Reinstalling XP? Watch out for IE8!!
Warning - This post is for those of you who are going to reinstall Windows on your PCs yourself. If you aren't planning to do that, I suggest you skip this.
OK! So your hard drive died, Windows got corrupted (don't ask me how - it just happens), or you want your computer to run as fast as it did when you bought it. You've decided to install Windows XP from scratch and reinstall all your programs and data. What should you watch out for?
Well, first of all, as I said here, you really should go out and buy a new hard drive to land your new installation onto.
How this works is you install the new drive so that it is C:\, or the main drive. Your old drive is off to the side (not inside the PC), so you don't accidentally write over it. Then you install XP.
Once that installation is done, you'll want to install all your drivers, so everything works properly. Now, it's time to download and install all your Windows Updates. Now, you must BE MORE CAREFUL than any other time in this process.
Run Windows Update (WU). If you click the Start button, it will be on the right side above the dividing line near the top if you have the regular Windows Start Menu view set up. You will need to run WU several times.
Each time you run WU, chose the Custom button. When the list of updates comes up, scan the list for Internet Explorer 8. When you see it, UNCHECK the box to the left of it. DO NOT install it until there are no other updates to install. Install all the other updates, including the optional ones and all associated with your hardware EXCEPT any video updates.
If you install IE8 before all others are done, it can cause all kinds of trouble and not work properly. Why Microsoft hasn't fixed this problem, I don't know.
There are still plenty more things to do during this process, including installing your old drive as the D:\ drive inside the computer when you are ready to move your data to the C:\ drive. You can then copy (don't move the data) it all onto the C:\ drive wherever it needs to go.
Oh, yeah. If you are doing all this on a laptop, you won't be able to install the old drive inside the machine, so you'll have to go out and purchase an external drive enclosure (make sure it's for a 2.5" drive and is EIDE (IDE) or SATA, depending on the drive type). You can hook it up to the laptop when you need to via USB, Firewire, or eSATA when you want to move your data.
Here's hoping your installation goes well.
Posted by Sid Plait at 9/4/2010 3:46 PM 
Categories: Windows XP, Microsoft, Computers, Big Mistakes, All
Tags: do it yourself IE8 Internet Explorer 8 DIY XP Microsoft Windows
Categories: Windows XP, Microsoft, Computers, Big Mistakes, All
Tags: do it yourself IE8 Internet Explorer 8 DIY XP Microsoft Windows
Thanks for the heads up, Sid! I've been intending on replacing the 40Gb hard-drive, with a 250 Gb job, on my six-year-old Dell INSPIRON 9100 (Pentium 4; 3GHz) for some time now, as it is currently at over 75% of its maximum capacity (I also use an external hard-drive mainly for media files and such), but I've been procrastinating because of the hassle involved -- just as well, considering what you've stated above!
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Hi, Ivan!
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"[I]s it a faster drive?"
Actually, the rotation speed of the hard drive -- WD Scorpio Blue 250Gb EIDE 5400rpm With 8Mb Buffer -- which I intend to purchase soon (and is nearly half the price than a similar product at Dell!), is the same at 5400rpm as the 40Gb hard drive that is currently in my notebook computer; I think that most 2.5" hard drives have a maximum speed of 5400rpm.
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There are 7200rpm drives available in the 2.5" format, and they are a little more expensive. However, eBay shows a larger number of them available at very good prices. The U.S. link is here. You will have to look at what can be shipped to you.
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Thanks for the tip, Sid! However, I've noticed, via the link you've provided above, that the largest capacity 2.5" IDE -- my Dell Inspiron 9100 will only accept EIDE (IDE) -- 7200rpm Hard Drive is 120Gb, so it appears that there's a trade-off between faster-speed/lower-capacity or slower-speed/higher-capacity hard drives. Oh well... decisions, bloody decisions...
Anyway, regarding the reinstalling of Windows XP, would you agree that it would be wise to reinstall up-to-date anti-virus/firewall software before accessing the Internet for the first time, with the new hard drive installed, to download the XP updates from Microsoft, because Windows XP will be vulnerable while it still has got its 'trousers' down?
Of course, it would be easier to just clone the bloody hard drive with suitable software, such as Ghost ; however, after six years' worth of updates -- SP2, SP3, .NET 1.1, .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0, .NET 3.5, .NET 4, and a multitude of bloody security 'patches' -- I seriously need to reinstall Windows XP!
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Of course, you are correct. I forgot we were talking IDE here. Sorry!
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