W3V: It is time for a reformat

Hi, I've had my W3V since xmas day 2005 and I've decided it's time for a reformat for many reasons.

Now is there anything I should be aware of before undertaking this task? I'd like to ask a couple of questions first also

a) Is it as simple as running the included disks?
b) How long does it take?
c) Will it be factory-new, like exactly how it was when I bought it or will I have to install all the utilites and drivers that were on there when I bought it and first turned it on?

Apprechiate all the help this forum has given me in the months before my purchase, I really am pleased with the W3V, it is a magnificent machine.

 

... tell me the next time you clean your room too...j/k

a. yes
b. few minutes
c. the recovery disc is set up to format, install the OS and then when it's done, it'll ask for the drivers disc and install everything on it.... so yeah it'll start up just like the day you got it. Also, keep in mind, you don't even need to get those discs out, just start your system and hit F9 while starting up and it'll do the same exact thing, just from the hidden recovery partition.

 

will it reinstall norton crapware? 0_0;

and justin, if i change HD, can i redo the hidden recovery partition?

 

Wait!

a) so u dont need the recovery disc at all, just press F9?
b) what drivers disc?
c) why have i got asus dvd and the windows disc then (all still wrapped up)?
d) i want to keep whats on my other partition (D: drive by default), is this possible?

 

a. yes
b. you should have two discs
c. you can figure that out for yourself, but they give you the media to have the media
d. yeah, you just have to tell it to format the one parition.... if you tell it to do the two, you'll format it all out. You better back up everything anyway.

 

Hey thanks for your help, I am REBORN! lol, it's all working fine now. Thanks very much for your help.

It took about 4 minutes in the DOS mode side of it, however it never asked me to put the disc in, I installed every driver on the disc anyway though.

 

4 minutes... ok, longer than I thought... but manually that whole process is what... an hour or so?

 

wow, 4 minutes is really quick for an OS format, I'm used to 1.5 hour formats

 

Manually, I'd say 30-40 minutes.

I dare say that I have a microphone problem, it doesn't recognize it, it's not in the sound properties and basically it doesn't even think it's there.
I've just reinstalled the sound driver again, so what should I do?

 

^^^ Ok forget that microphone problem I've sorted it ^^^

But now I have a new problem! Well it's more of a question too.
After the recovery whent he system booted up was I meant to put in the W3V disc and manually install all the drivers (Like VGA...Audio Driver...and other ones)? I've done that but my games are not working, so I tried downloading the latest ATI drivers for RADEONs and it says no video driver found, it's really annoying, I've done EVERYTHING perfectly and I don't go on virus sistes or use p2ps.

 

You can't use the mobility drivers from the ATI site. You have to use the video drivers from the Asus download site.