Computer Question

**WilliamB** · 05-03-2005, 11:48 PM

Is it possible to get a computer back to the way it was bought. Computers bog down as they get older. Is there a way to completley reset everything so it runs like it did the first time it was used?

**LAM** · 05-04-2005, 01:20 AM

there should be a restore CD or DVD that came with the PC. most will reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS, hardware drivers and any related software apps.

**Rocco32** · 05-04-2005, 01:46 AM

You trying to erase all the porn you've downloaded?

**BigDyl** · 05-04-2005, 06:06 AM

Backup, Delete patitions/volumes, format the harddisk, reinstall the OS, reinstall the apps, restore data from backup.

**MtnBikerChk** · 05-04-2005, 06:17 AM

you can restore the software but hardware degrades over time too. computers never run as great as the day you bring them home

but what bigdyl said - delete partitions and start over!

**Witmaster** · 05-04-2005, 10:12 AM

Uh... Keep in mind that deleting partiions, reformating and/or simply resinstalling the restore disk will erase any data you have on the drive. It would be prudent of you to burn yourself some back-up discs prior to restoring your system.

The short answer is yes, you can restore your system back to it's original configuration and (close to) its' original performance speeds.

**Prince** · 05-04-2005, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Is it possible to get a computer back to the way it was bought. Computers bog down as they get older. Is there a way to completley reset everything so it runs like it did the first time it was used?

as you install additional programs Windows will get slower and slower, there is more data on the drive which can increase data seek times, the registry grows and ultimately it is slower.

if you format your drive and install Windows clean it will be as fast as it was on day one, but again as you reinstall all of your programs it will slow down again.

if you're going to format the drive be sure you have backed up all data and that you have a way to reinstall all of your pograms.

**LAM** · 05-04-2005, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Witmaster

Uh... Keep in mind that deleting partiions, reformating and/or simply resinstalling the restore disk will erase any data you have on the drive. It would be prudent of you to burn yourself some back-up discs prior to restoring your system.

data files should ALWAYS be kept on a seperate partition or hard drive for exactly this reason.

**BigDyl** · 05-04-2005, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by LAM

data files should ALWAYS be kept on a seperate partition or hard drive for exactly this reason.

If data files are really this important to the person, they should be doing routine backup's.

**BigDyl** · 05-04-2005, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio

if you format your drive and install Windows clean it will be as fast as it was on day one, but again as you reinstall all of your programs it will slow down again.

if you're going to format the drive be sure you have backed up all data and that you have a way to reinstall all of your pograms.

pograms? LOL, i know, typo, it just looks funny.

I disagree with the perfomance decrease after you restore data and resintall applications onto the newly formated hdd. You can easily tweak it so it is much faster after the fact.

**Nick+** · 05-04-2005, 01:35 PM

I'm sick to death with Windows XP, going to see if I can install Fedora Core (Linux) soon as a second option. (ie got to partion the disk.....

)

Stuff Windows.

**LAM** · 05-04-2005, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Nick+

I'm sick to death with Windows XP, going to see if I can install Fedora Core (Linux) soon as a second option. (ie got to partion the disk.....

)

Stuff Windows.

the problem with that is finding up to date driver support

**Prince** · 05-04-2005, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

I disagree with the perfomance decrease after you restore data and resintall applications onto the newly formated hdd. You can easily tweak it so it is much faster after the fact.

well, that is my experience after 10 years of IT.

**Mudge** · 05-04-2005, 01:50 PM

They get bogged down with spyware and huge registry files, its not age itself really.

Like LAM said, restore CD is the way to get it back to "factory."

Scandisk and defrag should be done upon large deletions or installations of new files (use your judgement) or every 3 months or so.

**Mudge** · 05-04-2005, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

I disagree with the perfomance decrease after you restore data and resintall applications onto the newly formated hdd. You can easily tweak it so it is much faster after the fact.

Addressing a large registry will slow down a machine, fact. More data spread out on a platter will cause the disk to access files slower as it boots up, fact.

Intelligent defragmentation can try to move files around for faster access times, but nothing is perfect.

Memory use also increases as friendly programs try to load TSR items. I'd get a base install NT4 server to load up to maybe 48MB RAM, start installing some programs/services and voila, 64+ used.

**maniclion** · 05-04-2005, 02:07 PM

I like to re-install every 4 to 6 month's, good thing I keep a Ghost image of a clean install on another disk.

**BigDyl** · 05-04-2005, 02:11 PM

Oh, I forgot everyone is an IT expert.

**Prince** · 05-04-2005, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Oh, I forgot everyone is an IT expert.

well, I do work in IT 8+ hours per day, and have done so for 10 years now, so I guess I am.

**BigDyl** · 05-04-2005, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mudge

Addressing a large registry will slow down a machine, fact. More data spread out on a platter will cause the disk to access files slower as it boots up, fact.

Intelligent defragmentation can try to move files around for faster access times, but nothing is perfect.

Memory use also increases as friendly programs try to load TSR items. I'd get a base install NT4 server to load up to maybe 48MB RAM, start installing some programs/services and voila, 64+ used.

In real world terms that we were using, based on alot of assumptions like what kind of applications and how many, I had assumed this was a basic end user who didn't use SAS or 3D studio max. Perhaps office 2k3 std, and some lightweight apps. So if this was true, then installing these apps would not cause a noticeable difference in performance after said fine tuning and performance tweaks.

**Eggs** · 05-04-2005, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Oh, I forgot everyone is an IT expert.

You're right, and some people are cock suckers. Take yourself for instance

**Mudge** · 05-04-2005, 03:17 PM

A few applications wont likely cause a noticeable difference, although through the years the Office Toolbar in startup was wasted memory use.

I work in IT, and I dont care to be an expert, but these are just the basics. Digging through a 20MB registry file takes time for a computer to do.

**WilliamB** · 05-05-2005, 12:02 AM

I hate Windows. I am pretty sure that it is keeping track of every click that I make. Its not even the porn clicks that really concern me, its everything else. Is it really necessary for so much shit to be copied onto the drive. All these temporary files and what not. Even after deleting everything off the computer there are still tracks of what have been done on the computer that can only be retrieved from the DOS mode. Why dont they make it easier to keep computer tuned and clean?

**LAM** · 05-05-2005, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by WilliamB

I hate Windows. I am pretty sure that it is keeping track of every click that I make.

Windows doesn't do that at all. I used to test OS's for Microsoft.

any company that did that would find themselves with a 500 billion dollar class action law suit

**BigDyl** · 05-05-2005, 05:44 AM

Originally Posted by Eggs

You're right, and some people are cock suckers. Take yourself for instance

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