help me find a driver backup application that can be scripted to run without prompting... I am looking for an application that can backup and restore hardware drivers on a Windows-based PC. Much like this program: http://www.driver-soft.com/

The catch: I need it to be able to be run unattended or run as part of a batch script. Although it would be acceptable to give a prompt when there is an error, etc.

I am looking for a way to bundle this functionality into a script that will prepare a PC for OS re-installation and then restore all needed files, etc. after re-installation.

Free or pay-for are both acceptable.

Moving MS Office

BrotherCaine — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 03:40:29 -0800

I'm trying to move MS Office Pro. 2003 to a new computer, but I'm having trouble. I've lost the certificate and CD, but can extract the product key... However, I'm not sure how to get the media associated with the install. I used Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder v1.51 to extract the original Product Key (CD Key), and I got a hold of an Office 2003 Professional install CD (Promo version?). However, when I run setup it immediately rejects the CD Key. I tried copying the CD to my hard drive, and slipstreaming SP2 on top of it, but it still wont install with the product key I have.

For the office install on the old machine:

Product version is 11.0.7969.0 in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\ProductVersion

Builds in Help About:
InfoPath 11.6565.8132
Outlook 11.8118.8132
Access 11.6566.8132
Word 11.6568.8132
Publisher 11.8103.8132
Excel 11.8120.8132
PowerPoint 11.6564.8132

I own both machines, and am migrating because the old one is failing. I think I accidentally threw away the wrong package of CDs and Documents when I got rid of one of my old computers.

If I don't have the COA, are they going to ask me for something on it when I try to reactivate?

Reinstalling Windows

Xere — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:06:31 -0800

My many Windows errors are starting to grate on my nerves. I'd like to do a reinstall - but the recovery cd that came with my Toshiba laptop refuses to play nice (probably due to SP2 or the new motherboard). How do I reinstall an OEM version of Windows XP, without losing my key? Is it even possible to reinstall an OEM XP setup? Where do I even get an OEM version to reinstall from? Aargh!!!! More inside. For what it's worth, it's a Toshiba Satellite M35X-S149 laptop, with what is probably an OEM version of XP.

The reinstall cd won't work because it's tied to the system I first started out with. The current system has two new things: SP2, and a new motherboard. But if OEM XP's are tied to their motherboards - wouldn't my new motherboard have halted XP from even loading up?

Installing a cracked version of XP is a possibility, but I'd rather not deal with possible malware. And if I already have an authenticated version of XP, I'd rather stay with that.

Unfortunately, installing Vista is not an option, as my laptop is officially unable to run Vista, due to not being ACPI compliant. Neither is Linux (I'm too spoiled for Windows accessibility), or Macs (too broke).

Calling Toshiba support is out too - apparently they're unhelpful, and my laptop was bought about four years ago anyway.

Any tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Password emergency / mystery with Filemaker

lorimer — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:26:24 -0800

Password emergency / mystery. I'm a new Filemaker user and I've somehow set a password that's keeping me from accessing the file I just put two days of work (and some not easily replaceable data) into. I'm running Filemaker Pro Advanced 8.5v1 on an Intel Mac (OS 10.4.8).

I installed and started learning Filemaker on Friday. I was playing around with all the settings and options, and one is password-protecting a file. Since I was only experimenting with making my first file, and since I (wrongly??) thought I was setting a file-level rather than application-level password, I put in a throwaway password which I now do not remember and have no record of. The next time I tried to open this file it prompted me for the password, I tried a few times but couldn't remember it, and I gave up and created a new file.

This second file DID open repeatedly without a password during the same session of the application (i.e. app had not been restarted since creation of this second file, but file closed and opened freely). Unfortunately this session didn't shut down properly because of an unrelated issue (buggy unrelated app -- which I must use -- that occasionally makes my system stop responding and need to be manually shut down by holding the power button).

After I restarted the computer and Filemaker, my attempt to open this second file gave me the same password prompt. I'm 100% positive I didn't set a file-level password for this second file. This second file was made from scratch, not from a template and not a copy of the first file.

I tried creating a third file -- doing nothing but defining a few fields and one record, saving the file, and restarting the app. This third file DOES OPEN without a password -- implying this is not an app-level password issue.

During all of this I've been logged in as an Administrator-level user. The username in the password prompt is my Administrator username (but my system-level Administrator password is definitely not the password Filemaker wants). The option to log in as "guest" is greyed out.

I've Googled and the only Filemaker password reset or recovery utilities I can find are for Windows. Filemaker's Help says nothing about removing a password.

Please tell me there's some way to open my second file. I unfortunately put a LOT of work into it over the weekend, both data entry & careful layout/formatting. I dutifully made running backups of it... which are of course as unopenable as the original. Trying to open the file in a plain text editor gives me nothing usable (just strings of random-seeming characters).

I'm ready to entirely uninstall and reinstall Filemaker if it will help, but I can only assume these first two files have some metadata that says "no copy of Filemaker can open me without this password." If I were the company, I would've put in many safeguards to prevent me from doing what I'm trying to do now...

Hope me get my settings back.

dirtynumbangelboy — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 10:08:51 -0800

Had to reinstall XP Home. How do I get all my old settings back? Something inside my computer went all explodey. I'm not sure what happened, but I could not boot at all. Had to reinstall XP Home from the CD.

I had thought that all that would do would be repair whatever was broken in XP. Clearly I was wrong. I've managed to find my old 'my documents' folder, and restore the Start Menu to how I had it before.

What I need to find (if possible) are:

1) whatever file governed how my taskbar was set up, including quicklaunch

2) My Firefox settings, including add-ons and skin

3) Basically, actually, all of my old settings.

Am I hooped?

Transfering Drivers?

matthelm — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:55:31 -0800

Main hard drive is about to die...New hard drive ready... Is there some way to copy drivers for video card, sound card, printer, etc, from the current OS hard drive to my external hard drive and then put them on my new hard drive with the newly installed windows? I just don't want to reinstall all the drivers again!...just curious...

Help me re-install XP

jeffmshaw — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:58:30 -0800

My mom's computer won't re-install an older version of Windows XP. This is actually a timely, pressing problem. When we split, I purchased a Sony VAIO laptop from my ex. We agreed that she'd wipe the hard drive for various reasons. Instead, she ended up replacing the hard drive entirely -- which is fine, except she installed a temporary copy of XP. (Evidently, we/she lost the original install discs from Sony -- we legally purchased the computer and copy of XP.)

I tried re-installing a version of XP from an older, defunct desktop my mom no longer uses, but it won't let me re-install an older version over a newer one.

The XP trial installed now expires tomorrow. It wouldn't be a big issue, except I am overseas and Skype is how my mom and I communicate via video chat.

What are my options for legally getting a working copy of XP? Contact Sony? Is there a way to get around the "can't re-install an old version" barrier? Please do not suggest hitting the ex up to buy a new copy of XP. It's really not an option.

Issue reinstalling OSX 10.4 (Tiger) on my MacBook Pro

freshgroundpepper — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:50:59 -0800

I've got a MacBook Pro that currently has Max OS X 10.4.7 installed on a single partition (no boot camp). I'd like to wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall OSX 10.4 from scratch, but I'm running into some issues. I've got an ADC (apple developer connection) membership, so I've got a couple of OSX install DVDs lying around. The two OS X install discs that I can find are a 10.4.3 and a 10.4.6 disc. Both discs say on their packaging and on the "readme" PDF that they require a Mac with PowerPC G5, G4, or G3 Processors. They don't say anything on them about the build on them being Universal or that they support Intel processors.

When I insert either of them and click on the "Install Mac OS X" icon, I get an error message saying: "Mac OS X 10.4 cannot be installed on this machine. Please consult the documentation for the list of supported Macintosh computers."

I assume that this error is because the disc seems to be a PowerPC only disc and not a universal/intel one. I've also tried to just boot with the DVD in and holding down "C" (so that it boots from the DVD drive instead of the hard drive). The disc spins up but then it launches back into OSX.

I think that the 10.4.3 disc came with my ADC membership, so it could make sense if they sent out a PowerPC only one for that. I'm almost positive that the 10.4.6 disc came with the MacBook Pro, but that doesn't seem right because it's not compatible with my system.

Do the Intel-based macs come with a DVD that is Intel-compatible? Am I just not finding the right disc, or did my Mac not ship with a disc that I can actually reinstall with? For anyone else with a MacBook Pro (or other intel mac), did you get a disc that specifically says that it's universal/works with Intel processors?

Is it possible to format my computer if I lost the format/backup disc that came with it along with cd drivers?

cheero — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:31:28 -0800

Is it possible to format my computer if I lost the format/backup disc that came with it along with cd drivers? My computer has been acting rather funky as of late. For example, 'msconfig' is nowhere to be found, my registry often gets locked and my internet connections keeps going in an out. At first I thought I had spyware/malware/virus.. etc, but that doesnt seem to be the case. I've scanned my system multiple times with hijackthis, adaware, avg and nod32, none of them found anything.

I think I should simply just format my computer and go back to zero, however, I cannot find my reinstall disc nor my drivers discs anywhere. Is there a way around?

Dell Dimension DIM9100
XP Pro SP2

Thank you in advance!

What's my NeXT step here?

tkolstee — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:40:44 -0800

I inherited a NeXT machine. How can I start from scratch on it? A long time ago, a friend gave me his NeXT workstation. It's not the "cube" but the "slab". I don't know much about it, and it's not in front of me at the moment, but if a model number or anything is needed I can check on it tonight.

The machine currently has NeXTSTEP loaded on it, but I don't know what state its in or the user credentials to get in. I'd like to start playing around with it, and would really rather install the machine from scratch and start over.

Is there a way (preferably legal) of getting the installation media for this box? Also, is there another OS (maybe BSD?) that can run on it, either standalone or as a dual-boot?

Other related questions: What type of disk drives/memory/etc. does this machine accept, in case I want to add something? Also, is there an emulator that works well under Linux or Windows?

Blue Screen of Death after Virgin XP ReInstall

BigBrownBear — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:00:31 -0800

I'm getting the blue screen of death right after reinstalling windows XP and the drivers ...and I'm not sure why. It's an HP laptop, less than a year old. I am reinstalling from the CD (not from within Windows), deleting partition and creating a new one. I have the HP drivers disk. I download some of the windows updates, virus protection, firewall, etc., then I get the blue screen STOP error that says I might have a device driver problem. The computer won't even give me the option to start in Safe Mode - I get a black screen (although I can get into the diagnostics).

This has happened twice already. First time I updated bios right away and second time I didn't. Any ideas what's going on? The weird thing is that the computer was actually running for a while before it died the second time -I'd already installed a bunch of programs and rebooted a dozen times.

OS... reinstall

Huplescat — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:41:49 -0800

My computer, a 2 year old Dell Dimension 4600, is pretty sick... and in a general state of decline. I never had problems until I installed SP2 when it first came out, and system restore fixed that, by getting rid of SP2. Well Micro$oft convinced me that I had to have SP2, so I re-installed (for the third time) about a month ago and had the same crap all over again.

This time I was determined to beat it and, because it only showed up after I went online, I assumed it was a Spyware problem... so I added Webroot’s spyware program to my arsenal of Norton Securities, Spyware Doctor, etc. Webroot temporarily solved the problem, but Norton seems to hate Webroot, and keeps fucking with it until its disabled... then things get worse. Norton doesn’t kill Spyware Doctor... only cripples it.

A day with only one crash is a good one. I’m not the sharpest tack in the box computerwise, but I suspect that I installed SP2 with some kind of mallware onboard. The situation is steadily deteriorating and I fear that a re-install is in order. Should I go to Best Buy and buy a new OS with SP2 included?

Norton has to go. I hope that I can get thru a re-install via Dell/Microsoft online FAQ, or whatever. Help........