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alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:16 pm Post subject: Clean Loading

I have been blue screening with alarming frequency recently, as well as changing my modem, installing firefox and a few other tweeks, nothing is that much better.

I was wondering about saving all my documents and favourites list and wiping the hard disk and only installing what I really need, rather than having all the bits that never get completely taken off, lurking in the background.

What do you think.

Mad idea, or is there a better wat of helping it to run smoother.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:21 pm Post subject:
Julian has done this twice for us on this computer, and it did make a great difference. He wiped everything completely, after we had saved what we wanted onto disks. He then re-installed Windows 98 and Excel, and it was fine again. Took quite a long time, and there was some choice language along the way, but it worked for us.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:23 pm Post subject: Re: Clean Loading

alison wrote:

Blue screening these days is more likely to be a hardware fault.

Simply having a ton of software on a machine does not render it unstable.

What will render it unstable in terms of software is "malware" "scumware" call it what you will. You will likely know if you have this, by looking at the Favourites list in Internet Eplorer for stuff you did not put there, or if you have extra toolbars in explorer, or you get popup advertising in additon to the usual crap.

Possible hardware faults, or temperature being too high, as your system fans have become poorly. Or potentially bad memory chips.

jema

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:24 pm Post subject:

Sarah D wrote:

Julian has done this twice for us on this computer, and it did make a great difference. He wiped everything completely, after we had saved what we wanted onto disks. He then re-installed Windows 98 and Excel, and it was fine again.
Took quite a long time, and there was some choice language along the way, but it worked for us.

I agree it often makes a big difference, but the underlying question has to be "why did it make a difference?" and "how to avoid getting in the same boat again?"

jema

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:28 pm Post subject:

Jema How can I isolate the hardware to check it is all running okay.

Sarah, I know how frustrating it is to reload, as I lost 3 hard drives in one year, a few years ago, losing all my up to date stuff. (I am better at backing up now though!!) Proberbly the language will be similar here!!!

How do you save your favourites list, as I am never successful in doing this.

How do you save e mails, sent, received etc, in outlook (not express)

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:32 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

Jema How can I isolate the hardware to check it is all running okay.

Do you have a CD burner?

If so you can create a bootable CD from here:

https://www.memtest86.com/#download0

This will allow you to test the memory, in isolation. For temperature, you may have a display in the BIOS (press delete when switching on), or you can simply run the PC with the cover off and look at whether the fans are working.

jema

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:33 pm Post subject:
Thanks, I'll try it tomorrow, when I get the computer back to myself

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:39 pm Post subject:
I couldn't work out how to save the favourites list, and didn't have time to ask Neil, so I wrote them down on a piece of paper! I didn't save any e-mails, as I tend not to. If I wanted to, I'd probably just have printed them out for reference.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:41 pm Post subject:
Julian knew why it needed to be done, and knows how to try and prevent it happening again, but he didn't go into details as I didn't ask. I'm not the one who needs to know these things. He's quite competent on the computer, but less so with the Internet itself as he doesn't use it as much.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 1:59 pm Post subject:
Favourties are in a folder tha can be saved to a floppy or CD. In outlook under File there is Export which can save messages, you can go to contacts and export contacts to. jema

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 2:22 pm Post subject:

To save the favourites in firefox download a prog called mozbackup (its free) this can save everything in firefox and thunderbird so saves all your emails too if using mozilla thunderbird.
I recently did a clean install of my pc as I installed a new motherboard and things were getting confused re old drivers etc and someone recommended the above program.
A registry cleaning program can help with solving problems.I have registry rescue on mine which helps things run smoothly.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 6:36 pm Post subject:
When you used the registry cleaning programme did you do that first, or wipe the hard drive and use the registry to keep on top of it all.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 6:38 pm Post subject:

Sarah D wrote:

I couldn't work out how to save the favourites list, and didn't have time to ask Neil, so I wrote them down on a piece of paper!

I didn't save any e-mails, as I tend not to. If I wanted to, I'd probably just have printed them out for reference.

I wrote them all down last time, but I just have too many.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 6:39 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

Favourties are in a folder tha can be saved to a floppy or CD.

In outlook under File there is Export which can save messages, you can go to contacts and export contacts to.

jema

I never knew what Import export was for. Thanks.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 6:40 pm Post subject:

culpepper wrote:

Do the e mails have had to come through thunderbird in the first place. Mine are all in outlook

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