ME Format

[ccrn]

I know there is alot of info about this already, and I have read quite a bit so please bear with me.

I am going to format my PC this weekend (dell L700cx, 64SDRAM,10GB HDD, Celeraon 700). I have been reading here in this forum about exactly that but alot of you already know quite a bit more than I, so alot of the info is incomplete to a new guy like me.

Is there anywhere I can get step by step instructions to format?

I'll be doing it with the OEM disks that came with the PC unless anyone has a better idea.

Thanks-

[TheJackal]

Seeing as how your PC is a dell it would have come with recovery disks...

So, set your CDROM drive as first boot device. Put your Dell recovery CD in the drive, and boot from that. It will then wipe your hard drive, and reinstall all of your apps, and os, thus putting the machine back to factory spec.

If you are using a generic Windows ME CD, then you will still have to do all of the steps listed above, however your drivers and third party applications will NOT be installed with the OS, you will have to install them from the Dell supplied recovery media, as well as download the drivers for your machine from Dell's website.

[ccrn]

But how do I set the CDROM drive as first boot device?

This is so basic to most of you, but I dont even know where to start. I understand in theory, but actualy doing it is another thing.

I havent found the disc set yet but I know there is more than one.

If I have to go to dell's website to download my drivers I suppose I should check to see if they still support my machine before I format?

[TheJackal]

When your machine starts up, you have to hit a one of the "F" keys or the "del" key to enter setup. Either it will say what to press on the startup screen, or your manual will tell you.

Once in the BIOS, look around for your boot devices, it should be easy to find, select 1st boot device, and set it to CDROM. Save changes and exit. Put your CDROM in the drive, and it should do its thing.

As for whether Dell will support your machine, if you are going to be using the Dell supplied recovery disk, then dont worry about it, all the drivers will be on the disk. If you are going to be using a regular old generic ME disk, then you should definately go to the Dell website and make sure there are Windows ME drivers available for your machine.

You might want to download all of the Windows ME drivers, as well as all manuals for your machine, and burn them to CD, just so you have them all on hand right away.

[ccrn]

ummm...I only have the disc drive not a cd burner-

[DuNgA]

ummm...I only have the disc drive not a cd burner-

Its ok then. Its just that downloading drivers could take quite some time if you are using a dialup modem. You could ask any of your friends who has a burner to download and burn the drivers/manuals for you just like Jackal said. Save all the trouble just in case you need to reformat your hardisk again.

If I'm not wrong to enter BIOS for a dell machine you need to press F2.

[GaryRouth]

. . . I confess I'm a little curious as to why you want to reformat/reinstall . . .

If you have data on the machine that you wish to keep, don't forget to back it up first. Some Recovery disk options completely erase the hard drive & then reinstall just as it arrived on that first day you bought it (as the Jackal mentioned).

Which brings up another point: if you use a Recovery Disk in this way, and you've added different hardware (video cards, printers, cameras, keyboards, mice, sound cards, capture cards, ...) since then - the Recovery may have trouble with the new parts. One option is to remove any new hardware where possible, and put the original back in (if it's functional).

If it's a virus or error messages that's prompting the reinstall, you might be able just to fix the trouble, clean & tune the installation a little. But all that is up to you.

Oh, as a precaution: scan your backups with antivirus/antispyware before restoring them, if you do a clean install.
. . . Gary

[ccrn]

Originally posted by GaryRouth . . . I confess I'm a little curious as to why you want to reformat/reinstall . . . . . . Gary

Because I am thinking it might be good to give the PC a fresh start.

Ive had this PC for three years. its my first PC and Ive probably done most things wrong. Its had three different versions of norton on it, Ive surfed everywhere the first year or so including chatrooms, and Ive downloaded things too in the past.

Since then Ive deleted all downloads ie some freeware,jpg's and a video or two, and Ive tried to clean it with adware, spybot, hijackthis, and cwshredder. I have always defragged.

The problem is its slower than molasses now and a bit buggy too. I recently went back to a cable modem and its not any faster than dailup. Oh it was for a few days but then it slowed down. On top of that I installed NAV04 and it slowed even further. I also believe the regedit is clogged with three years of junk.

Ive also read in another forum here that ME corrupts the HDD.

Ive considered getting more RAM and even a larger HDD but it makes sense to me to try and format first? Its the cheapest of all options at this point besides, Ive never done it and I'd like to learn how.

I figure after a format I can go to MS and download the most recent IE and patches etc, reinstall a firewall and AV and have a fresh start. I am also considering doing a regedit clean and zero filling the HDD. Then I can start looking at some upgrades to do for fun, educational purposes, then start looking at a build in the not so distant future. None of this I know how to do but I want to learn.

Either way I am stuck with this PC for awhile yet. Even after getting/building a new one it can still function in my home as a slave or smarthouse PC.

Thats my reasoning at this point. I am open to suggestions-

[GaryRouth]

You have a lot of choices - and if you want to, you can try several & see what works best for you and your system.

One of the first things you should do, for an immediate speed improvement, is to go to the Norton site and download the latest engine for NAV2004. The original version had a known bug that cause noticable (in some cases - extremely noticeable!) system slowing - especially for browsing the Internet.

Another thing you'd want to do, before trying any exotic remedies that we might suggest, is to make backups.

I don't think you need to worry about WinMe corrupting a hard drive, if that was true the folks I built WinMe systems for back in 2000 would've called me by now. Those are some of the most trouble-free systems. . . I sometimes wish they'd call with some sort of problem so I could get to work on a WinMe system again! Really, I'll look around, but I've never heard of any such defect [I imagine that perhaps an add-on card (like an IDE controller) might have had a buggy WinMe driver somewhere along the way - but that sort of thing shows up pretty quickly]

I'd boost your system memory with either a 128mb stick of compatible memory, or a 256mb stick (depending on the motherboards maximum module). You can visit Crucial.com and use the "Memory Configurator" to find modules guaranteed to work with your Dell. The performance boost should be nice - and for a very reasonable price. [the 128mb stick might be the best bang for the buck]

With those two improvements - the newer Norton engine, and a memory boost = I think you might find performance showing a little zip to it.

The wild card here is any lingering woes hogging cpu cycles in the background. It sounds like you've become well-acquainted with anti-spyware tools - by all means keep them up to date & use them. I'd also recommend limiting background processes in general on a Win9x/Me machine. Try to get the background jobs down to essentials. MultiMedia players, Instant Messengers, etc - these don't need to run from startup & every second the computer is on [though they all want to]. You can stop many of these from starting simply by disabling their "StartCenters" and such in their options and preferences menus. For other more stubborn processes, there are values in the Registry that can be changed, or tools like System Configuration to help. A good, clearly written, overview of this is over at http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk --- look for the Startup items. Has a link to an up-to-date list of background processes, too: which helps identify where all those processes in your Task List are doing.

And, just to cover all the bases [although I usually only recommend over-the-top reinstalls for stubborn problems that evade more direct fixes] - here's a link to how over-the-top reinstalls go, in case that might figure in somewhere along the way [the added wrinkle with WinMe is that System Restore has to be disabled before, and then re-enabled after] http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...threadid=70846

. . . Gary

[p.s. ... I'm thinking that your model doesn't have an AGP slot - is that right? (in which case your limited to the onboard Intel 810 video) - if so, it's probably best not to spend too much on the system, since it's somewhat video-card limited in any applications that rely on a quick video card. . . . A motherboard/cpu/video card/memory upgrade might make sense if it's a Dell motherboard & all the parts are already tested and in good working condition - and cheap!] -

I suppose this is a bit too long a reply, so I'll temper my typing now . . .

[ccrn]

No its not too long of a reply, its exactly what I had been hoping for. Thanks.

I entertained the idea of doing major upgrades to this PC for about one hour which is how long it took to get replies stating the obvious, that this particular model is not worth it.

But I do want to add some SDRAM to it, fine tune it ie background processes etc as you have recommended.

I would still like to wipe it clean and clean the registry too.

Is there any good reason not to? Is is risky. From what Ive been reading it seems ppl do it now and then.

Anyway, thanks again for your advice and hope to hear from you again-

ccrn

[glc]

If you have all the OEM discs that came with it, you can wipe it and put it back to the way it came, all drivers and factory installed programs can be reinstalled.

Ram prices at Crucial for that model are:

64mb - $32
128mb - $47
256mb - $88

With ME, I'd say that a 128 would give you the most bang for the buck, bring it up to 192.

[GaryRouth]

I think you'll enjoy working on it a bit. Shouldn't be any risk running a Recovery set, it will work just like glc mentions.

[The biggest reason that Recovery disks run into trouble is when a the video card or motherboard has been changed to something different from the original. And since it sounds like you have all original equipment, you should do fine. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so, too.]

Just remember to make backups of personal data. A full recovery won't have anything on it that you've added since you brought the computer home [or it arrived Fed-Ex ]

A 700mhz cpu is still a fine performer for many, many tasks - enjoy!
. . . Gary