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Typical
Setup as a Suggestion *
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When
it comes to reformatting and re-installing the operating
system and all the required programs, then a general
methodical approach should be undertaken.
Here is a basic outline of a suggested procedure to
follow. The operating system in this particular
case is Windows ME, but the general idea is the same
for all operating systems. It is unlikely that
a technical expert will do all of the following when
you take your computer to them, and only because of
the time and cost involved. If you pay for the time
and expertise, then you can expect more than just the
hard disk drive to have been reformatted and the operating
system to have been re-installed.
If your system has a "re-image facility",
as comes with some makes and models, then the procedure
is straight forward and differs from this outline. In
this case the computer will be restored to the settings
and programs that originally came with the computer,
or when an image was taken.
Any additional programs will more than likely still
need to be installed and / or tweaked to personal requirements,
and over the weeks and months you will have made changes
to settings and additions - adding programs, folders,
and files, which will not necessarily still be intact
after the computer is serviced.
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BACKUP
AND PREPARATION
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If
the computer is still operational or at least the HDD
is accessible then certain files and data files you
wish to keep and need should be copied to storage. Preferably,
now days, this means to CD because of the size and number
of the files, or if you have a second hard disk drive
or partition.
DATA:
This will include word documents, spreadsheet files,
database files, publisher files, pictures (photos),
graphics, movies, music and anything else such as data
files from a specific piece of software that you may
run. Some thought may need to be applied to determine
where all the files are (by searching) and those files
that are actually the ones needed.
E-MAIL:
Address book and any e-mail messages that are needed.
PASSWORDS & SETTINGS:
Make a note of usernames, passwords and settings such
as those for the internet, the phone number for dial-up,
e-mail POP3 and SMTP details, registration details and
numbers for programs that you may need for reinstallation.
FAVOURITES:
You may wish to keep your favourite list of sites.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Anything else that may not have been covered in the
above examples.
ORGANISATION:
You can see from the discussion above that it you organise
your computer regularily, and dare I say back-up regularily
then finding and preserving the information required
is made easier.
Keeping all files in one area such as the "My Documents"
folder and in sub-folders where practicable allows for
quick find and backing-up.
CAUTION:
Take care not to back-up files that are not needed,
especially system files and those that may have caused
problems in the past. You do not want or need to restore
these back onto a "refreshed" set-up.
DOWNLOADS:
Updates, patches and any other downloads. If you have
had to download patches and add-ons for games or programs
in the past, then remember to keep these.
GAMES:
When you re-install some game a particular saved game
and player may be restorable, if you consider that important
enough ... after fighting through several levels.
DRIVERS & DISKS:
Like other downloads be sure you have the latest drivers
for your hardware if they are required. Also be sure
you have your original installation disks for the operating
system and programs ready.
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FORMAT
Format The Hard Disk Drive once everything has been
safely stored on removable media or if the computer
has another separate hard disk drive onto this.
INSTALLATION
Operating System - Installation
Have all peripherals attached and turned on so that
the operating system is able to detect them during the
installation. It is recommended that if you feel competent
enough you select custom installation and choose only
those features that you know you will need.
Additional Drivers - Most of the drivers for
your system will be automatically found and installed
during the installation, but in most cases one or two
pieces of hardware may not be set up correctly. These
are those that the operating sytem does not recognise,
and does not have drivers for. Therefore you may need
the specific Drivers for your Modem, Sound Card, and
Graphics Card.
You may be prompted to insert driver disks into the
appropriate drive - floppy or CD.
Motherboard Drivers - On the CD that came with
the motherboard or from the manufacturers site if the
CD is not available. These are installed once windows
is up and running and before any other software is installed.
Software
DirectX
- The latest version ... usually available from a magazine
cover CD, or download.
Core
Software
The main body of software that may have come originally
bundled with the computer system such as - Word Processing,
Spread Sheet, Publishing, Database, Graphics Software,
and other personal preferences.
Utility Software
Adobe Reader
Winzip or similiar
Clean Sweep or Similiar
Ad-aware
Virus Scanner
HardWare / Software :
Printer / Scanner / Capture Devices
Video Editing Software
Modem - fax software
Create A Restore Point - Create a restore point
(WinME) when you are at a stage where the computer functions
smoothly and correctly at any stage as you progress
through these steps, so that you can go back to that
point if errors or mistakes occur. This feature I believe
is brilliant.
Internet
Internet Browser and E-mail Software - Updates
Patches and Updates for any of the above
Run Utilities:
Ad-aware, Virus Scanner, Defrag, Scandisk
Internet Connection:
Setup
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*
There really can be no setup classed as typical because
of personal preferrences
and variations between computer system.
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Our
Local Services Include
Tune your computer* - Preserve your Setup*
- Remove the Junk*
We avoid the scorched earth approach when practicable
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