There are times when Windows becomes so damaged or so compromised by hackers and trojan programs that the only thorough solution is essentially to start all over. This is accomplished by formatting your hard drive, which means erasing all programs and data on your machine, and reinstalling Windows.
If you have questions about this process or are unsure how to proceed, contact the manufacturer of your PC for help..
Most of the major computer vendors (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.) provide a system restoration CD with their computers. This CD will do most of the work for you: it will format the hard drive, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall any of the programs that came with the computer. The only thing this CD cannot do is back up any data files or programs that you installed independently on your hard drive that you want to save, so therefore before you run your system restoration CD, make sure that you save the data files (academic papers, resumes, contact information, etc) onto floppy disk or CD. In addition, have available any CDs for application software that you installed independently.
If you no longer have the system restoration CD that came with your computer (or you are unsure whether you received one or not), contact your computer vendor to see if they can provide you with a new copy. Be ready to tell them the information that matches your computer, such as the model number and the serial number so that you will receive the disk compatible with your computer.
If your computer was not built by a major computer vendor or you cannot get another copy of the system restoration CD from your vendor, then you will have to format manually your hard drive, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall your programs. Again, before you start this process, you should try and save any important files you need to a floppy disk or CD so you don't lose them during the formatting process. OIT (Office of Information Technology) cannot provide you with a Windows CD.
The method you use to format and reinstall Windows can depend on what version of Windows you have and your computer hardware. The one item you must have is a Windows CD in order to reinstall Windows. Make sure that your Windows CD is NOT an upgrade CD (upgrade CDs should be labeled as such on the CD). An upgrade CD will only work if you have an older or equivalent version of Windows already running on the computer, so it won't work once windows has been erased from the hard drive as a result of formating.
If you have Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP:
You can format your hard drive as part of the Windows installation process. If your computer is only a few years old and can boot from the CD-Rom drive, simply turn off your computer, insert your Windows CD into the CD-Rom drive, and restart your computer (if the Windows setup does not begin, check your BIOS settings to make sure your computer is configured to try and boot from a CD). If your computer is an older system or you cannot figure out how to make it boot from the CD, you will need to create setup disks (note: there are no setup disks for Windows XP--you have to run the installation from the XP CD). To create the setup disks, insert your CD into a working Windows computer and do the following:
-Windows NT (3 disks):
Click on the Start button, choose Run, and type D:\i386\winnt32 /ox, where D is the letter for the CD-Rom drive.
-Windows 2000 (4 disks):
Go into the bootdisk directory on the Windows 2000 CD and double-click on the makebt32.exe file (you can also consult our earlier web page on making Windows 2000 boot disks).
-Windows XP:
If you have a broadband connection that is always on, you must take counter measures to prevent your Windows XP machine from being reinfected. Please view and print these cautions prior to proceeding.
If you have a Windows Vista CD: Select the Install link then Custom (Advanced) installation method. Choose the partition on the hard drive you want to install Windows Vista.
Note: For a completely 'clean' install (meaning hard drive contents wiped out completely), choose the "Format" command found after clicking the Drive Options (Advanced) link. Then click the Next button and installation will proceed.
Once Windows is reinstalled, you will have to reinstall your other programs individually from your original install disks.
If you have questions about this process or are unsure how to proceed, contact the manufacturer of your PC for help..
Most of the major computer vendors (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.) provide a system restoration CD with their computers. This CD will do most of the work for you: it will format the hard drive, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall any of the programs that came with the computer. The only thing this CD cannot do is back up any data files or programs that you installed independently on your hard drive that you want to save, so therefore before you run your system restoration CD, make sure that you save the data files (academic papers, resumes, contact information, etc) onto floppy disk or CD. In addition, have available any CDs for application software that you installed independently.
If you no longer have the system restoration CD that came with your computer (or you are unsure whether you received one or not), contact your computer vendor to see if they can provide you with a new copy. Be ready to tell them the information that matches your computer, such as the model number and the serial number so that you will receive the disk compatible with your computer.
If your computer was not built by a major computer vendor or you cannot get another copy of the system restoration CD from your vendor, then you will have to format manually your hard drive, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall your programs. Again, before you start this process, you should try and save any important files you need to a floppy disk or CD so you don't lose them during the formatting process. OIT (Office of Information Technology) cannot provide you with a Windows CD.
The method you use to format and reinstall Windows can depend on what version of Windows you have and your computer hardware. The one item you must have is a Windows CD in order to reinstall Windows. Make sure that your Windows CD is NOT an upgrade CD (upgrade CDs should be labeled as such on the CD). An upgrade CD will only work if you have an older or equivalent version of Windows already running on the computer, so it won't work once windows has been erased from the hard drive as a result of formating.
If you have Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP:
You can format your hard drive as part of the Windows installation process. If your computer is only a few years old and can boot from the CD-Rom drive, simply turn off your computer, insert your Windows CD into the CD-Rom drive, and restart your computer (if the Windows setup does not begin, check your BIOS settings to make sure your computer is configured to try and boot from a CD). If your computer is an older system or you cannot figure out how to make it boot from the CD, you will need to create setup disks (note: there are no setup disks for Windows XP--you have to run the installation from the XP CD). To create the setup disks, insert your CD into a working Windows computer and do the following:
-Windows NT (3 disks):
Click on the Start button, choose Run, and type D:\i386\winnt32 /ox, where D is the letter for the CD-Rom drive.
-Windows 2000 (4 disks):
Go into the bootdisk directory on the Windows 2000 CD and double-click on the makebt32.exe file (you can also consult our earlier web page on making Windows 2000 boot disks).
-Windows XP:
If you have a broadband connection that is always on, you must take counter measures to prevent your Windows XP machine from being reinfected. Please view and print these cautions prior to proceeding.
If you have a Windows Vista CD: Select the Install link then Custom (Advanced) installation method. Choose the partition on the hard drive you want to install Windows Vista.
Note: For a completely 'clean' install (meaning hard drive contents wiped out completely), choose the "Format" command found after clicking the Drive Options (Advanced) link. Then click the Next button and installation will proceed.
Once Windows is reinstalled, you will have to reinstall your other programs individually from your original install disks.
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