Re-format & Re-install

Part 1

This series covers the basic steps of reformatting your hard drive and re-installing Windows. Now, this is not for the digitally squeamish and it's defiantly one of those do-at-your-own-risk deals. It's not intended for novices and should not be attempted unless you are fairly comfortable with DOS (if you have to ask what DOS is, than skip this tip).

A final warning - This is a general procedure so you may run into unforeseen problems. You may be able to get answers to problems at the message board, but don't come cryin' to me - You've been warned!!

OK, before we start any kind of disk formatting, we need to back up all the important info on your computer. I usually copy everything to my CD-R or a few zip disks. I generally only back up stuff that I created. I don't backup programs I have on disk, I re-install those. Make sure you get everything that's important to you backed up (maybe twice) because after we're done formatting the disk it will be COMPLETELY GONE!

Next, you'll want a boot disk. Even if you don't think you'll need it you should still have it, just in case.

To make a boot disk for win 95/98, (not a Windows recovery disk) follow these steps:

1. Open My Computer, insert a 3.5 floppy into your Drive A: and right-click the icon for your A: drive. Select Format from the resulting menu.

2. Select Full format and check the "Copy system files box". Then hit Start to format the disk.

>> Note that if you are using Win ME that the above little trick won't work. You'll need to go to your Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open up the Add/Remove programs icon. From there, click the Startup Disk tab and create a new startup disk.<<

You should now have a bootable disk. You'll probably want to copy the following files to it:

EDIT.COM (you may need this to create or edit DOS files- this should be there if you made a Win ME recovery disk)

FORMAT.COM (for disk formatting)

FDISK.EXE (you'll lean about FDISK tomorrow- this should be there if you made a Win ME recovery disk)

MSCDEX.EXE (you may need this for your CD ROM)

All the above files should be under your C:\Windows\Command\ directory.

If not, use the Find feature to locate them (Start button, "Find" or "Search", depending on what version of Windows you have) . Once you find the files, right-click them and select Send to, 3 1/2 Floppy (A).

Here's some other stuff you'll want handy:

- Your CD ROM driver

- Your Windows CD

- Your Windows Setup Disk 1 (it's a floppy that you may have if you have a full version of Win 98. It's not 100% neces

As you have seen once Norton 2004 Products have been install and a wrong key has been entered, Norton Products aren't able to run, even if you uninstall and reinstall them, well here is the registry entries taht you have to delete as well as the folders

The registry files you need to delete

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and delete all symatec entries (there is alot of entries so dont panic just delete all of them)

Second you need to delete the following

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Symantec

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec

Finally delte the folders call Symantec

C:\Program Files\Symantec

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared

And the hidden one thats is at (Must enable "Show hidden files and folders" under the file option menu)

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec

After doing all this crap reboot and install a fresh copy of Norton

Microsoft Windows XP won't allow you to uninstall Internet Explorer. How can you fix the browser or even reinstall the program if it becomes corrupt?

If you don't yet have the very latest Internet Explorer, you can fix many problems by visiting

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

and updating to the latest version. If you're already up to date, however, the site won't let you reinstall the program. You need to fool the system into thinking you don't have the latest version.

Launch REGEDIT from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}. In the right-hand pane, double-click on the DWORD value IsInstalled and change it from 1 to 0 (no matter whether you choose Decimal or Hexadecimal). Close REGEDIT and go to the Windows update site again. Now it should let you "update" IE and, with luck, fix the problems.

By the way, you can do the same thing if you need to repair Outlook Express, but at the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}.