reformatting.

Well my friends computer is absolutely demolished. It runs at about 20% of the speed it should. I've tried multiple virus scanners, spyware cleaners etc. #1 how should I go about reformatting? Should I follow the XP guideline about the partitions etc. (Ive reformatted before) or is there a way to make sure the system is truly clean. #2 he cant find his xp cd case or cd key. I have pro, but through another friend, I also think i have it on my system as a bin or cue file (image to cd) however, I do not know if it is safe to burn it for him, reguardless I don't have a key...he doesnt have 100+ dollars to spend on another OS. What can i do for him?

 

just bumping the thread

 

you made the software check and you say that it is not a problem of malware or virus, then go and

check...

1. amount of ram available. when machines are slow notwithstanding presence of powerful CPUs --P4, P4 Mobile, Pentium M, Celeron M, Sempron, Turion 64, Athlon 64, Athlon XP, the usual culprit is hardware based specifically dearth of available ram.

2. if (1) is sufficient (at least 512mb for light WinXP work and more 640-768mb for moderate 1gb-above for heavy multitasking) then it could be that the amount of virtual ram is insufficient. go and check Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Virtual Memory. Let Windows automatically decide.

3. if (1) and (2) are sufficient then HD space for swap file may be insufficient this is true if HD physical space is very limited. change HD to bigger physical space.

4. if (1), (2), and (3) are ok, then perhaps there is no Temporary Directory where Windows can write its temporary file. Or Check Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment Variables > User Variables (and the > System Variables. Check that the TEMP and TMP directories exist actually in the partition and directory that is indicated. If they are not present create manually the directory. Although this is automatically created during WinXP installation, at times by fluke of installation it either is not created or was inadvertently deleted or re-pointed elsewhere during manual tweaking and user forgot to make one.

or Temp Files Dir are filled with junk. Then delete these junk files, empty Recycle bin, and Defrag.

5. if (1), (2), (3), and (4) are in perfect order, then there is another way to remedy the problem...

The Drastic Solution (using fdisk and format utilities from bootable DOS/Win95 or 98 CDs or floppy drive:

Using FDISK utility
a. wipe partition,
b. create partitions --primary, and extended/logical
c. make primary partition active

then reboot and FORMAT dos command

d. reformat

afterwards reboot again and this time boot using the WinXP bootable installer.

e. reinstall WinXP and softwares.

if this does not solve the problem...perhaps, sorry to say this, either machine is antiquated and therefore better use earlier versions of Windows, or buy a new machine.

 

Before you reformat, run Belarc advisor and you can recover the keys to the system.

 

Well, I'm assuming that my memory failed me because I checked through his comp and there is a temp folder and a decent hd (60gb) with about 15 gb left. He has an athlon xp 2800 as well as 512 mb ram. His recycle bin is gone off his desktop and we cant get it back either. Is that a sign of a virus? By he way where can i find this belarc advisor? Also if we cant find a copy of xp home for him, where would i be able to find one, he already has a cd key for it that he bought, so there wouldnt be a problem updating or anything.

 

a missing recycle bin is not a sign of the presence of a virus. in fact you can still delete a file without placing it inside the recycle bin. it is most probable that the bin was rendered invisible by a tweaking software (a small program that allows you to control certain configurations of Windows which is not readily available to an ordinary users).

perhaps the slowdown is due to too much clutter --in the registry, in the drive. you may need de-cluttering utilities --registry cleaners, compacters, file and drive defragmenters (a good one would be System Mechanic 6 Pro). but of course it may or may not solve the problem if the problem is really something else.

re-partitioning, re-formating, re-installing is drastic but at least by doing so you would be able to determine if the problem was OS based. by starting from a clean install where WinXP, its registry and configuration is are free from corruption and pollution you already could identify if the machine is running optimally (software and OS wise).

a note about WinXP key. the authentication license key found underneath the notebook chassis corresponds to a particular version of Windows and therefore would work only with that version. So a WinXP Home SP1 key would work initially only with a WinXP Home SP1 and not SP2. WinXP Home SP1 key would work only with a Home SP1 not SP2 nor XP Pro SP1/SP2 nor XP Pro Media Center SP1/SP2. though you can always upgrade to a higher service pack anytime after you have properly installed and activated your OS.

belarc advisor can be downloaded from this site:

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html