XP Reformat Question

[frogg3862]

I'm running XP home. I have already determined that reformatting my hard drive is a must, but I've got a question.

I've got two disks: one to install just XP, and one that installs XP, software, and drivers. I very much hate the process of uninstalling all of the bloatware that comes with the XP(+software+drivers), so I want to use the disk that installs just XP.

My question is this: do you reccomend proceeding this way? I am thinking it might be too hard to find the correct audio and video drivers once the reformat is complete. Also, will this basic XP installation recognize my ethernat, extra USB card? Is there some kind of wonderful website or driver pack available?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[valis]

my advice would be to use the full version of the install, get rid of all the bloatware again, then image the disk. That way in the future you can just install the image and not have to worry about the bloatware.

 

[shinybeast]

Well, the safest method is to use the OEM disc and uninstall the stuff you don't want. If you want to go the other route, I suggest finding and downloading all the proper drivers you need before you start and have them accessible (usb stick/cdr/another drive) once you get XP installed. It's better to be prepared. There is no way I can tell you for sure that the non-OEM XP would have the drivers you need for ethernet and USB adapter. Overall, I would suggest using the OEM and uninstalling the stuff you don't want. It could avoid a major headache.

 

[flavallee]

That would be my advice.

Locate, download, save, and burn the drivers for your computer's hardware to a CD-R. You'll likely discover that all or most of the drivers on the original driver CD are outdated. You didn't mention how old your computer is, but the older it is, the more outdated the drivers will be.

Once you've got the driver updates out of the way, you can use the XP CD to format the hard drive and do a fresh install of XP.

If your computer has an Intel processor and not an AMD processor, you should consider installing the SP3 upgrade after you've installed XP and updated the drivers. This will prevent you from having to download and install 100+ post-SP2 critical updates. You can download the file 316 MB SP3 upgrade from here, save it, then burn it to a CD-R.

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[fairnooks]

To help get rid of the boatware, love recommending this aptly named program:

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

 

[valis]

thanks, fairnooks....surprised I've not heard of that one before....

 

[flavallee]

Valis:

You might've heard of that utility when it was released a few years ago and was designed to remove bloatware from Dell computers and was called Dell Crapifier(or something very similar to that name). Dell apparently take offense to it being targeted towards their computers, so the name was changed. From what I've heard, it does a fairly good job of detecting and removing bloatware from several brands of computers. I've never used it myself.

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[valis]

thanks, flavalee.....I'm going to have to try that at work, as I spend easily more time uninstalling junk that I do installing junk....

Oh, and btw, nothing personal; but every time I see your name I get a cold chill running down my back. Spelunking is fine; doing it underwater is, IMO, sheer lunacy.

thanks for the input.

timothy

 

[flavallee]

Exploring underwater caves was my passion for 21 years(1986 - 2007). My deepest depth in a cave was 307'. my furthest penetration distance one-way was 3800', and my longest dive(including decompression) was 210 minutes. I had to gave it up permanently last year after my back and knees couldn't handle all the walking and climbing with heavy gear. I still miss not being able to do it anymore.

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[shinybeast]

Decrapifier looks nice. I'm definitely going to test it out, ran it on my PC but there was nothing I wanted to uninstall. Maybe I'll install some crap and check it out Thanks flavallee.

 

[valis]

Exploring underwater caves was my passion for 21 years(1986 - 2007). My deepest depth in a cave was 307'. my furthest penetration distance one-way was 3800', and my longest dive(including decompression) was 210 minutes. I had to gave it up permanently last year after my back and knees couldn't handle all the walking and climbing with heavy gear. I still miss not being able to do it anymore.

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very sorry to hear that......I've had hobbies of mine taken away as well, and feel your pain.....truly sorry to hear that.......

otoh, sounds like you had quite the time.....have you posted any photos in the photo section? I'm not claustrophobic, more hydrophobic. Was water-skiing in a very deep lake in Cali when I was a kid, and saw a shadow that was longer than I was swim past me. End of water-skiing. My dad swore I was an idiot and a coward, and about a year later my aunt sent both of us a clipping of a 6' catfish caught in that lake.

Ever since then, I've been a bit leery about what lies beneath the surface.

 

[flavallee]

juju68:

You're welcome.

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valis:

I'm glad it wasn't a clipping of a 12' alligator.

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[valis]

not there; now, down here in south texas, definite possibility.

and where you live? What the heck are you thinking diving with the gators? Hadn't even thought of that.

Run into any? Or water moccasins? Ick. In colorado all had to deal with were rattlesnakes, and never, not once, had an issue with them, as they always let you know when you were invading their personal space.

Not so with water moccasins. Just vile, mean-tempered, and water-borne critters.

Sorta like my kid at swimming lessons.

 

[flavallee]

I live about 15 miles east of Tampa.

Most of my dive sites were privately-owned sinkholes in the woods or state/county-owned springs that feed into rivers. I was fortunate to never had a gator cross my path in 21 years. Some of the sites get closed temporarily when one or more gators make an appearance for awhile.

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