PC rebuild (?)

[Hot Flatus]

Never done one, as my 7 year old pc has always seemed to run as well as it ever did (XP).  The last week or so it does seem to be huffing and puffing somewhat. Does a rebuild involve what I fear it does.... backing up everything I want to keep, wiping the C drive then reinstalling windows and all the f**king drivers (and their updates) and evryfink or is there an easier way to go about this? 

[bobajobrob]

Back up all your data from "my documents", your desktop, etc. Reinstall windows, services packs, security updates and all your applications.

There's not really an easier way to do it.

Enjoy

[Elleigh]

I did one recently.  I'm a computer-phobe but managed it.  Yes it doesn mean back up, reinstalling the operating system and reinstalling your programmes and documents.  I did all of that manually, but I was told that there is a device that copies your C drive.  It costs about £20.  Simongjones has one so it might be worth pinging him about it.  Basically he cleared and reinstalled his mother's computer using one and it took a 10th of the time and effort that would have been required if he had done it all manually.

[rae]

r is there an easier way to go about this?   

1) Unplug old disk

2) Buy new disk and plug it in

3) Install windows and your applications from scratch

4) Add old disk as an extra drive and get your data off at your leisure

Ideally step (0) would be to back up the old drive just in case. 

If anything goes wrong with steps 2,3 or 4, plug the old disk back in, hey presto, your old machine is back.

[rogerzilla]

It's cheaper if you have more than one PC and a LAN (or just a crossover cable): backup the stuff you've downloaded or made, then reformat and start again.

[bobajobrob]

r is there an easier way to go about this?   

1) Unplug old disk

2) Buy new disk and plug it in

3) Install windows and your applications from scratch

4) Add old disk as an extra drive and get your data off at your leisure

Ideally step (0) would be to back up the old drive just in case. 

If anything goes wrong with steps 2,3 or 4, plug the old disk back in, hey presto, your old machine is back.

That's not easier, it's just in a different order

[Hot Flatus]

But Rae, I'd still have to reinstall all the drivers wouldn't I?    I have an external drive too (and another networked pc that rarely gets used), but I was just going to shove all the stuff I want off the C drive over onto one of the existing partitions.  Oh my giddy aunt, I've got a boring few hours coming up, better wait for some shitty weather

[bobajobrob]

I'd still have to reinstall all the drivers wouldn't I?  

Yes

Oh my giddy aunt, I've got a boring few hours coming up, better wait for some shitty weather

Not long to wait now

[Fi]

My 7 year old computer (win 2000) did a bit of a huff and puff an an I'm going to run awful slow few months ago so I downloaded ccleaner and got it to clean the registry. It's run much better ever since. I'm a simple soul when it comes to confusers and I have read that some people think running ccleaner is a bad thing I've done it on my office computer too (XP pro and with permission from them what know about these things) and that's much faster now too.

[rae]

That's not easier, it's just in a different order 

Yes, but it does have a "known good" backout plan.   

Yes, you'll have to reinstall drivers.   That's just a case of downloading them.  Just make sure you have the driver for the network card. 

I do it like this:

- Get base OS + a reasonably up to date service pack
- Get AV software, + a reasonably up to date definitions file.
- Install all of the above.
- The machine will be at 800x600 and all over the place, but the network should be up, assuming you don't have anything exotic
- Get the OS updated.
- Get the AV updated.
- Get the rest of the drivers

Takes an hour or two.   Linux is generally easier, apart from the fact that absolutely nothing remotely exotic will work after you have rebuilt the machine.

[Hot Flatus]

Thanks! Will give it a go

[alchemy]

r is there an easier way to go about this?   

1) Unplug old disk

2) Buy new disk and plug it in

3) Install windows and your applications from scratch

4) Add old disk as an extra drive and get your data off at your leisure

Ideally step (0) would be to back up the old drive just in case. 

If anything goes wrong with steps 2,3 or 4, plug the old disk back in, hey presto, your old machine is back.

This is (almost) what I did recently. I bought a 500GB Seagate hard drive for just over $100. It came with a disc that had an Acronis cloning programme on it so once it was installed, I just ran the programme and within 10 minutes everything was on the new disc - programmes, favourites, email...the lot. The old disc is still in there just in case it's needed.

If I can do it, then anyone can

[Biggsy]

I was told that there is a device that copies your C drive.  It costs about £20.  Simongjones has one so it might be worth pinging him about it.  Basically he cleared and reinstalled his mother's computer using one and it took a 10th of the time and effort that would have been required if he had done it all manually.

Is that likely to work if your new computer is different from your old one?

No need for a special device anyway if swapping the disks, or if you have an external drive to copy the partition to.

[Zipperhead]

This link shows you how you can download all the service packs, patches etc. in advance, so that you can burn them onto a CD ready to install as soon as you have re-installed the base OS.

[LEE]

For future reference.

Get a copy of GHOST or similar disk image app..

Install OS and latest updates then your most vital applications such as Anti-Virus, Firewall and then save it with GHOST (State 1)

If you back up your data regularly to an external drive it then becomes very easy to reinstate your system data (State 2)

Use Ghost to get your system back to state 1 (takes 30 minutes or so using Diskette-based application and a CD containing the image)

Drag and drop your data backups back to state 2

Remember not to Ghost vital data unless you also back it up as it will reinstate your data how it was when you took the GHOSt image.