PSX5Central
Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Kimahri on July 05, 2001, 08:44:07 PM
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K first off, im not exactly what we would call bright with computers... k now my question:
Ive recently had some problems with viruses and my computer is pretty trashed, so i wanted to just reinstall windows and start with a clean slate.
so i thought this would be easy, i thought i would just have to put the cd in and go to reinstall but there was no option like that to chose from
Is reinstalling windows harder than i thought? will i have to take it somewhere to get it down or can i do it myself?
thx for any help
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What kind of computer do you have? Is it a Compaq? \'Cause if it is. . . I just re-installed Windows about 5 hours ago!
If not, what CD is it? Is it the Window\'s CD??
Try booting up the computer from the CD drive.
If you comp. won\'t do it by itself. . . well, we\'ll get to that river if we ever have to cross it.
*W*A*R*N*I*N*G*
Just want to make sure you fully understand "clean slate." That means re-installing your printer driver, virus program, isp, everything.
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The only time i had a problem with Windows 95, i just Totally wiped my drive, then i popped the Win95 CD back in, and it went ok. :D Then again i also had an OEM setup disk. :D
Is your windows CD a full install or an Upgrade disk?
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k ya its a windows 98 se plus cd. i dont know what u mean by booting the comp from the cd drive but yes i understand clean slate i know how to reinstall all that stuff
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You can enable your computer to boot from the CD instead of Floopy... then C: drive. If this is not enabled on your computer, you might enable this in your BIOS settings.
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Just stick in the CD and restart the computer. See if that works.
If not, restart the computer and press the F8 key every two seconds until a screen with some selections comes up. (This is the BIOS settings that Toxical was talking about : on some older computers it\'s the Del key). One of the options should get you through it. Don\'t be afraid to experiment. It\'s not like you\'re gonna lose something! :)
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k ya the del key worked it entered a screen with many options wich do i go to and what do i do when im there?
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I think it\'s something like: "Step confirmation." I think you choose the default value for all the options, then it should boot from the CD drive.
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k what will happen after that? will it just reinstall and ill be happy again? or do i have to be smart to do it?
if i still have a virus on my computer it will still work right? the virus is a b!tch it infects all of my .exe files and most of them dont work now thats the reason i cant get rid of it because it has infected the files i need to get rid of it, i think the virus is called
w95/kaung.gr
anyone have that one?
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Don\'t have the virus, but the re-installing process will either happen automatically, or sometimes bother you with questions that you will probably answer "yes" to. Re-installing should get ride of the virus. There are some nasty ones out there that can hide from the Windows installer.
Good Luck!
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thx a lot for the info
its late here so im gonna do it tomorrow
again, thx
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No prob Bob!
Wait!
I mean: as long as it\'s fine ps2gamer_59.
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I think you guys are steering him wrong. Most viruses install themselves into the boot sector of your hard drive in addition to EXE, COM and DLL files elsewhere. If that is the case, just reinstalling Windows won\'t solve the problem. The only way to be sure is to reformat your hard drive and really start from scratch.
I would NOT recommend setting your PC to boot from the CD-ROM drive. Even if your BIOS has a switch that would seem to enable it, not every PC can actually do that. In addition, not ever CD-ROM drive can do it either. It\'s much easier to make a floppy boot disk (with format a: /s) that contains your CD-ROM driver, format.exe, and fdisk.exe, and boot from the floppy. If you\'re uncertain about the virus inhabiting any of these files, then copy them from somone else\'s PC. In fact you ought to do that anyway to make sure the virus isn\'t copied to the floppy\'s boot sector. Once you make sure the PC boots with this floppy properly, AND you can access the CD-ROM drive in this configuration, then you can proceed to reformat and/or repartition (if desired) in dos mode. After that, insert the windows cd, and run setup.exe (or whatever).
Before you do any of this, you might want to make sure you have all the drivers you need for your hardware, expecially if any of it is old or no longer supported by the manufacturer. Good luck ps2gamer, I\'m not sure if you\'re ready for this.
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We already said that it may not get rid of the virus CoreDweller! (See my post 4 up.)
Plus, most computers with Win 95+ (unless you built it yourself) boots from the CD ROM. Notice that the light of the CD ROM blinks when you turn your computer on? Many computers, especially pre-packaged ones, only supply a CD for Windows re-installing. They don\'t even make floppies, and if you can\'t make a floppy (i.e. you have a virus or something worse) the CD is the only option. The CD will boot up, then call up a program to re-install Windows.
If re-installing Windows does not rid you of the virus, then you have to re-install the BIOS, which to most people is not an easy task (not to mention riscky). So if the Windows re-installing doesn\'t work, get a professional to help.
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Don\'t reformat your Hard Drive, and the install windows. Thats like burning down the forrest to kill the bird!
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Originally posted by Animal Mother
Don\'t reformat your Hard Drive, and the install windows. Thats [sic] like burning down the forrest [sic] to kill the bird!
Hey! It get\'s the job done! Quick and easy, no questions asked.
But keep in mind that this is coming from a guy who uses grenades for fishing bait!
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hmmmmm from all of this new info i might wait a bit and gather some more information and ask a few of the people i know
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Here\'s a description of the virus he has: http://vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=10213&
The description does not indicate that the virus occupies any portion of the boot sector, so it\'s possible that reformatting the hard drive is not necessary. In fact, the virus can be cleaned manually (without even reinstalling windows) by following the instructions on the link above.
Now to your message:
1. Just because your CD-ROM drive lights up when your PC starts doesn\'t mean your PC can boot from a CD-Rom. Many can, and many can\'t. I speak from experience, and that\'s all I\'m saying. When you CD-ROM drive lights up while the pc is booting, that just means it\'s received power and is initializing. Some name-brand PCs include a special CD containing their version of Windows and all the drivers needed for their specific hardware. If so, he should use that CD for simplicity. If I were doing it, I would reformat and start from scratch because Windows tends to perform better after being reinstalled on a clean hard drive. It should tell you something about the quality of that OS that it\'s performance degrades over time. :)
2. Viruses that attack the BIOS are RARE. I wouldn\'t even mention flashing the BIOS to him. This virus definitely does not involve the BIOS, so I think we can ignore that part.
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Originally posted by Coredweller
1. Just because your CD-ROM drive lights up when your PC starts doesn\'t mean your PC can boot from a CD-Rom. Many can, and many can\'t. I speak from experience, and that\'s all I\'m saying. When you CD-ROM drive lights up while the pc is booting, that just means it\'s received power and is initializing. Some name-brand PCs include a special CD containing their version of Windows and all the drivers needed for their specific hardware. If so, he should use that CD for simplicity. If I were doing it, I would reformat and start from scratch because Windows tends to perform better after being reinstalled on a clean hard drive. It should tell you something about the quality of that OS that it\'s performance degrades over time. :)
2. Viruses that attack the BIOS are RARE. I wouldn\'t even mention flashing the BIOS to him. This virus definitely does not involve the BIOS, so I think we can ignore that part.
1.A. I also speak from experience, but I have never encountered a computer that couldn\'t be manipulated in the step-by-step BIOS setup to read from the CD ROM. But I\'ve worked with business computers mostly, so I could be wrong.
1.B. I totally agree about re-formating a Windows computer. I do it about every other year. It\'s a shame that Windows OS are doomed from the get-go.
2. I agree, but people should know that it\'s there and what it does, \'cause other problems may arise in which changing the BIOS is necessary.
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thx coredweller and everone else but about getting rid of the virus .. how would i do it when all of the exe files are trashed it says to use mcafee or boot to ms dos and use scanpm wich wont work because its an exe file, so is there anyway else to do it? if there is please tell me because the reason im reinstalling windows is because of this virus.
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Do you own a copy of an anti-virus program of some sort? If you have a legal copy, it probably came with a floppy disk you can use to boot your PC and scan/clean the hard drive. If the software is CD-based, it probably has a utility that will make a boot disk for you. Do this on someone else\'s pc, and then come back and boot with the floppy.
Just because your exe files are infected doesn\'t mean they\'re "trashed." It just adds 11k of code to each file. This can be removed with the anti-virus boot disk.
This is just what I would try, I think it shouldn\'t be too hard.
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k i dunno where i got mcafee it was on my computer last time i got it back from my dads friend because he probably put it on and i dont think i have any boot disks here... well i have this one it says
windows 98se boot disk... but it dont have anything on it to do with antivirus or anything... is that it?
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No, that\'s not it. You could go and buy a virus program. (I suggest Norton Anti-Virus). It should have a "fixer disk" that you use to clean your computer before you install the anti-virsu software.
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Thanks trog, that\'s what I call TEAMWORK.
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Originally posted by Coredweller
Thanks trog, that\'s what I call TEAMWORK.
Go us!
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so whats this boot disk for then?
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That\'s for booting up windows, but what you want is a virus boot disk that will but up an anti-virus program to get rid of your nasty little problem. The other disk is used for other situations.
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k forget about getting rid of my virus, i dont think its that bad of one anyway can u just give me step by step instructions on how to reinstall windows with my cd that i have its win 98se plus
i can press delete to get into a setup screen that has a bunch of option, i heard u guys talking alot about bios or something and it has that on the screen should i go there? and what do i do when i get there?
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I\'m not sure if this will work or not, but here it goes:
click on START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL
double click on Add/Remove Programs
Click Install
Put in the CD
Click next
follow the prompts
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By sweet f**k, I\'m sick to the rotting, plaque-infested molars of f**king PC f**k-up\'s.
Re-boot this, re-f**king boot that, they should run like f**king clockwork, and not give us any f**king problems.
I\'ll tell you this - in 5-10 f**king years time, people will look back and laugh at the prehistoric, sh*t-ridden machines we use today.
But wait a f**king minute! What bullsh*t spews forth from my gullet? PC\'s will never get their f**king act together.....
I\'d rather get buggered by a pack of elephants than put up with all the sh*t of runnnig Windows....
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I suggest that Marquis De Sade should write their own OS, or get over it.
Like you can do any better.
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make a win boot disk...
format.
put in disk.
install windows.
done.
There\'s a lot more too it.. i just can\'t be bothered goin through it.
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Originally posted by Troglodyte
I\'m not sure if this will work or not, but here it goes:
click on START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL
double click on Add/Remove Programs
Click Install
Put in the CD
Click next
follow the prompts
ya..... well all my .exe files dont work because of the virus so add/remove programs won\'t start
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Originally posted by Marquis De Sade
I\'ll tell you this - in 5-10 f**king years time, people will look back and laugh at the prehistoric, sh*t-ridden machines we use today.
That\'s what they said 5-10 years ago.
PS2gamer, here\'s the way I see this story ending for you: We don\'t hear anything from you for a while, then about a week from now, you return to the forum and post a message saying...
"Guess what! I fixed my PC! It took me forever, and I made a lot of mistakes, but I finally did it MYSELF! Yes, it works great now, and I learned a lot in the process!"
The feeling of accomplishment when you teach yourself to do something is really amazing. BTW, this is exactly what I did when I built a PC and installed an operating system for the first time. You\'ll love it, trust me.
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Originally posted by Troglodyte
I suggest that Marquis De Sade should write their own OS, or get over it.
Like you can do any better.
You\'re defending Windows?!!!! It\'s the OS from the devils testicles, my good friend.
Take a look at the OS Macs use - they never have the problems that PC\'s have, so why defend it?
Oh, and I couldn\'t do any better.........but I probably couldn\'t do much worse.......
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Originally posted by Marquis De Sade
You\'re defending Windows?!!!! It\'s the OS from the devils testicles, my good friend.
Take a look at the OS Macs use - they never have the problems that PC\'s have, so why defend it?
Oh, and I couldn\'t do any better.........but I probably couldn\'t do much worse.......
All I\'m saying is that if you don\'t like it, don\'t use it. There are plenty of other OS\'s around, but I use ::ugh:: Windows b/c it\'s the most ::ugh again:: compatable.
You\'d think that after 5+ editions they\'d get it right at some point.
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Okay here, I own a MAC also and I will say I have never had that many problems with it, except once when it didn\'t want to load the extensions.
The fact is, anything based on the 9x kernel is pretty much ****. NT 5 and anything based off the NT kernel (2K) is excellent. I run a 2K machine and I\'ve never had that many problems with it and it isn\'t uncommon for me to leave it running a month or more without ever having to reboot it.
I also ran 95 and 98 for quite awhile. Nothing but problems. I was constantly getting blue screens of death and having to reformat the damn thing. The 9x kernel is crap. I then moved Redhat onto that computer and I love the Linux enviroment I do. But, lets face it, Linux does not really stand a chance in the desktop market. And with OS X out now, you can get the best of both worlds. A lovely Mac GUI and the power Unix enviorment.
In the end, Windows isn\'t that bad, as 2K is an excellent OS , stable , plenty of applications . So, if you are basing your opinion that all Windows are **** on the 9x kernel, I stronly suggest running NT or 2K. It will change your mind.
In the end though, I do prefer the Mac OS over the Windows . And for the true geek there is always OpenBSD / Linux/ or the many Unix variants. But most people could care less about those.
One more thing you should make note of before you trash Windows is, the hardware is "open". Any ole\' piece of hardware can go in a Win box. Alot of the problems you think Windows creates is bad drivers , bad hardware support. The MAC doesn\'t have this problem, because the hardware is "closed". When Apple designs an OS they know what they are designing for, thus gettin\' rid of alot of hassles. Inproper hardware configs / out-dated drivers / and alot of other things can effect your Windows performance. Not to mention, third party software,etc. Windows has alot more to deal with then the MAC OS for the most part.
If your 2K / NT machine is configured properly, has up-dated drivers and taken care of, it can run smooth as a baby\'s behind. Which is the reason you should always trust the software company, before you install their software. Always make note of when you install something and if crashes / errors / problems start occuring afterwards, etc.
;)
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well well, i guess i will use this to my advantage, i will finally reinstall windows on my computer!!! my comp is so f***ed up, i have 7-10 terminal error blue screens pop up every time i restart my computer. im no tech junky, but i installed a hardrive on my friends computer as the dual(slave) so he has 2 on his comp now..
hopefully i can do it, but wait.... damnit!!!!! i need my internet software, so i can reinstall it!!!
great, WTF do i do?
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Originally posted by Living-In-Clip
In the end, Windows isn\'t that bad, as 2K is an excellent OS , stable , plenty of applications . So, if you are basing your opinion that all Windows are **** on the 9x kernel, I stronly suggest running NT or 2K. It will change your mind.
;)
Thanks! Next time I\'m in an electronics store (and not buying PS2 stuff), I\'ll make sure to pick one up.
Oh, and Falcon4, it depends on the software. You shuld have a disk or something. If it came with your computer then when you re-install windows it will put the internet stuff back to. You just need to configure the software, make sure you click where it says "I already have an account." It should only be a couple clicks and you\'re done.
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Originally posted by Troglodyte
Thanks! Next time I\'m in an electronics store (and not buying PS2 stuff), I\'ll make sure to pick one up.
You\'ll need at least 128 megs of RAM to run 2K. That is the one problem with it, it does hog resources. But, it is a very stable OS.
NT didn\'t hog near as many, but wasn\'t quite as "user friendly".
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Originally posted by Living-In-Clip
You\'ll need at least 128 megs of RAM to run 2K. That is the one problem with it, it does hog resources. But, it is a very stable OS.
NT didn\'t hog near as many, but wasn\'t quite as "user friendly".
No prob, got my 128 ryght here.