Reformat/Reload Still pulling my hair out!

[Doball{MEOW}]

My wife's computer steadily degraded to the point of worthlesness. Too much flash gaming by my kids is what I'm blaming it on. It's nothing special, just a bare bones Dell P4 1.9G with integrated graphics and sound processors and a lynksys wireless card. So I reformated using this procedure:

Once the computer has booted from the CD you'll see a "Welcome to Windows Setup" screen appear and after all the drivers have loaded (shown along the bottom), press F10 or wait and choose to use the recovery console (choose item #2).

In the "Recovery Console" (learn more at the Microsoft web page on the Windows XP Recovery Console), specify the appropriate Windows installation. It will be listed. It's probably #1. Then log on by using your Windows XP Administrator password. You are probably the administrator and the password if you have never assigned is probably blank, so just hit the Enter key. If you run Windows XP Pro and want to turn off the password prompt then take a look at this Microsoft article.

Next, type:

map

and hit the ENTER key.

Note the drive that you want to reformat. The drive letters may be different in the Recovery Console from what they are in Windows XP, but if you want to reformat the C: drive then its likely the largest.

Next, type:

format C: /fs:ntfs

I reloaded XP home SP1, loaded wireless card drivers, video and sound drivers, a bootleg copy of office 2003, and our printer drivers. Now it is worse than before. When I try to open anything is stalls, and sometimes won't even respond to Ctl+Alt+Del. Should I try to reformat/reload again or is there a way to find out what's making it hang? I'm ready to pour gasoline on it, light it on fire, and do a little dance, but that would mean I'd lose my laptop for her college homework. Thanks in advance.

[INSTINCT]

not sure but i think there is a step or two ...out of place there in your procedure.

yes reinstall windows , using the c partion (largest) reformat and reinstall.


**** heres the thing you forgot***

dell use proprietary drivers  for almost everything you cannot use generic vid drivers or NIC drivers,  you must find the support webpage for your SPECIFIC model.

download everything from the intel board stuff right down to the specific gpu drivers (usually intel gma integrated or nvidia GO drivers) even download "critical or reccomended" updates that are listed on the support/drivers page.

leave the installation of the linksys nic till dead last.

perform the complete windows upgrade sessions (usually several hours worth) bring it up to sp2 and up to date.

then perform disk cleanup operations and junk/temp folder cleanup.

install a spyware app like "spybot " S&D or whatever you choose, then antivirus then install the nic last over the sp2 upgrade.

hope this helps cheers!


****remember dell has specific model drivers for motherboard CPU and gpu , dont forget the dell drivers for the intel chipset!******

by the way just as a diagnosis it doesnt sound like flash games that slugged the pc, knowing kids its more like greyware installs like "toolbars--search helpers--and spyware"
you can play flash games till the cows come home as long as you use firefox that is, and in the firefox settings tab  click to dump cache after each session, this will enable a promt
so you can manually delete the browser cache after each session.

[Doball{MEOW}]

Thanks! I went out of order. Due to lack of foresight, I didn't get the drivers before I swiped everything, so the first thing I had to do after reloading was install the wireless drivers, then get the vid and sound drivers. I didn't know I needed mobo and processer drivers. I just never thought about them. It has gotten better with some tweaking here and there, but not the way a fresh start should be. I'll probably redo everything on Sunday just cause it can't make it any worse.

[Felix*{MEOW}*]

Before You get on the net with that computer install a Anti Virus. then fallow stinkers instrutions.

[INSTINCT]

YES DELL pcs have drivers for the intel boards that are proprietary to dell, what we call chipset drivers they call something else.

and of course the chipset regulates all other things on the board like the cpu .ect

 usually a zipped file that u can get from the support site.

[Felix*{MEOW}*]

He might not need to go to dell.
some are packaged with the OS on the hard drive.
Dell tells you to burn all that good stuff first thing.
Others come with all the CD's
If you need to go to dell to get started. Theres a service tag on the side of your case type that in and you should get the specific info on your PC.

[THEKATZ*{MEOW}*]

We at the state have had issues with current updated drivers that have ill affect on SP1 installs.  Most current drivers for today (specially video) expect a SP2 operating system.  In short, installing up to date drivers before an XP has been updated to SP2 is something to avoid.  If that is a Dell, you should do as Instinct states, load up the drivers that came with it.  Once that is done next step is to update the living sheeyit out of it to SP2.  Bring it to SP2 and then go after those new shiney drivers to avoid most issues.  From experience here.  Do it every day at work.