Posted 19 December 2009 - 12:15 AM
Posted 19 December 2009 - 09:44 AM
Posted 29 March 2010 - 06:20 PM
Edited by Bradtox, 29 March 2010 - 06:28 PM.
Posted 29 March 2010 - 10:29 PM
Posted 29 March 2010 - 11:33 PM
Posted 30 March 2010 - 04:05 AM
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Posted 07 April 2010 - 04:50 PM
Posted 11 August 2010 - 10:47 PM
Posted 14 August 2010 - 09:14 AM
Posted 14 August 2010 - 10:57 AM
Hey slowlybutshelley,
With computers you have to be patient - the basics will become clearer and then you'll go on to be confused by something else. Just remember I'm a newbie, altho older than you, and not an expert. So I'll do my best to explain what I understand, but I may be wrong. Some of my info, like on cloning, is just reading and reading doesn't substitute for actually doing.
By installation disc I mean an operating system installation disc, like a winxp installation disc, that lets you run recovery console from it, repair the os and just install windows. I'm still trying to get the terminology right on what an OEM installation disc is. If you buy winxp from MS or a store in a box it's called a fully licensed copy and you can put it on any computer [but only one unless you get a multi-license] whose hardware is compatible. You can put it on one, take if off and put it on another. Supposedly, if you buy it from MS there's some support that goes along w/ it.
An OEM is an "original equipment manufacturer" - like dell or hp - who build computers to put windows on and the computer comes to you w/ the OS installed. Some OEMs provide an installation disc that works like a fully licensed one as far as running recovery console, having a repair windows option and a "bonus" folder on the cd that has additional utilities for windows. But you may only be licensed to install that copy of windows on that computer - so if the computer breaks you can't use the disk to install it on the used one the computer enthusiast in your family gave you. I've also seen reputable software sites selling "OEM" copies of winxp, so I don't know if there's a fully licensed OEM disc that lacks MS support but is otherwise like a fully licensed os disc.
A windows os installation disc will just include the drivers that windows provides - when you buy a new computer from an oem who provides a windows os installation disc you'll also get a cd w/ any special drivers needed for the video card, sound card, monitor, etc. in that computer. Hardware often works w/ windows generic drivers, but you don't get its special features - like the extra buttons on a usb mouse.
What I call a recovery disk is a disc [usually a set of discs] that comes w/ a computer that will automatically install the os and the computer's drivers back onto the computer if windows fails to boot up and system restore doesn't work. It will format the disk and all your old files and data will be inaccessible after the new installation. It returns the computer to the condition it was when it left the factory - the "factory defaults".
There are some computers that come w/ a part of the hard drive that is separate from windows - so you don't see its files when you are in windows - and which contains a recovery program that will do the same thing as recovery discs - return the computer to factory defaults when run. My thinkpad, which doesn't have an optical drive, has one.
If you purchased your computer from a store or online from an oem it should have come w/ either a set of installation discs - windows os + device drivers cd - or a set of recovery discs or instructions on how to access the recovery program on the hdd. My thinkpad has a blue button above the keyboard that I push on boot up if I want to go to lenovo's recovery program. It will also take me to the BIOS setup program.
If you purchased your computer used or it was a hand-me-down,yes i am the second owner with no recovery disk. you may be disc-less and w/out a recovery program on the hd. In which case you want to figure out your options while your computer is still working.what are my oprtions right now? free is always best in my opinion. what is the next best option I should take? I haven't heard of ubcd4windows.com. If you have a valid windows license product key no, my local computer shop reformatted and reinstalled WinXP for me; maybe at that time I should have asked them for a license key when they installed Service Pack 2 and 3 for me. I never know what to ask computer guys. They always seem to not suggest/respond unless I know what I am talking about. My IT guys seem to just hold onto their knowledge and not share it unless someone explicitly starts talking their language. I have read that your local computer repair shop can make you a slipstreamed disc for a reasonable charge. A slipstreamed disc is where you have a winxp sp2 installation disc and you [or your local computer tech using his winxp installation disc] makes you a winxp sp3 installation disc. i like this idea. Should i just go ask for a slipstreamed disk? will they know what I am talking about? Which would leave you just needing to make a cd w/ any drivers needed for your hardware. Drivers is a whole other issue. Can I make a cd with drivers needed? Or should I ask someone else to do it? It seems to me that driver updates are always happening with my windows Xp updates. And every time I unistall/install a program my drivers change. SO since drivers are always in flux, is it necessary to make a cd? if so, please tell me why? Is it just so that I wont have to go a manufactures website to download the drivers; but will have it on cd instead? Even if I had a driver cd, I am not sure how I would use it - how to download the drivers?
Did you get a packet of papers & discs w/ the computer? no i got the computer second hand. If the computer came w/out discs or any papers w/ useful info, the info about a recovery program on the computer may be in a help file on the computer or on the support web site of the computer's seller or manufacturer.
The cloned image is sort of a combination of a backup and taking a snapshot of how your computer is working today. Only it's a working snapshot when it's restored, which is where the term "clone" comes in. It's sort of like you make a clone of your computer and put it in storage until needed. Since your computer changes - esp w/ all the security updates - plus programs and hardware added/removed you'll probably want to clone it more than once. How often you clone depends on whether you are just backing up your os + settings + programs or whether you are doing a full backup clone including your personal data and how much storage room you have for your clones. It would sort of be like doing restore points. You want to set a restore point before you install a program or change the registry. this is the most helpful advice I have received in a long long time. You also want to set one after you make the change if the change did what you wanted and your system is working well.
As for whether the clone is permanent - windows is never permanent. One of the things I'm trying to figure out is how to go about cloning so that I have a snapshot of a "clean" system w/ the Master File Table in one piece and not fragmented and a "clean" registry, but also keep up w/ the changes so I don't have to install 60+ security updates if I have to do a restore. As we get more experience we may clone our system shortly after a reformat/reinstall, given that I fully expect my system to crash again ( it has only doen so once), what should I ask next time at the computer shop when they are doing a reformatt/reinstall? clone our personal data partitions frequently, and then have a cd w/ the updates scripted so they install themselves. Except by the time I figure that out winxp will be unsupported and I'll either be in win7, win8 or a mac.me too. have you made the switch yet?
Posted 14 August 2010 - 11:04 AM
Hey slowlybutshelley,
With computers you have to be patient - the basics will become clearer and then you'll go on to be confused by something else. Just remember I'm a newbie, altho older than you, and not an expert. So I'll do my best to explain what I understand, but I may be wrong. Some of my info, like on cloning, is just reading and reading doesn't substitute for actually doing.
By installation disc I mean an operating system installation disc, like a winxp installation disc, that lets you run recovery console from it, repair the os and just install windows. I'm still trying to get the terminology right on what an OEM installation disc is. If you buy winxp from MS or a store in a box it's called a fully licensed copy and you can put it on any computer [but only one unless you get a multi-license] whose hardware is compatible. You can put it on one, take if off and put it on another. Supposedly, if you buy it from MS there's some support that goes along w/ it.
An OEM is an "original equipment manufacturer" - like dell or hp - who build computers to put windows on and the computer comes to you w/ the OS installed. Some OEMs provide an installation disc that works like a fully licensed one as far as running recovery console, having a repair windows option and a "bonus" folder on the cd that has additional utilities for windows. But you may only be licensed to install that copy of windows on that computer - so if the computer breaks you can't use the disk to install it on the used one the computer enthusiast in your family gave you. I've also seen reputable software sites selling "OEM" copies of winxp, so I don't know if there's a fully licensed OEM disc that lacks MS support but is otherwise like a fully licensed os disc.
A windows os installation disc will just include the drivers that windows provides - when you buy a new computer from an oem who provides a windows os installation disc you'll also get a cd w/ any special drivers needed for the video card, sound card, monitor, etc. in that computer. Hardware often works w/ windows generic drivers, but you don't get its special features - like the extra buttons on a usb mouse.
What I call a recovery disk is a disc [usually a set of discs] that comes w/ a computer that will automatically install the os and the computer's drivers back onto the computer if windows fails to boot up and system restore doesn't work. It will format the disk and all your old files and data will be inaccessible after the new installation. It returns the computer to the condition it was when it left the factory - the "factory defaults".
There are some computers that come w/ a part of the hard drive that is separate from windows - so you don't see its files when you are in windows - and which contains a recovery program that will do the same thing as recovery discs - return the computer to factory defaults when run. My thinkpad, which doesn't have an optical drive, has one.
If you purchased your computer from a store or online from an oem it should have come w/ either a set of installation discs - windows os + device drivers cd - or a set of recovery discs or instructions on how to access the recovery program on the hdd. My thinkpad has a blue button above the keyboard that I push on boot up if I want to go to lenovo's recovery program. It will also take me to the BIOS setup program.
If you purchased your computer used or it was a hand-me-down yes i am the second owner with no recovery disk you may be disc-less and w/out a recovery program on the hd. In which case you want to figure out your options while your computer is still working. what are my oprtions right now? free is always best in my opinion. what is the next best option I should take? I haven't heard of ubcd4windows.com. If you have a valid windows license product key no, my local computer shop reformatted and reinstalled WinXP for me; maybe at that time I should have asked them for a license key when they installed Service Pack 2 and 3 for me. I never know what to ask computer guys. They always seem to not suggest/respond unless I know what I am talking about. My IT guys seem to just hold onto their knowledge and not share it unless someone explicitly starts talking their language. I have read that your local computer repair shop can make you a slipstreamed disc for a reasonable charge. A slipstreamed disc is where you have a winxp sp2 installation disc and you [or your local computer tech using his winxp installation disc] makes you a winxp sp3 installation disc. i like this idea. Should i just go ask for a slipstreamed disk? will they know what I am talking about? Which would leave you just needing to make a cd w/ any drivers needed for your hardware. Drivers is a whole other issue. Can I make a cd with drivers needed? Or should I ask someone else to do it? It seems to me that driver updates are always happening with my windows Xp updates. And every time I unistall/install a program my drivers change. SO since drivers are always in flux, is it necessary to make a cd? if so, please tell me why? Is it just so that I wont have to go a manufactures website to download the drivers; but will have it on cd instead? Even if I had a driver cd, I am not sure how I would use it - how to download the drivers? Did you get a packet of papers & discs w/ the computer? no i got the computer second hand. If the computer came w/out discs or any papers w/ useful info, the info about a recovery program on the computer may be in a help file on the computer or on the support web site of the computer's seller or manufacturer.
The cloned image is sort of a combination of a backup and taking a snapshot of how your computer is working today. Only it's a working snapshot when it's restored, which is where the term "clone" comes in. It's sort of like you make a clone of your computer and put it in storage until needed. Since your computer changes - esp w/ all the security updates - plus programs and hardware added/removed you'll probably want to clone it more than once. How often you clone depends on whether you are just backing up your os + settings + programs or whether you are doing a full backup clone including your personal data and how much storage room you have for your clones. It would sort of be like doing restore points. You want to set a restore point before you install a program or change the registry. this is the most helpful advice I have received in a long long time. You also want to set one after you make the change if the change did what you wanted and your system is working well.
As for whether the clone is permanent - windows is never permanent. One of the things I'm trying to figure out is how to go about cloning so that I have a snapshot of a "clean" system w/ the Master File Table in one piece and not fragmented and a "clean" registry, but also keep up w/ the changes so I don't have to install 60+ security updates if I have to do a restore. As we get more experience we may clone our system shortly after a reformat/reinstall, given that I fully expect my system to crash again ( it has only doen so once), what should I ask next time at the computer shop when they are doing a reformatt/reinstall? clone our personal data partitions frequently, and then have a cd w/ the updates scripted so they install themselves. Except by the time I figure that out winxp will be unsupported and I'll either be in win7, win8 or a mac.me too. have you made the switch yet?
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