Reinstaling XP

My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.

After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
since my original installation in '93?

Much obliged

gls858
Wed Mar 19 13:48:17 PDT 2008

Me wrote:
> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>
> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
> since my original installation in '93?
>
> Much obliged
>
>

Visit the window update site and be very very patient :-)

If you copy of Xp doesn't include SP2 you may won't to download
SP@ and slipstream it into you current version. Here's a good link
on slipsteaming

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

gls858

Xandros
Wed Mar 19 14:06:33 PDT 2008

Your original install of XP was in 1993?

Anyway you made a typo but if you want to take the fastest approach to
installing XP download all the hotfixes and create a slipstream install CD
using nLite and your copy of Windows XP check this out
http://wud.jcarle.com/

--

Xandros


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u2uj5kj8pqjf9@corp.supernews.com...
> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>
> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
> since my original installation in '93?
>
> Much obliged
>

Jim
Wed Mar 19 14:10:41 PDT 2008


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u2uj5kj8pqjf9@corp.supernews.com...
> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>
> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
> since my original installation in '93?
>
> Much obliged
>
Since XP did not exist in 1993 this question cannot be answered.

There have been around 90 updates since SP2. It can take some time to get
all of them installed.

Jim

Xandros
Wed Mar 19 14:20:58 PDT 2008


"Jim" <j.n@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:ljfEj.21799$0o7.19261@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net...
>
> "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
> news:13u2uj5kj8pqjf9@corp.supernews.com...
>> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
>> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>>
>> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
>> since my original installation in '93?
>>
>> Much obliged
>>
> Since XP did not exist in 1993 this question cannot be answered.
>
> There have been around 90 updates since SP2. It can take some time to get
> all of them installed.
>
> Jim
In 1993 the best you could hope for was an install of Windows NT 3.1

Xandros

Ken
Wed Mar 19 14:26:20 PDT 2008

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:41:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:

> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.


"Removing and reinstalling a few program" or "reinstalling XP"? Those
are two very different actions.

If you are reinstalling Windows, in my view that's a mistake.
Reinstalling shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting. You will
solve your performance problem, but you won't have found out what
caused it. The result will very likely be that you will repeat the
same behavior that caused it, and quickly find yourself back in the
same situation.



> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
> since my original installation in '93?


From Windows Update. You should get SP2, and everything that came
after it. You don't need what came before, because they are all
included within SP2.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Bob
Wed Mar 19 17:57:11 PDT 2008

Get a copy of SP-2, which is free from Microsoft. It comes as a large
download or a CD. It is also available on other sites, such as "the
software patch". The same SP-2 works on both home and pro.

Re-install whatever XP you have, presumeable less than SP-2.

[SP-3, which is due later in 2008 should include SP-1, and SP-2, and all
patches since SP-2. But, exactly when in 2008 is a good question.]

Apply SP-2.

It is not necessary to apply SP-1, since SP-2 includes SP-1.

Then, run Windows update, many times. Let it decide what to install. A
high-speed internet connection is more-or-less required, unless you are very
patient.

It would be a good idea to get some disk imaging software (e.g., GHOST or
Trueimage), and then make an image after the initial XP, after SP-2, and
after each group of a dozen or so patches. This will avoid having to start
all over, in case one patch adversely impacts your PC. That happens to me
about once a year, and sometimes the patch can not be removed completely
using only the add-remove feature of XP. In fact, twice, XP would not run
well enough to even get to the add-remove feature. In most cases
re-downloading and re-installing fixes the problem. In one case I had to
wait a week or so for Microsoft to patch the patch. Of course, you need to
"test" the PC after each group of patches, to decdie whether they did any
damage.

CAUTION: Before connecting to the internet, especially before connecting
via high-speed, be sure to activate the XP firewall, or install some other
firewall. Also, stay away from all sites, except possibly Microsoft or that
of a reliable antivirus vendor, until you have an antivirus installed and
its definitions updated.


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u2uj5kj8pqjf9@corp.supernews.com...
> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>
> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
> since my original installation in '93?
>
> Much obliged
>

Me
Wed Mar 19 18:09:29 PDT 2008


"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:5113u3t5vk6bktj8a8ua88pbii60gof0uu@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:41:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:
>
>> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
>> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>
>
> "Removing and reinstalling a few program" or "reinstalling XP"? Those
> are two very different actions.
>
> If you are reinstalling Windows, in my view that's a mistake.
> Reinstalling shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting. You will
> solve your performance problem, but you won't have found out what
> caused it. The result will very likely be that you will repeat the
> same behavior that caused it, and quickly find yourself back in the
> same situation.

Yes, I made a typo; it was installed in 2003.

What kind of troubleshooting do you suggest? When I shut Windows down, it
wouften hang for 15 seconds or so and I would get a message the "ccap was
not responding." I ccap is roughly what it said. I don't recall I believe
it was the modem. Word was getting slow to respond. Sometimes small Word
documents would take more time to close than they should. The browsers,
Firefox and Netscape were running slowly. I'm pretty sure IE wasn't having
any problems. My wife uses it and reports no problems. We use different
browsers to keep out of each other's hair.

Based on what very little I know about PCs, It behaves like some computers
do when they are said to have a memory leak and I don't know how to fix
that. I should have asked. The disk has been defragged. We searched for
tmp and temp filesd and deleted them Browsers' caches have been cleared
regularly. I assumed a reinstall of the OS and other progarams would do
the trick. Thanks again.

>
>
>> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
>> since my original installation in '93?
>
>
> From Windows Update. You should get SP2, and everything that came
> after it. You don't need what came before, because they are all
> included within SP2.
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Xandros
Wed Mar 19 23:06:42 PDT 2008


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u3e9vs77929bf@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:5113u3t5vk6bktj8a8ua88pbii60gof0uu@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:41:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:
>>
>>> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
>>> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>>
>>
>> "Removing and reinstalling a few program" or "reinstalling XP"? Those
>> are two very different actions.
>>
>> If you are reinstalling Windows, in my view that's a mistake.
>> Reinstalling shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting. You will
>> solve your performance problem, but you won't have found out what
>> caused it. The result will very likely be that you will repeat the
>> same behavior that caused it, and quickly find yourself back in the
>> same situation.
>
> Yes, I made a typo; it was installed in 2003.
>
> What kind of troubleshooting do you suggest?

Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because he
knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your ability to
spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic antispyware
scans.


--

Xandros

DL
Thu Mar 20 03:10:46 PDT 2008

ccap is a Norton/Symantec file/service
Uninstall Norton, and use their cleanup tool, available on the site to
completely remove, then test your PC again

"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u3e9vs77929bf@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:5113u3t5vk6bktj8a8ua88pbii60gof0uu@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:41:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:
>>
>>> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
>>> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
>>
>>
>> "Removing and reinstalling a few program" or "reinstalling XP"? Those
>> are two very different actions.
>>
>> If you are reinstalling Windows, in my view that's a mistake.
>> Reinstalling shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting. You will
>> solve your performance problem, but you won't have found out what
>> caused it. The result will very likely be that you will repeat the
>> same behavior that caused it, and quickly find yourself back in the
>> same situation.
>
> Yes, I made a typo; it was installed in 2003.
>
> What kind of troubleshooting do you suggest? When I shut Windows down, it
> wouften hang for 15 seconds or so and I would get a message the "ccap was
> not responding." I ccap is roughly what it said. I don't recall I believe
> it was the modem. Word was getting slow to respond. Sometimes small Word
> documents would take more time to close than they should. The browsers,
> Firefox and Netscape were running slowly. I'm pretty sure IE wasn't
> having any problems. My wife uses it and reports no problems. We use
> different browsers to keep out of each other's hair.
>
> Based on what very little I know about PCs, It behaves like some
> computers do when they are said to have a memory leak and I don't know how
> to fix that. I should have asked. The disk has been defragged. We
> searched for tmp and temp filesd and deleted them Browsers' caches have
> been cleared regularly. I assumed a reinstall of the OS and other
> progarams would do the trick. Thanks again.
>
>>
>>
>>> After I reinstall it, how do I get the XP updates that have been issued
>>> since my original installation in '93?
>>
>>
>> From Windows Update. You should get SP2, and everything that came
>> after it. You don't need what came before, because they are all
>> included within SP2.
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
>

philo
Thu Mar 20 03:37:15 PDT 2008


"Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
> news:13u3e9vs77929bf@corp.supernews.com...
> >
> > "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> > news:5113u3t5vk6bktj8a8ua88pbii60gof0uu@4ax.com...
> >> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:41:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> My computer is running slower than a turtle, so I'm removing and
> >>> reinstalling a few programs to try to clean & speed it up.
> >>
> >>
> >> "Removing and reinstalling a few program" or "reinstalling XP"? Those
> >> are two very different actions.
> >>
> >> If you are reinstalling Windows, in my view that's a mistake.
> >> Reinstalling shouldn't be a substitute for troubleshooting. You will
> >> solve your performance problem, but you won't have found out what
> >> caused it. The result will very likely be that you will repeat the
> >> same behavior that caused it, and quickly find yourself back in the
> >> same situation.
> >
> > Yes, I made a typo; it was installed in 2003.
> >
> > What kind of troubleshooting do you suggest?
>
> Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
> reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because he
> knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your ability
to
> spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
> update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic antispyware
> scans.
>


I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
rock-solid advice.
He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten to
the root of their problem
and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix the
system first.

That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps with
a slew of specialized
configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.

Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had spent
4 hours working on it
when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled windows
and the one or two apps.

That took maybe an hour or so !!!!

Ken
Thu Mar 20 12:39:15 PDT 2008

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:

>
> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> >

> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because he
> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your ability
> to
> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic antispyware
> > scans.
> >
>
>
> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
> rock-solid advice.


Thanks for the kind words, Philo.


> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten to
> the root of their problem
> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix the
> system first.
>
> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps with
> a slew of specialized
> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
>
> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had spent
> 4 hours working on it
> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled windows
> and the one or two apps.


I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.



> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!


That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
lot to install and a lot to configure.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

philo
Thu Mar 20 12:56:19 PDT 2008


"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:
>
> >
> > "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
> > news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> > >
>
> > > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
> > > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because
he
> > > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
ability
> > to
> > > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
> > > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
antispyware
> > > scans.
> > >
> >
> >
> > I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
> > rock-solid advice.
>
>
> Thanks for the kind words, Philo.

You are welcome!
>
>
> > He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten
to
> > the root of their problem
> > and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix
the
> > system first.
> >
> > That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps
with
> > a slew of specialized
> > configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
> >
> > Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had
spent
> > 4 hours working on it
> > when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
windows
> > and the one or two apps.
>
>
> I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
>

Amazing but quite believable!!!

>
> > That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
>
>
> That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
> simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> lot to install and a lot to configure.
>
>

Of course that machine I formatted was win98 and there was almost nothing on
it
other than her ISP interface and printer driver.

I'm sure it would take me weeks to get one of my machines reconfigured...
so now have clones of all my main systems

Me
Thu Mar 20 13:44:18 PDT 2008


"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
>> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> >
>
>> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
>> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because
>> > he
>> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
>> > ability
>> to
>> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
>> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
>> > antispyware
>> > scans.
>> >
>>
>>
>> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
>> rock-solid advice.
>
>
> Thanks for the kind words, Philo.
>
>
>> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten to
>> the root of their problem
>> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix
>> the
>> system first.
>>
>> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps
>> with
>> a slew of specialized
>> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
>>
>> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had
>> spent
>> 4 hours working on it
>> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
>> windows
>> and the one or two apps.
>
>
> I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
>
>
>
>> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
>
>
> That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
> simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> lot to install and a lot to configure.
>
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Dumb as I am about OS I know better than to get worried about the task bar.
You might not believe this, but
I can program in VB, VBA, write decent HTML. I used to know COBOL and RPG.


I think formatting and reinstalling the whole blasted thing is the only
viable option. There are too many bloody things wrong with this here
machine.
My apologies for all the omissions. A heck of a lot of 'em.


Would someone please recommend some spyware software?

I have exported my "contacts " from Outlook, so I won't lose any email
addresses.
I also have screenshots of my Internet, Outlook & Outlook Express settings
so I'll be
able to reconnect to the 'net without too much difficulty.

There used to be a way to copy the mailbox folders. Make a copy, back that
up, and
then, once Outlook is back in, I can overwrite the original file. I think
it's the "pst" folder?


1) Sometimes an ad I run into knows that I live in Seattle. I've been
phished, hacked or whatever. I never edit the Registry myself.

2) I connect to the 'net with DSL. Cable is not an option

3) basic Norton 2006 is always on and updated weekly. Autoprotect is always
is on. Norton's fire wall gave me problems a couple years ago so I took it
off.
Intrusion blocking is on.

4) my wife downloads games, just the basic kill the enemy's soldiers so they
don't kill hers. She gets them from yahoo and other sites that Norton,
which is always on, trusts.


5) I never run programs while those games are being downloaded

6) At most I'll have Outlook open while the browser's running. Maybe
Notepad, too, when I blog. I never run multiple instances of any Office or
other programs. I seldom use tabs when I use a browser. If I do, I never
have more than three open at a time. We don't play games while on the 'net.
They are always downloaded.

7) When I use the "find" tool in Word, the dialogue box into which I enter
the word doesn't appear. The tab, or whatever, at the bottom that shows
Word is running "pulses" a little. I click the tab & the dialogue box
appears. Word is the only app with which that happens. I need to reinstall
the whole Office XP suite. Maybe just Word, but reinstalling the whole
thing makes more sense. I was going to reinstall Office as well as Windows.
Doesn't make sense that Windows is the only culprit on that one.

Thanks again.

philo
Thu Mar 20 14:21:47 PDT 2008


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u5j4lo37n283f@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> > On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
> >> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> >> >
> >
> >> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
> >> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because
> >> > he
> >> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
> >> > ability
> >> to
> >> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
> >> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
> >> > antispyware
> >> > scans.
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
> >> rock-solid advice.
> >
> >
> > Thanks for the kind words, Philo.
> >
> >
> >> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten
to
> >> the root of their problem
> >> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix
> >> the
> >> system first.
> >>
> >> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps
> >> with
> >> a slew of specialized
> >> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
> >>
> >> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had
> >> spent
> >> 4 hours working on it
> >> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
> >> windows
> >> and the one or two apps.
> >
> >
> > I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> > have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> > people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> > problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> > Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> > bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
> >
> >
> >
> >> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
> >
> >
> > That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
> > simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> > Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> > several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> > lot to install and a lot to configure.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
> Dumb as I am about OS I know better than to get worried about the task
bar.
> You might not believe this, but
> I can program in VB, VBA, write decent HTML. I used to know COBOL and RPG.
>
>
> I think formatting and reinstalling the whole blasted thing is the only
> viable option. There are too many bloody things wrong with this here
> machine.
> My apologies for all the omissions. A heck of a lot of 'em.
>

>
> Would someone please recommend some spyware software?
>

I use Spybot S& D

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

It seems to be recommended very often


> I have exported my "contacts " from Outlook, so I won't lose any email
> addresses.
> I also have screenshots of my Internet, Outlook & Outlook Express settings
> so I'll be
> able to reconnect to the 'net without too much difficulty.
>
> There used to be a way to copy the mailbox folders. Make a copy, back
that
> up, and
> then, once Outlook is back in, I can overwrite the original file. I think
> it's the "pst" folder?
>
>

It's the .dbx files

such as inbox.dbx

Just overwite the existing files on a new installation
and test everything before you start sending a receiving any email

> 1) Sometimes an ad I run into knows that I live in Seattle. I've been
> phished, hacked or whatever. I never edit the Registry myself.
>
> 2) I connect to the 'net with DSL. Cable is not an option
>
> 3) basic Norton 2006 is always on and updated weekly. Autoprotect is
always
> is on. Norton's fire wall gave me problems a couple years ago so I took
it
> off.
> Intrusion blocking is on.
>
> 4) my wife downloads games, just the basic kill the enemy's soldiers so
they
> don't kill hers. She gets them from yahoo and other sites that Norton,
> which is always on, trusts.
>
>
> 5) I never run programs while those games are being downloaded
>
> 6) At most I'll have Outlook open while the browser's running. Maybe
> Notepad, too, when I blog. I never run multiple instances of any Office
or
> other programs. I seldom use tabs when I use a browser. If I do, I never
> have more than three open at a time. We don't play games while on the
'net.
> They are always downloaded.
>
> 7) When I use the "find" tool in Word, the dialogue box into which I enter
> the word doesn't appear. The tab, or whatever, at the bottom that shows
> Word is running "pulses" a little. I click the tab & the dialogue box
> appears. Word is the only app with which that happens. I need to
reinstall
> the whole Office XP suite. Maybe just Word, but reinstalling the whole
> thing makes more sense. I was going to reinstall Office as well as
Windows.
> Doesn't make sense that Windows is the only culprit on that one.
>
> Thanks again.
>
>

Though I'm sure you know what's best for you...
if the only problems you are having is with "Word"

Maybe you'd want to just try uninstalling your Office Suite
reboot and reinstall...
before doing something as drastic as a clean install of your entire OS

Ken
Thu Mar 20 14:36:08 PDT 2008

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:44:18 -0700, "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote:

>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> > On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:


> > I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> > have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> > people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> > problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> > Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> > bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.


> Dumb as I am about OS I know better than to get worried about the task bar.


LOL! No, I certainly didn't mean you.


> You might not believe this, but
> I can program in VB, VBA, write decent HTML. I used to know COBOL and RPG.


Of course I believe it. Why would you lie.

I used to write COBOL too, but that was a lot of years ago.



> I think formatting and reinstalling the whole blasted thing is the only
> viable option. There are too many bloody things wrong with this here
> machine.


OK. It's certainly your choice; you know the problems and I don't. My
point, once again, is that it's *usually* the wrong choice, not that
it's always the wrong choice.



> Would someone please recommend some spyware software?


I recommend against spyware software. Instead I recommend anti-spyware
software. ;-)

I recommend installing at least two from this list (all free):

Spyware Blaster
Adaware
Spybot Search and Destroy
Super Antispyware
Windows Defender.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Me
Thu Mar 20 14:42:42 PDT 2008


"philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:qaidnVFUhZnzSH_anZ2dnUVZ_oCvnZ2d@athenet.net...
>
> "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
> news:13u5j4lo37n283f@corp.supernews.com...
>>
>> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
>> news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
>> > On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
>> >> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> >> >
>> >
>> >> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
>> >> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance
>> >> > because
>> >> > he
>> >> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
>> >> > ability
>> >> to
>> >> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall
>> >> > XP,
>> >> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
>> >> > antispyware
>> >> > scans.
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally
>> >> gives
>> >> rock-solid advice.
>> >
>> >
>> > Thanks for the kind words, Philo.
>> >
>> >
>> >> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten
> to
>> >> the root of their problem
>> >> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix
>> >> the
>> >> system first.
>> >>
>> >> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of
>> >> apps
>> >> with
>> >> a slew of specialized
>> >> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
>> >>
>> >> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had
>> >> spent
>> >> 4 hours working on it
>> >> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
>> >> windows
>> >> and the one or two apps.
>> >
>> >
>> > I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
>> > have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
>> > people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
>> > problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
>> > Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
>> > bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
>> >
>> >
>> > That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
>> > simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
>> > Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
>> > several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
>> > lot to install and a lot to configure.
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>
>> Dumb as I am about OS I know better than to get worried about the task
> bar.
>> You might not believe this, but
>> I can program in VB, VBA, write decent HTML. I used to know COBOL and
>> RPG.
>>
>>
>> I think formatting and reinstalling the whole blasted thing is the only
>> viable option. There are too many bloody things wrong with this here
>> machine.
>> My apologies for all the omissions. A heck of a lot of 'em.
>>
>
>>
>> Would someone please recommend some spyware software?
>>
>
> I use Spybot S& D
>
> http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
>
> It seems to be recommended very often
>
>
>> I have exported my "contacts " from Outlook, so I won't lose any email
>> addresses.
>> I also have screenshots of my Internet, Outlook & Outlook Express
>> settings
>> so I'll be
>> able to reconnect to the 'net without too much difficulty.
>>
>> There used to be a way to copy the mailbox folders. Make a copy, back
> that
>> up, and
>> then, once Outlook is back in, I can overwrite the original file. I
>> think
>> it's the "pst" folder?
>>
>>
>
> It's the .dbx files
>
> such as inbox.dbx
>
> Just overwite the existing files on a new installation
> and test everything before you start sending a receiving any email
>
>> 1) Sometimes an ad I run into knows that I live in Seattle. I've been
>> phished, hacked or whatever. I never edit the Registry myself.
>>
>> 2) I connect to the 'net with DSL. Cable is not an option
>>
>> 3) basic Norton 2006 is always on and updated weekly. Autoprotect is
> always
>> is on. Norton's fire wall gave me problems a couple years ago so I took
> it
>> off.
>> Intrusion blocking is on.
>>
>> 4) my wife downloads games, just the basic kill the enemy's soldiers so
> they
>> don't kill hers. She gets them from yahoo and other sites that Norton,
>> which is always on, trusts.
>>
>>
>> 5) I never run programs while those games are being downloaded
>>
>> 6) At most I'll have Outlook open while the browser's running. Maybe
>> Notepad, too, when I blog. I never run multiple instances of any Office
> or
>> other programs. I seldom use tabs when I use a browser. If I do, I
>> never
>> have more than three open at a time. We don't play games while on the
> 'net.
>> They are always downloaded.
>>
>> 7) When I use the "find" tool in Word, the dialogue box into which I
>> enter
>> the word doesn't appear. The tab, or whatever, at the bottom that shows
>> Word is running "pulses" a little. I click the tab & the dialogue box
>> appears. Word is the only app with which that happens. I need to
> reinstall
>> the whole Office XP suite. Maybe just Word, but reinstalling the whole
>> thing makes more sense. I was going to reinstall Office as well as
> Windows.
>> Doesn't make sense that Windows is the only culprit on that one.
>>
>> Thanks again.
>>
>>
>
> Though I'm sure you know what's best for you...
> if the only problems you are having is with "Word"
>
> Maybe you'd want to just try uninstalling your Office Suite
> reboot and reinstall...
> before doing something as drastic as a clean install of your entire OS
>
Surfing is the other problem. I removed Netscape & Firefox yesterday and was
going to reinstall them after I got some feedback. Those two would
automatically install updates and that might have caused the surfing
problem. The Word problem predated that by many months.

How can I get the world to stop knowing where I live? I believe spyware will
prevent that from happening when I visit a new site. Will it disable the
ability of sites I've previously visited to know that I'm in Seattle? Thank
you for bearing with me.

>

philo
Thu Mar 20 15:31:34 PDT 2008


"Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
news:13u5mi5t5rpq826@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:qaidnVFUhZnzSH_anZ2dnUVZ_oCvnZ2d@athenet.net...
> >
> > "Me" <me@acmewidgets.com> wrote in message
> > news:13u5j4lo37n283f@corp.supernews.com...
> >>
> >> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> >> news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> >> > On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net>
wrote:
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
> >> >> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> >> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
> >> >> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance
> >> >> > because
> >> >> > he
> >> >> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
> >> >> > ability
> >> >> to
> >> >> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall
> >> >> > XP,
> >> >> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
> >> >> > antispyware
> >> >> > scans.
> >> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally
> >> >> gives
> >> >> rock-solid advice.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Thanks for the kind words, Philo.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact
gotten
> > to
> >> >> the root of their problem
> >> >> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to
fix
> >> >> the
> >> >> system first.
> >> >>
> >> >> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of
> >> >> apps
> >> >> with
> >> >> a slew of specialized
> >> >> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and
reinstall.
> >> >>
> >> >> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and
had
> >> >> spent
> >> >> 4 hours working on it
> >> >> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
> >> >> windows
> >> >> and the one or two apps.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> >> > have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> >> > people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> >> > problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> >> > Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> >> > bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system
so
> >> > simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> >> > Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> >> > several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> >> > lot to install and a lot to configure.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> >> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >>
> >> Dumb as I am about OS I know better than to get worried about the task
> > bar.
> >> You might not believe this, but
> >> I can program in VB, VBA, write decent HTML. I used to know COBOL and
> >> RPG.
> >>
> >>
> >> I think formatting and reinstalling the whole blasted thing is the only
> >> viable option. There are too many bloody things wrong with this here
> >> machine.
> >> My apologies for all the omissions. A heck of a lot of 'em.
> >>
> >
> >>
> >> Would someone please recommend some spyware software?
> >>
> >
> > I use Spybot S& D
> >
> > http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
> >
> > It seems to be recommended very often
> >
> >
> >> I have exported my "contacts " from Outlook, so I won't lose any email
> >> addresses.
> >> I also have screenshots of my Internet, Outlook & Outlook Express
> >> settings
> >> so I'll be
> >> able to reconnect to the 'net without too much difficulty.
> >>
> >> There used to be a way to copy the mailbox folders. Make a copy, back
> > that
> >> up, and
> >> then, once Outlook is back in, I can overwrite the original file. I
> >> think
> >> it's the "pst" folder?
> >>
> >>
> >
> > It's the .dbx files
> >
> > such as inbox.dbx
> >
> > Just overwite the existing files on a new installation
> > and test everything before you start sending a receiving any email
> >
> >> 1) Sometimes an ad I run into knows that I live in Seattle. I've been
> >> phished, hacked or whatever. I never edit the Registry myself.
> >>
> >> 2) I connect to the 'net with DSL. Cable is not an option
> >>
> >> 3) basic Norton 2006 is always on and updated weekly. Autoprotect is
> > always
> >> is on. Norton's fire wall gave me problems a couple years ago so I
took
> > it
> >> off.
> >> Intrusion blocking is on.
> >>
> >> 4) my wife downloads games, just the basic kill the enemy's soldiers so
> > they
> >> don't kill hers. She gets them from yahoo and other sites that Norton,
> >> which is always on, trusts.
> >>
> >>
> >> 5) I never run programs while those games are being downloaded
> >>
> >> 6) At most I'll have Outlook open while the browser's running. Maybe
> >> Notepad, too, when I blog. I never run multiple instances of any
Office
> > or
> >> other programs. I seldom use tabs when I use a browser. If I do, I
> >> never
> >> have more than three open at a time. We don't play games while on the
> > 'net.
> >> They are always downloaded.
> >>
> >> 7) When I use the "find" tool in Word, the dialogue box into which I
> >> enter
> >> the word doesn't appear. The tab, or whatever, at the bottom that
shows
> >> Word is running "pulses" a little. I click the tab & the dialogue box
> >> appears. Word is the only app with which that happens. I need to
> > reinstall
> >> the whole Office XP suite. Maybe just Word, but reinstalling the whole
> >> thing makes more sense. I was going to reinstall Office as well as
> > Windows.
> >> Doesn't make sense that Windows is the only culprit on that one.
> >>
> >> Thanks again.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Though I'm sure you know what's best for you...
> > if the only problems you are having is with "Word"
> >
> > Maybe you'd want to just try uninstalling your Office Suite
> > reboot and reinstall...
> > before doing something as drastic as a clean install of your entire OS
> >
> Surfing is the other problem. I removed Netscape & Firefox yesterday and
was
> going to reinstall them after I got some feedback. Those two would
> automatically install updates and that might have caused the surfing
> problem. The Word problem predated that by many months.
>
> How can I get the world to stop knowing where I live? I believe spyware
will
> prevent that from happening when I visit a new site. Will it disable the
> ability of sites I've previously visited to know that I'm in Seattle?
Thank
> you for bearing with me.
>
> >


Firewall
Router
Delete cookies
scan for and remove spyware /adware


That's about all I can think of

Xandros
Wed Mar 26 22:50:25 PDT 2008


"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:37:35 -0500, "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote in message
>> news:eoMWWCliIHA.6032@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> >
>
>> > Ken has a standard response whenever anyone says they plan to do a
>> > reinstall. It is really unfortunate that he takes this stance because
>> > he
>> > knows absolutely nothing about you, your time constraints or your
>> > ability
>> to
>> > spend many many hours trying to isolate a problem. Just reinstall XP,
>> > update, ensure your antivirus is up to date and run periodic
>> > antispyware
>> > scans.
>> >
>>
>>
>> I've been on Usenet for quite a number of years and Ken generally gives
>> rock-solid advice.
>
>
> Thanks for the kind words, Philo.
>
>
>> He is right in that if one fixes their system they have in-fact gotten to
>> the root of their problem
>> and will be able to prevent the re-occurrence. I'd at least try to fix
>> the
>> system first.
>>
>> That said: If one has all data backed up and does not run a ton of apps
>> with
>> a slew of specialized
>> configurations...It is *might* be faster to just format and reinstall.
>>
>> Years ago I was trying to repair a virus-ridden win98 machine and had
>> spent
>> 4 hours working on it
>> when I finally gave up and just formatted the drive and reinstalled
>> windows
>> and the one or two apps.
>
>
> I certainly don't say *never* reformat and reinstall. Sometimes you
> have to give up and do just that. My main objection is that many
> people see reinstallation as the first thing to do for almost any
> problem at all. I've seen more than one person who has reinstalled
> Windows, or was about to reinstall Windows, simply because his task
> bar had moved from the bottom of the screen.
>
>
>
>> That took maybe an hour or so !!!!
>
>
> That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
> simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> lot to install and a lot to configure.
>
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Actually Ken most people likely do have relatively simple systems. And do
not need to spend days reinstalling. A standard install of XP takes about 45
minutes. Applying Windows UPdates is the horror story bit that can be done
in about 1 hours with a fast connection. Reinstalling programs will take
about 1 hour. Tweaking will take an additional 1 hour. So a setup from start
to finish is around 4 hours. On the other hand trying to read HiJackThis
logs, spending time online trying to get answers, then trying to fix
problems related to spyware, viruses etc. could take many many days. Unless
you are a person who, like me and like you, has made computers a hobby one
should reinstall and save, time, effort and money.


--

Xandros

Ken
Thu Mar 27 11:35:40 PDT 2008

On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:50:25 -0600, "Xandros"
<arron.neus*remove*@gmailcom> wrote:

>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:dte5u358rvuld17g83bk16n87csjr4ekb9@4ax.com...


> > That's a very short time, and I think very few people have a system so
> > simple that they could get it accomplished that quickly and easily.
> > Speaking for myself, if I started from scratch it would take me
> > several days of work to put my system back the way it was. There's a
> > lot to install and a lot to configure.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
> Actually Ken most people likely do have relatively simple systems. And do
> not need to spend days reinstalling.


Quite true. I don't claim that everyone's system is the same as mine,
or that it would take most people as long as it would take me.


> A standard install of XP takes about 45
> minutes. Applying Windows UPdates is the horror story bit that can be done
> in about 1 hours with a fast connection. Reinstalling programs will take
> about 1 hour. Tweaking will take an additional 1 hour. So a setup from start
> to finish is around 4 hours.


For *some* people. And for many others, even those with simpler
systems than mine, it could take substantially longer.


> On the other hand trying to read HiJackThis
> logs, spending time online trying to get answers, then trying to fix
> problems related to spyware, viruses etc. could take many many days.


It depends. Depending on what the problem turns out to be, it take
several days, or it could take several minutes. As I said, I've seen
people reinstall because their Task Bar had moved to the top of the
screen. If someone with that "problem" would ask for help here, he
would get in fixed in a very few minutes.

To me the most significant point here is that if you are not willing
to invest some time and effort to solve problems, you will never find
out what caused them, and as a result, likely repeat the error you've
made and quickly find yourself back in the same situation. Even if
you're right that the time it takes is as little as four hours, it may
not just be four hours, but four hours again and again.



> Unless
> you are a person who, like me and like you, has made computers a hobby one
> should reinstall and save, time, effort and money.
>
>
> --
>
> Xandros
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup