My computer is horribly slow and i was suggested to wipe my computer. I need to know how to do this and i need to know how to back up files and programs. I have Windows XP Home.
Tagged with: windows xp • windows xp home
Filed under: Clean Up Computer
Joe, before you start doing what was suggested to speed up your PC, do the following and if this does not correct your problem then save your files somewhere, format your hard drive, reinstall windows and programs and then your files.
So here you go:
HOW TO DO A THOROUGH CLEAN UP:
Before doing any of the maintenance steps outlined below make sure that your system is free from viruses and/or of any other undesirable Internet bugs, by running a thorough security scan of your machine.
Now, do the following as needed:
“I” (FOR WINDOWS XP-IE6)
While you are connected to the Internet do the following:
1. Click on tools … Internet options. There you will see three buttons next to each other… “Delete Cookies” … “Delete Files” and “Settings.” Also, below the settings button you will see another one “Clear history.”
2. Click on “settings” – go to “Edit” – Click on “select all” – Go to files, click delete and wait till all Internet trash files are gone.
3. Go back and click on “delete cookies” and wait till all cookies are gone
4. Go back and click on “Delete files,” put a check mark on the little white square shown on the small window that will open, click OK and wait for a little.
5. Go back and click on “Clear history”, click “yes” and you are done. Go to item “III” now.
ADDITIONAL INFO.: Here is how to clean website addresses from you IE6 browser bar: While you are connected to Internet, go to “Tools” … “Internet Options,” “Content” tab … “Auto Complete button” … click on “clear forms” and you are finished.
“II” (FOR WINDOWS XP-IE7):
Go to Start … Control Panel … Internet Options. Under “Browsing history” click “Delete” and then click “Delete all,” put a check mark in the little white square and then click “Yes” and you are done. Go to Item “III” now.
“III” (FOR BOTH WIN-IE6 AND WIN-IE7)
1. Do a check disk and a defrag, then restart your computer and see if the problem is resolved. It is assumed that you know how to do a check disc and disc difragmentation.
2. If the above steps don’t do the job, here is a little program that keeps your machine in shape and free from Windows micro-problems that lead to slowness and crashes:
Get on the web and go to http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/site; download the free trial program, familiarize your self with it and use it to clean up your registry automatically along with a sort of other helpful and useful maintenance chores. It is an excellent little program and does wonders with PC maintenance tasks and I strongly recommend it! It works on the background on its own automatically.
3. After you are through with the above maintenance steps, go to Microsoft/Windows updates and download any and all available and/or applicable updates.
Hope this helps!
NDS
Data you can back up to cd's, programs must be reinstalled.
Before you go to this much trouble, try to clean it up and optimize it. There's a free utility at IOBIT that works very well.
http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html
Just copy your files and installer to external hardisk / cd rw ….
then with your cd windows installer …
insert into cd rom , modify your bios then booting …
after that you can format your harddisk which you want to wipe….
by
http://www.gunungpring.com
Backing up files normally isn't to difficult, depending on the size of all your files. The easiest ways would be use a flash drive, CD or another networked computers Hard drive. After everything is backed up, make sure you have all your driver disks and what not (video drivers, sound drivers and any other accessories) Last but not least do a complete fresh reformat, I have provided a link in the sources which should help walk you through a reformat. I would suggest printing it out.
You have a cd burner? Start putting your files on cd's
You can select most any file/folder and go to send > CD drive
Windows will put the files on the cd using the wizard, just tell it to burn them.
Then have fun with the wiping
WARNING : Backing up your files and your datas to burn CD or DVD are easily proned to read back error. I faced a lot of times oredi till I give up of backing up option by CDR CDRW -+ or DVD RAM DVD RW-+.
My advisement will be Flash Drive or Flash Card or get another harddisk IDE as slave or SATA disk or External Hdd to back up cos these backup will not easily read back error. Anyway, nowaday HDD drives are at affordable price especially your backup volume is not vast. E.G. 40GB HDD will do the best backup job and fast too than a IDE or SATA DVDCD RAM RW drive.
For Safe Wipe Out, I use Norton Partition Utlities to wipe out those hard drive.
These are the safest method and I alway do that after a few months or even every single month especially PC is alway ready connected to Cable or ADSL internet.