reinstalling windows xp

[jk]

I am running windows xp home edition that came with my Sony computer. Lately
the computer is very sluggish and somewhat erratic. I would like to
reinstall the operating system. However, Sony's recovery disk insist upon
erasing and reinstalling the entire C drive. (sony did not provide a
seperate disk for windows). I do not want to erase all programs just want to
reinstall windows. I have an upgrade disk that was issued with another
computer. My question is can I use this disk on Sony. I understand disk are
only good for one computer. Sony is no help. the whole problem seemed to
started when I allowed windows to comress the c drive to free up space. i
tried to restore, but previous restore points seem to have disappeared once
compression took place. suggestions?

 

[DL]

No you cannot use a disk supplied with another PC
Compression of files will not impact on performance & should not cause any
other probs.
How much free space is on this drive and what size is C?
Did sony configure this PC with 2 partitions when supplied?

 

[jk]

The disk was an upgrade from windows me to xp. It was not brand specific. I
did use it to upgrade on other computer. Free space on C has always been a
hassle but after compression there should be sufficient to run. Yes, Sony
prepartioned the hard drive. Most programs and all data is on D, however,
some programs insisted upon being loaded on C. If I have to erase all of C,
how can I save or copy those programs that are there?

 

[Daave]

I am running windows xp home edition that came with my Sony computer.
Lately
the computer is very sluggish and somewhat erratic. I would like to
reinstall the operating system.

Actually, that's a drastic measure that is recommended normally as a
last resort. If you do it, however, make sure all your data is backed up
and you have the installation disks/files to reinstall all your
programs.

However, Sony's recovery disk insist upon
erasing and reinstalling the entire C drive. (sony did not provide a
seperate disk for windows). I do not want to erase all programs just
want to
reinstall windows.

I advise against reinstalling Windows. That being said, if that is what
you would like to do, even if you had an actual XP installation CD, your
course of action -- performing a clean install -- would still require
you to reinstall your programs anyway. A repair install (which *would*
leave your data, programs, settings, etc. intact) wouldn't be done in
the situation you describe; the repair install is done to correct
specific operating system issues.

And if you choose to run Sony's recovery disk, it's similar to a Clean
Install in that you need to make sure all your data is backed up and you
would need to reinstall all your settings and updates. Doable, but best
done as a last resort.

I have an upgrade disk that was issued with another
computer. My question is can I use this disk on Sony.
Nope.

I understand disk are
only good for one computer. Sony is no help. the whole problem
seemed to
started when I allowed windows to comress the c drive to free up
space.

That's actually helpful information.

i tried to restore, but previous restore points seem to have
disappeared
once compression took place. suggestions?

The first thing we need to know is how large each of your partitions is
and how much free space you have on each. Chances are the solution will
involve transferring your data to an external hard drive (or perhaps
burning DVDs, but the external hard drive is preferrable).

And for your reference, here are the typical causes of sluggishness:

1. Malicious software (malware). You need to rule this out first! This
page has excellent information:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Viruses_Malware

2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton
and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they simply
use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts with other
programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire hard drive each
time you boot up. Fortunately, there are other antimalware programs
available that use far fewer resources (e.g., NOD32, Avast, and Avira).

3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the
background -- with or without your knowledge.

Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn how to
configure them not to always run at startup:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the programs to
not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is Autoruns:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

But before you do this, you should use the preference settings of the
program in question. Otherwise, for some programs, they will return to
the startup list anyway!

4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the pagefile. A
quick way to determine if this is happening is to open Task Manager
(Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three values
under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit,
and Peak.

The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at that
very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory you
used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of
Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM.
In case you want to explore this further, you may run Page File Monitor
for
Windows XP:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode
didn't change from DMA to PIO:

http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/

and

http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/

 

[DL]

But you fail to mention the size of C or the free space
We need to know this

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I am running windows xp home edition that came with my Sony computer.
Lately
the computer is very sluggish and somewhat erratic. I would like to
reinstall the operating system. However, Sony's recovery disk insist upon
erasing and reinstalling the entire C drive. (sony did not provide a
seperate disk for windows). I do not want to erase all programs just want
to
reinstall windows. I have an upgrade disk that was issued with another
computer. My question is can I use this disk on Sony. I understand disk
are
only good for one computer. Sony is no help. the whole problem seemed to
started when I allowed windows to comress the c drive to free up space. i
tried to restore, but previous restore points seem to have disappeared
once
compression took place. suggestions?

No, you cannot use an upgrade disk to repair an OEM install.

If you can find an OEM XP home install CD, this may well work. You will
use the install key on the COA located on your machine.

However, you'll probably be prevented from doing a repair install because
the CD will not be at the same service pack level as your installed OS.
This is easy to fix with a process called slipstreaming; get nLite, download
the entire SP3 file - do not use Windows Update - and create a new XP CD
with SP3.

Even after you do that, though, you may not have solved the problems, or
even addressed them. This is because repair installs don't do a lot with
the registry - this is why you don't have to reinstall programs - and if the
problem is in the registry, it'll still be there after you go to all the
trouble of updating.

So I would suggest that you take a short while to see if you can address the
real problems, and if you can't, back up your data and use the restore
media. You might find it worthwhile to get a new hard disk and install to
that - remove the old one and set it aside as your backup. When your
restore is done, use a USB drive adapter or case to connect the old drive
and drag the data over.

HTH
-pk

 

[Patrick Keenan]

The disk was an upgrade from windows me to xp. It was not brand specific.

Doesn't matter, you cannot use an upgrade CD to repair an OEM install. The
keys will not work, for one thing.

I
did use it to upgrade on other computer. Free space on C has always been
a
hassle but after compression there should be sufficient to run.

Get a new, larger hard disk.

Yes, Sony
prepartioned the hard drive. Most programs and all data is on D, however,
some programs insisted upon being loaded on C. If I have to erase all of
C,
how can I save or copy those programs that are there?

You can't. You will have to reinstall. This is because the program folder
is only part of an install - there are many registry entries and files in
other locations. You can not reasonably find or track all of these.

HTH
-pk

 

[jk]

Ok, I am back at that computer so I can give you numbers:
C = 13.9GB total - 13.4 GB used - 535 MB free (programs only)
D = 92.8GB total - 61.5 GB used - 31.2 Gb free (programs & some old data)
G = 117 Gb total - 2.7 GB used - 114 GB free (this is business data)
H = 115 GB total - 46.3 GB used - 69.3 GB free (this is personal data)
I =232 GB total -204 GB used - 28.2 GB free (this is daily backup of data d,
g, h)
I am running McAfee.
I will try some of the items Daave sugested.
So if I do have to erase C drive I can't save the programs there? Many of
the programs were downloaded (all legal) and I do not have disk. Is there
anyway to at least print a directory (besides print screen)so I can know what
I do have. Actually I do not know what many of the programs are anyhow. Thank
you all for your help.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Ok, I am back at that computer so I can give you numbers:
C = 13.9GB total - 13.4 GB used - 535 MB free (programs only)
D = 92.8GB total - 61.5 GB used - 31.2 Gb free (programs & some old data)
G = 117 Gb total - 2.7 GB used - 114 GB free (this is business data)
H = 115 GB total - 46.3 GB used - 69.3 GB free (this is personal data)
I =232 GB total -204 GB used - 28.2 GB free (this is daily backup of data
d,
g, h)
I am running McAfee.
I will try some of the items Daave sugested.
So if I do have to erase C drive I can't save the programs there?

That's correct. Unless the program is exceptionally simple, it has to be
properly installed.

Many of
the programs were downloaded (all legal) and I do not have disk.

Did you save the installers?

Is there
anyway to at least print a directory (besides print screen)so I can know
what
I do have.

Yes, there are plenty of utilties for this, plus, simply going to a command
prompt at teh Program Files folder and typing this:

dir /ad >> c:\programs.txt

will produce a text file named c:\program files, containing the names of the
folders under the Program Files parent. This will give you the general
names of the installed programs.

HTH
-pk

 

[DL]

Your PC is never going to function correctly with that amount of free space
on C
I 'll assume G,H & I are partitions of a seperate Drive or individual
drives, and C & D are the origonal Sony, as supplied config

Ensure any data on C & D is backed up, or better still use imaging software
to create an image of C & D.
Use third part partitioning software, eg Acronis Disk Director, or Partition
Magic to name but two
To reduce the size of D by at least 15gb, then expand your C to use the 15gb
Or
Use the imaging software to image C & D, install a new larger HD, then
reinstall the Image. Assuming you used an Imaging app that has the
capabilities you will be able to expand each partition during the process,
I'd suggest your win drive should be as large as posible Acronis TI can
expand an image during the process (Disconnect any other drives during the
reinstall process)

PS It makes no sense to install programs to a drive other than the win drive

 

[Daave]

Comments inline.

Ok, I am back at that computer so I can give you numbers:
C = 13.9GB total - 13.4 GB used - 535 MB free (programs only)

Not only is your C: partition too small, there is hardly any free space!
When the amount of free space dips below 15%, problems start. Your goal
should be at least 50% of free space.

D = 92.8GB total - 61.5 GB used - 31.2 Gb free (programs & some old
data)

What a mess!

C: seems to contain XP and some programs. And D: seems to contain some
other programs! To make life easier, your programs should all be on the
same partition, preferably C:. Are these the two major partitions on
your laptop's hard drive?

G = 117 Gb total - 2.7 GB used - 114 GB free (this is business data)
H = 115 GB total - 46.3 GB used - 69.3 GB free (this is personal data)
I =232 GB total -204 GB used - 28.2 GB free (this is daily backup of
data d, g, h)

Are these partitions on an external hard drive or drives?

I am running McAfee.

Another cause of sluggishness!

I will try some of the items Daave sugested.

Before you do that, you need to address your current hard drive
situation, most importantly that C: has hardly any free space.

So if I do have to erase C drive I can't save the programs there?

I'm not sure what you mean. If you erase C: and if some programs are on
C:, then those programs will be erased. You can't save them beforehand
like you could with data (unless these are "standalone" programs, which
is highly unlikely). In the future, if you start from scratch, you
should make C: large enough for XP and all your programs. If possible,
I'd shoot for 40GB size for C:.

Many of the programs were downloaded (all legal) and I do not have
disk.

Do you still have the installation files you downloaded? If so, you will
be able to reinstall them if necessary. Presumably, you can redownload
the installation files if you no longer have them.

Is there anyway to at least print a directory (besides print
screen)so I can know what I do have. Actually I do not know what many
of the programs are anyhow. Thank you all for your help.

Belarc Advisor is an excellent tool for this. You will get a listing of
your PC's hardware components, operating system patches, product key
numbers, and installed programs. You may download it free:

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

You may be able to get away with adjusting your current setup by
resizing your existing partitions with a third-party program (Windows
can't do that). But you will still have the same mess (programs on more
than one partition). But it still might work. Your call. If I were you,
I would save all your data and start from scratch. I believe that if you
use Sony's recovery process, you will get back your C: and D: drives
(with your OS on C. Personally, I prefer one large partition instead
of two. But two partitons can work, too, provided you use C: for OS and
programs and D: for data. But make sure C: is at least 40GB! If Sony
won't let you do this, use a third-party program (one free app is
G-Parted). I would avoid McAfee. In fact, after starting from scratch, I
would uninstall all (or most) of the programs (many trial programs) that
Sony stuck you with!