purging a computer

[milagros317]

I'm posting this for Limeoutsider, who is having computer problems again.

She wants to know how to purge her computer system and start over. That is, get rid of all programs including spyware leaving a clean computer with just the essentials (operating system) intact.

 

[Ronley]

I don't know an easy way ...

Maybe someone else will come up with a better solution. The only way I’ve done this before is to completely re-format the drive, then re-install the Operation System (OS). It’s gets easier by the 4th or 5th computer .

To do this, you’ll need to make sure that the bios will boot from cd and/or floppy. You can usually enter the bios by pressing delete or one of the function keys during startup. It will usually tell you which one. Then you need to make sure that your floppy disk and CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive are before your hard drive in the boot order.

Most OS installs now include the ability to format the drive and manage partitions before installing the OS, but if you need to, there are plenty of free programs you can download from online, copy to floppy and then boot from.

From there you need to boot from the OS CD, delete the partitions you want all data removed from, re-create them as raw partitions, and format them to whatever format your OS uses. Then you pick the one you want to install your OS on, and follow along with the installer.

If the OS does not have partition management on the disk, you’ll need to delete and re-create the programs from floppy; usually very similar to what’s on an OS cd. Then boot from the OS cd and follow along with the installer.

I've never had to do this with a mac, so if this isn't a pc, I recommend you ignore me. If you have a neighborhood geek, I also highly recommend you get them to do this, it can be a little disconcerting for most people to try to install an OS without an OS, it certainly was for me the first time . Good luck.

 

[venray]

Ann might know of an easier way as she has done this before. I will ask her to post here or PM you ob Sunday.


Ray

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

I actually saw this before he had a chance to say anything. (Ray - neeener!)

Anywhoo! Leonard, if you can find out what she's got AFA type of computer, OS, etc. it would be helpful. Can she get the computer to boot up at all? Can she simply not get online? What's the poop? I'd hate to see her nuke if there's another alternative.

You might want to post any info. here. I'm no expert. I've only had to deal with this on my gateway...and like most things, learned out of necessity. So, I'm not sure if the same thing I did would work for other systems. So, if I can't help, the info. will be here for others to advise on.

There are ways to reformat the harddrive and start "fresh". That's relatively easy, though tedious and a bit time consuming. But, if the problem is that she's got a virus or something that effects DOS, it'll creep back in there. In that case, she'd have to completely nuke the system. That takes several hours from start of nuking to finishing reinstalling everything...though you can leave at points during the nuking process. AND, you need to know what youre doing and have the software to do it. I had one of the gateway techs give me the link to the proper nuking program and walk me through the initial steps the first time I had to nuke. Then, I had a call back number to reach him in case there were problems along the way.

If Lime feels comfortable with stuff like that and has a gateway, I'd be glad to help her out. If not, and nobody else here can help, she'd be best off taking it to a computer tech shop to do it.

Ann

 

[ViperGTS]

Allright, certified computer nerd to the rescue.

All you other "dorks" are just fakes.

Anywho, to make a more accurate set of instructions, I would need more info about how old the computer is, what brand/model, what operating system (windows 98, Me, XP Home, etc), and a few other things.

The problem with operating systems is that in order to fully purge all information, you really can't leave the operating system intact. If the computer was purchased new and the person who bought it kept all documentation and disks that came with the machine, there should be a system restore disk that would re-install the operating system to the machine, even if the computer is wiped clean.

If however, the machine was purchased sometime in the last year or so, depending on the brand, it might not have come with a restore disk at all. Any computer that comes with a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive will prompt you to actually create a system restore disk for future reference.

Now, if you have a friend that's as into computers as I am, they would be able to actually sit down with the computer and manually remove all files, programs, and registries that are not vital to windows, which would have the same basic effect as reformatting. The upside of this is that all your registry files and whatnot stay intact and nothing has to be reinstalled, but the downside of this is that takes FOREVER.

There are a couple of kinks with Windows XP, though, if that's the operating system we're talking about. If you do not have the disk to reinstall windows fresh, and you can't make a system restore disk from your computer, you're only left with one other option. You can go to any CompUSA, Office Depot, Staples, et.c, and purchase a new copy of Windows XP Home. It's about $200 for the full blown program. When you boot the machine from the CD (that means to put the CD into the drive and reboot the machine, then wait for the prompt that says "Press any key to boot from CD..."), it will ask you if you want to do a fresh install of windows. You would say yes, then it asks you where to put it. You would have to go and delete all the partitions (blocks of space that Windows uses to organize it's files on your hard drive) to eliminate all information, then tell Windows to intall itself on that fresh, raw partition. (Or you could make a smaller partition so the computer doesn't have to work as hard.)

If your machine does NOT run Windows XP, I would strongly reccomend upgrading it so that it does so. Depending on how old your computer is, it might not support the jump. Here's the system requirements for the operating system.

Processor: Intel Pentium 3/AMD Sempron or better operating at 1.5Ghz or faster (recommended by Microsoft...I've personally run XP on a 400Mhz Intel 3 and had no problems with it aside from it being slow as all hell)
RAM: 128 MB
Hard Drive space: 1.5GB required, 4.0GB or more recommended

The other thing you should do is check your machine against the hardware compatibility list (HCL). Go to www.microsoft.com and do a search for said HCL. It will check your computer to see if the hardware on your machine is supported by Windows XP. If all goes well, consider yourself upgradeable!

Lime, if you have any questions about computers, come to me, lol. They are literally all I do anymore.

Hope this has been helpful.

Mark

(PS: Ann? You had to go get a third party piece of software to kill your computer? WHy didn't you just feed it the OS CD and tell it to delete the partitions? )

 

[Limeoutsider]

Ok

This guy who fucked up my computer last time came over and put XP on again (I do have my own copy of 95; I lost the chit for my 98 ) anyway, I todl him to put the 95 on and that Id buy my own copy of XP. I leave the room to go do my laundry and when I get back upstairs he says "I just put my XP on your comp because its better than 95" Should have knocked him out, as I was tempted. So the 30 days pass, and I have no registration code, he wont give me the code, so at the user screen, it says "GO register" and I click no, it just gives me the option to shut the comp off. And I cant do anything at all.

 

[Ronley]

Microsoft decided with XP that it would shut down after 30 days if not registered, it helps limit pirating, but makes life darn annoying for the rest of us. Your best bet is probably to install 95 on the computer until you can get a newer OS. 95 is out of date, and horrifically unstable in comparison to the newer OSs, but it's still usable. I'd recommend getting a cheap version of XP somewhere when you get a chance. If you get an OEM version you can usually knock quite a chunk of change off the price, but you don't get any manuals that way, aside from the digital ones on the CD that is.

Since XP uses a different file system from 95, you'll probably have to reformat your drive to a FAT-32 before you install. The 95 disk should allow you to do that. Good luck.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

All you other "dorks" are just fakes.

(PS: Ann? You had to go get a third party piece of software to kill your computer? WHy didn't you just feed it the OS CD and tell it to delete the partitions? )

Certified fake here. lol Mark...The software I used was just the GScan program from the gateway site to write zeros to the drive. (I DLed it on my laptop and saved it to a floppy.) We'd tried everything else. Whatever had gotten into my system screwed with every setting on there...OS ops, security settings, the works. We tried working things from the OS CDs and they weren't accepted. We spent 2 weeks trying to get around things so I wouldn't have to nuke. No dice. Soooo...I nuked the entire system. Once I nuked and then reloaded everything, we were all set. Fortunately, I always back things up. So, I didn't lose much aside from time and sanity.

Glad you spotted this thread. I'm sure you'll be much more help to Lime than I could be.

Ann

 

[Limeoutsider]

best Buy has XP for $70 or $80, Ill be getting it this week

 

[ViperGTS]

Lime, lemme know if you have any other issues.

 

[TickledToDeath]

Reformat the hard drive.
OR
Restore it to the date she first set it up maybe?
The manufacturer if called should also have some assistance but the pc should have come with a disc to reinstall the whole works from scratch.
For instance, if working with windows whatever, reinstall all programs.
That should wipe out most everything.
When it askes if you want to save any previous programs or files and transfer them to the new program, just say no.

TTD

 

[the whacko kid]

Two quick points, if I may:

In Windows XP, there is a function called System Restore. This will restore your system to a previous point in time where things were functioning properly. To access this function:

Click on START
Click on All Programs
Click on Accessories
Click on System Tools
Click on System Restore

The System Restore window willl open - click on the System Restore Settings link at the bottom of the left hand portion of the window.

For all of the available drives displayed, ensure that the status is set to monitoring.

On the righthand portion of that window are two radio buttons; one asks if you wish a restore point created (this is a very good tool to use prior to adding any software that may change your registry entries), the other if you wish to restore the system to a previously created restore point (this point can be one created automatically by the system, or in the previous example, one created by you at a previous point in time).

The other point - I've seen this one enough to KNOW how much trouble it can cause. When your machine crashes - and you restore the operating system (Windows XP) - it is not guaranteed that effort will restore your operating system to the point it was at the time of the crash and subsequent restore. All you have restored is the version of XP that came with the machine - any subsequent patches or maintenance releases that came AFTER the creation of the version of the operating system you restored ARE NOT THERE YET. You must sign on to the Microsoft site and re-apply those updates as well.

For example, if your CD reflects XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), you MUST sign on to the Microsoft site and download and apply SP2 as well as any other pertinent patches or releases. Or if you buy a new version of XP, it may not automatically have the latest patches or enhancements - even fresh out of the shrink wrap.

 

[ViperGTS]

I hate System Restore. It NEVER works right.

And since your whacko self seems to want to challeneg me, let's rock and roll a little bit, here.

Once you've gotten the system the way you want it and you know you dont have any viruses, spyware, etc, make one of your silly little System Restore points if it makes you feel better. Then, go click on Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Backup. When the Wizard opens, uncheck the Always Start In Wizard Mode checkbox then click the Advanced Mode link in the main text. The last button that appears is the Automated System Recovery Wizard. Run through this to create a system backup on CDs or DVDs. This system recovery creates a perfect picture of your entire hard drive, saving the operating system, all programs, and all of your settings and configurations, and will ONLY be allowed onto the same machine it was created on. This is an amazing tool to backup all your important programs and to make sure you have a non-buggy copy of your system onhand to restore to.

There is a downfall to this, however. In order to create the backup a 3.5" floppy disk IS required. The good thing is that they cost no more than $20 at any CompUSA.

 

[the whacko kid]

I posted two points ...where exactly did I challenge you? Why are you demeaning what I said? You've had bad experiences with it so therefore it's automatically invalid? What is it ...no one has the right to post a view on this subject except you? I don't understand your attitude, Viper. Why the hostility?

 

[ViperGTS]

No hostility!! I'm justteasing. Once you get to know me you'll understand my thoughts...chill, friend.

 

[AphxA]

Well i assume its a windows machine, then you can do what all us windooze users do when we have spyware problems on our machines. goto dos, or the dos prompt, Then type format c: Back up important files on a data storage device(zip disc or whatever you have) first

type "yes" i want to format my machine when it asks

some type of countdown till format begins

Then reinstall your o.s.

DONT USE:

KAZAA
DONT CLICK ON LINKS THAT SAY "FREE PSP, FREE XBOX 360, FREE IPOD"
get yourself some virus protection software, but well these dont really work too well with spyware

My advise when you type urls in the address bar, goto google first so you dont mis-type the url and it brings you to a naughty site that puts more spyware on your machine. hope all us resident geeks helped you, take care and good luck.

 

[the whacko kid]

No hostility!! I'm justteasing. Once you get to know me you'll understand my thoughts...chill, friend.

My apologies then, good sir. guess this thread brought out the Disaster Contingency Planner in me.

 

[arion30]

do you need a CD key? PM me and Ill give you one. I have a few.

 

[ViperGTS]

A CD Key? For what, Windows?