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How do I clear/dump/w-e my computer so it goes back to the way it was when I first got it? My dad says he doesnt remember how he did it, but I've gone into Control Panel/Performance and Maintenance and saw a System Restore button. Is that how I clear my computer? I'm wanting to get rid of everything so I can see if the reason my computer is running so badly is because of some software/file or because something is wrong in the harddrive.

redgroupclan wrote:Is that how I clear my computer?

It can be, but it doesn't fulfill this:

redgroupclan wrote:so it goes back to the way it was when I first got it

Reformatting and doing a clean install of Windows would get it back to factory conditions.

Looks like reformatting is what I'm looking for. That system restore isn't what I thought it was.

But ooh, I read the Microsoft document on reformatting. Seems complicated. And seems a bit much. It also says I'd need a floppy, which I dont have, and I'd need the CD that was used to install my Windows XP, which I never had.

Yeah, if your computer didn't come with a restore CD or an operating system CD and you don't have one, don't reformat it. Sometimes the restore software is built into a hidden partition. Check your boot up options and see if there is something that looks related.

Just curious, but is there a reason you need to 'dump' it? If you're just giving it to someone you can wipe the hard drive with various free utilities, and then have them worry about putting Windows (XP, because nobody should bother with Vista) back on.

Tean, I need to 'dump' my computer because it is running like crap, and it's time to see if there's some sort of software/file related problem or a hardware related problem. After all, I recall you once telling me I may have a bad power regulator.

Mav, are the boot up options what I access by pressing an F# key during startup?

Well, that's Zerted, not Mav
But yes, that's usually how you access the boot options/BIOS

Dohnutt wrote:Well, that's Zerted, not Mav

Oops, sorry.

Lol dont know how I got confused like that.

Anyways, I looked at the boot menu, nothing seemed to relate to the topic here. There was this thing about hardrive that when I selected it would just send me back to starting up the computer normally, and something about CD-ROM...and a 3rd thing but I dont remember what it is. I can tell that none of them relate to clearing my computer.

You went into the BIOS, that's not what they were talking about. I'm not sure whether or not XP has the boot options to which Zerted referred.

"BOOT Menu: <F10>
BIOS Settings: <F2>"

Thats what it says at the startup screen. I pressed F10 for the boot menu and I got what I described before. BIOS Settings was a bunch of other stuff...

Ok, you don't have a recovery partition. If you want to reinstall Windows, then you need a Windows installation disk. Don't attempt to wipe anything out until you get one (or decide to use Linux).

Defraging your hard drive might improve things a little bit.

So I'm gonna have to buy a disk for something I already have? -_-|||

@I've tried defragging before. I hardly notice a difference after I defrag. I suppose I could do it tonight and let it run while I'm asleep, but I'm afraid to leave my computer alone.

Sometimes OS installations come with "Create recovery disc" options.
I don't know much about this, so I may be wrong, but I heard that these discs were for OS reinstallation..
Am I right?

Hmmmm.....If true, where would that option most likely be at?

Umm, I'm not sure. Check Accessories, or maybe if you've got a folder labeled "Maintenance"? Just look around for something like that.

Those disks are for system recovery, hence the name. If you had one and wiped the hard drive, it might be able to reinstall the OS, but I'm not sure.

Regardless, you'd have to create one first. Since you don't want to recover your system to its present state, that would be pointless.

Oh, okay, haha. Like I said, I wasn't sure.

redgroupclan wrote:How do I dump my computer.

It has to be handled delicately. As George Costanza would've said: It's not you, it's me.

Dohnutt wrote:Sometimes OS installations come with "Create recovery disc" options ...I heard that these discs were for OS reinstallation...

No, those disks are only for correcting a few system problems. As an example, if you install a new graphics card and suddenly Windows starts crashing every time during startup, you use the recovery disk to boot into Windows without crashing, so you can fix your bad drivers.

You're stuck if you can't find a Windows installation disk.

You could try some system cleaner programs, such as CCleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com/

Or you could download the Windows 7 Release Candidate: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/window ... nload.aspx
However, this is still in development and will probably not work with some of the programs you might want it to work with.
It works with almost all of the programs I use - almost all of the newer ones work.
I recommend it, I like it a lot.

Or you could get Linux!