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Posted

I tried everything I could to straighten out my IE problem.. So I'm busily copying files to CD that I want to keep. When I'm done with that it's off to reformat. I can't complain too much.. I've had this computer about a year without a hiccup. I love my Dell ;)

 

But wish me luck!

 

:)

Posted

Hi,

 

You haven't stated what Windows version your running but I hope when you have done a fresh install and update, you will back it up so that if you ever need to do this again, you can just reload the backup bit!

 

jim

Posted

It's Windows XP... Going to try a system restore first.. but I wanted to back up files 1st just to be safe. If that doesn't work then it's a complete reinstall of windows.. reformat.. whatever :)

Posted

Hi,

 

Where you able to reinstall IE 6?

 

Also you could try doing a scan/repair

 

Do:

 

Click [start] [Run] and type sfc /scannow in the [Open] box.

(Note that there is a space between sfc and /scannow)

 

It will prompt you for the Windows XP disk. Give that a try too

 

Jim

Posted

I did try to repair IE/uninstall/ reboot/ clean registry/ reboot/reinstall IE. Ran CHKDSK. Ran diagnostic disk.. everything.. Nothing I did helped. CHKDSK was fine so was diagnostics.. So I feel this is my last option..

Posted

Well I hope it works, I know I have a problem with my current IE6, but I can't reinstall it and the repair option don't work and I dont have time to reinstall it!

 

Jim

Posted

Why do people insist in completely formating the Windows partition when all they want is to reinstall Windows? :)

 

If you're not using NTFS in your Windows partition (which you should), you don't need to format it.

 

Just grab a boot disk, boot your PC with it and then delete the "Windows" and "Program Files" directories. That's all you need to delete. Leave everything else in place.

 

Then put the Windows instalation CD in the drive and re-install it.

When it finishes, you'll only have to reinstall the software you need.

It's the same thing as if you'd format the partition but this way you can keep your personal files without the need to back them up and then restore them.

 

Do keep in mind that it's always advisable to backup your files before you mess things around in your system.

 

A little piece of advice: NEVER keep your personal files inside a system directory. In Windows based systems, this means "Program Files" and "Windows".

Windows itself may do strange things to those directories and you never know what could happen to your data.

Posted

Jim, what do you call a "clean install"?

 

Notice that you're not leaving *anything* related to Windows in your partition.

Well, at least you're not supposed to be. Everything Windows uses is inside those two directories I mentioned, so unless you mess things up and make heavy changes to system directories' settings and locations, you shouldn't have anything outside "Windows" and "Program Files".

 

The only thing I can think of besides what I already said is that you may want to defragment the partition before reinstalling windows.

 

That's about as "clean" as I can think of.

Posted

Hi,

 

Clean is when you remove the entire partions from the hard drive and start all over again.

 

I rarely install items into the program file like I am suppose to!

 

Jim

Posted

But why does that make it preferable to format the partition instead of just deleting the Windows' directories?

 

If you don't install your software into Program Files, it's not a big problem. You'll have to reinstall the software anyway, so when you do, you just have to put it in the same directories it was in. But if you want to, because something might slip your eyes, you can also delete them.

 

I still can't see why you find it a better option to completely wipe out the partition instead of deleting only the stuff you're going to replace.

Posted

I'm back and didn't have to do a complete reformat.. I just reinstalled windows.. but now I have to find out how to get all my programs to show when I click start/all programs. They aren't there anymore. They show on the C drive. It shows the identity from before.. How can I get them to show?

Posted

If they aren't there, it means Windows made up a new Start Menu for you instead of using your old one.

 

That usually happens if you enter a different username than the one you had before during the instalation.

 

You can try going to "Documents and Settings" and see if you have a directory there, named as your previous username. If so, you should have your previous Start Menu there.

Posted

Glad you could make it :blink:

 

Sorry for not explaining it better in my previous post, I was in a bit of a hurry... :unsure:

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