replacing hard drive... will it help

[Blaster3]

i was curious if replacing a hard drive, (remove old hdd & install new hdd) & installing just the OS (XP Pro sp2) from disc, would remove any malicious software or trojans from an infected computer.

[shadowpr]

If the hard drive is new, then it definately should have any viruses or trojans.

You could just format and zero fill teh old hard drive and then reinstall your operating system.

[Blaster3]

also would it 'cure' problems such as program 'not responding' would you like to end now?
would it be like getting a new computer? just thinking it would be cheaper than a new computer. probably easier also.

[shadowpr]

What are your exact problems? You might be able to fix it without having to format or start over.

If you rather just start new, then you would technically get to start with a fresh install where everything should be working. But you have to reinstall everything you already have.

[Blaster3]

the old one acting up. i had it scanned by trend micro housecall, they found nothing but 2 graywares that they removed for me. but seems sluggish & always getting program not responding messages. thought it would be good idea to just put new hardrive in & start over, but will that help?

[nubbler]

Don't get a new hard drive just for that reason. Unless of course the problem lies with your hard drive but if its slugish it could be Windows or left over files and registry entries from unused and uninstalled programs. A reinstall should fix that.

Reinstalling your OS on the same hard drive will restore your computer to the state it was when you first installed it. So yes, all programs, files, viruses, settings etc will be gone or back to default.

I did this every few months back in the day when I had Windows 95. It also sped it Windows up.

Remember to back up your files. Be sure to scan for viruses before putting them back on your hard drive after the system restore or you will have viruses again.

[Blaster3]

system: Dell 4700, pentium 4 x86 fam 15 mod 3 step 4 3 ghz, 4gb 533 ddr2 dual channel, 160gb sata 7200 ( 83 percent free)

[glc]

If your Dell was built after 7/2004, simply press Ctrl+F11 at startup and use Symantec PC Restore to restore it to the same condition it was in when you took it out of the box. If it still runs slow, press F12 at startup and run Dell diagnostics on the hard drive and the rest of the components.

[Blaster3]

windows is full of errors that i don't know how to fix, most of them are from an update that wants to keep installing itself, Framework.net 2.0 sp1.
i went to add/remove programs & try to repair it but it say can't, also will not let me remove it. says the original path/patch is missing & i have no idea how to find it.

[Blaster3]

i should tell you that i did a system restore at same time that update came in. i had installed roxio creator & it removed all my drives, i did not know what else to do except a system restore to previous day so i did. after the restore is when i had problems with framework.net 2.0

[glc]

Symantec PC Restore is not the same thing as System Restore. It's a complete reload, it wipes everything out and replaces it with an image of the computer as it was shipped.

[Blaster3]

thanx to all, much appreciated... i will try to repair the old drive, if for nothing more than gaining knowledge/experience with system...

after I screw that all up, i'll install new hard drive & start over... (just a premonition)

[Blaster3]

thanx , i figured that..

[Blaster3]

thanx glc...
side note... must be a pink floyd fan, eh?

[Blaster3]

another thought...
if i use symantic system restore & it brings me back to original shipped condition, then i should still have all the software that was installed by Dell, right? although without the 3 years of updates. but i should be able to update those? easily?
is that the same thing as doin system restore to beginning(shipped date)







ok Alaron...
perhaps there should be a code of conduct posted for first time users prior to allowing us to sign up.
that way no one gets annoyed, just a thought...

although that does not seem to work so well, clicking on edit does not keep the conversation in order does it?

[Alaron]

Blaster3, please use the Edit button to add to your posts. Thanks. :)

_Moderator_

[Blaster3]

ok Alaron...
perhaps there should be a code of conduct posted for first time users prior to allowing us to sign up.
that way no one gets annoyed, just a thought...

although that does not seem to work so well, clicking on edit does not keep the conversation in order does it?

being a premier member, i'd of thought you could have at least given some advice to me, as you were last to see my latest inquiry.

[nubbler]

another thought...
if i use symantic system restore & it brings me back to original shipped condition, then i should still have all the software that was installed by Dell, right? although without the 3 years of updates. but i should be able to update those? easily?
is that the same thing as doin system restore to beginning(shipped date)


Yes you should have the software that was installed by them.
Are you reffering to the Windows updates? Yes you can still get those, and there will be lots of them.


although that does not seem to work so well, clicking on edit does not keep the conversation in order does it?
I think he means that it is ok to make a new post if you are responding to another person's post. But you posted 4 times in a row there and that could have been reduced to one. Keeps the thread cleaner.

[sgtspector]

ok Alaron...
perhaps there should be a code of conduct posted for first time users prior to allowing us to sign up.
that way no one gets annoyed, just a thought...

There is. It is right here: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=62600

[Cricket]

being a premier member, i'd of thought you could have at least given some advice to me, as you were last to see my latest inquiry.Alaron is also a moderator and was acting in that capacity when he posted...he probably noticed you were getting quite a bit of help already and just posted to moderate the thread.another thought...
if i use symantic system restore & it brings me back to original shipped condition, then i should still have all the software that was installed by Dell, right? Yes.although without the 3 years of updates. but i should be able to update those? easily?You'll be able to update but it'll take time...lots of updates came out over the last 3 years.is that the same thing as doin system restore to beginning(shipped date)No, doing a System Restore will reset the system settings back to the beginning (but that restore point is probably gone by now) but anything you picked up over the last three years will still be there. System Restore doesn't wipe the hard drive, it just reverts system setting back to when you made the restore point.

:) Cricket

[Blaster3]

thank you all.

no offense was intended towards alaron, i'm sure he realizes that, was just an observation on my part.

thanx, sgtspector, that link was informative & needed. i must have skipped right over it when signing up. should be made mandatory reading before being allowed to post first few times.

thanx cricket & nubbler, thats exactly what i needed to know about restore.

i have used McAfee system maintenance (included with my security system), it cleaned out some registry problems, & dumped some fragged files.
comp seems to be better, all be it not perfect.



i also ran McAfee Virtual Technitian afterwards & all is well according to it.

i have added & deleted many programs over the years, so i'm sure there's a lot of junk on the Hard drive.

i some how believe that there is still a deeper problem that those services are not reccognizing. i will check the forums to see if anyone knows of a good/reputable registry cleaner.

i went into F12, as glc suggested, but i did not do a restore, instead i checked system info & found the HDD Acoustic mode was set to 'bypass' so i changed it to 'suggested'.
seems to be a little better, but i'll see after a few days how it goes.

thanx, once again to all & to this site in general, glad to have your expertize & knowledge at our disposal. keep up the great work.

[Cricket]

i will check the forums to see if anyone knows of a good/reputable registry cleaner.A lot of us use the Registry cleaner in CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/).

:) Cricket

[Blaster3]

A lot of us use the Registry cleaner in CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/).

:) Cricket



thanx cricket, just installed ccleaner & it cleared up years of crap.
computer is feeling much better now.

[glc]

Now, if you want it running even better, you can uninstall all the McAfee stuff and use security that isn't so system intensive. Browse some threads in the Security forum for some ideas. You can also get rid of most of the Dell-provided background stuff.

[Blaster3]

just a follow up.

after further investigation i downloaded Intel Processor id Utility,where i found out that the Hyper-Threading was turn off in BIOS.
i enabled Hyper-Threading & set HDD Acoustic Mode to Performance...

wow, what a difference... doing that & getting CCleaner worked wonders, think i'm ok for now

now the bios list 2 identical processors in system, i guess thats just a mirror image due to HT.


thanx again to all...

[ktkendall]

Yes the two processor thing is like dual processors due to HT.