I had a bad virus a few months ago...it screwed up my computer so bad that I had to reinstall windows completely. To get it all updated and installed took at least 2 weeks. Ever since then, it just hasn't been right. It seems to me that something messed up in the registry. Some times it takes a long time to boot up, normally it doesn't but occasionally it does. Sometimes it deletes my documents like text files and word files and this has caused a lot of *frustration* for me since they were documents for school that I had not turned in yet. I have a Creative Zen and a Canon Powershot, and I have to repeatedly reattach them to get it to recognize them. Every time it doesn't recognize it it says that some usb server has malfuntioned and needs to close. Both the MP3 player and the camera work fine with my father's computer. I was wondering if I could install windows again, only on an external hard drive and use that to boot and I wouldn't have to update everything again. Could this work?
2007-01-12 11:45:53 · 4 answers · asked by basketball25 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
Is it possible for me to partition my hard drive?
2007-01-12 11:55:15 · update #1
Sure you can install again - but rather than do it on the external drive, just make sure you format your internal one.
Installing onto an external drive is going to be tricky - especially if you BIOS won't recognise it as a boot device.
Its a shame you've come to learn the hard way about just how unstable and insecure Microsoft Windows is.
Make sure you always run up-to-date anti-malware products, and avoid the use of the "built in" browser (Internet Explorer) and messenger (MSN).
You need to re-install every 12 months anyway as by this time Windows has usually become super-slow and generally mucked up.
2007-01-12 11:49:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have only once in 10 years had to re-install Windows, and that was in a heavily used computer at work that was hit with a power spike. What do you people do to your computers? Re-installing Windows is hardly necessary unless you get a really wicked batch of malware that is so new your scanners can't deal with them before they do irreparable damage. Even at that, more than 2 days to reconfigure every programme on the computer shows the wrong person is doing the job. Windows needs to be updated with all the updates available, a good firewall needs to be in place, a good virus scanner and a good anti-spyware programme. Re-run your virus scanner, using heuristics, run a registry check and repair programme, run Spybot Search and Destroy, and AdAware, run disc defragmenter, then re-run Windows, not as a full install, but a repair, and see what happens then.
2007-01-12 20:20:02 · answer #2 · answered by Fred C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Alot, if not Most computers cannot boot an operating system from a USB device. upon loading, Windows 'probes' all devices including usb devices. This causes Windows to Blue Screen. (BSoD in other words).
Your best bet is to do a Repair. if you run through the setup using your cd, (not recovery console) you are presented with an option to repair. this replaces all setup files. It is much easier to do this because you don't have to reinstall any application software. You will just have to redo all the windows updates to this point.
Also, check to see if you have all your hardware drivers installed.
2007-01-12 19:56:41 · answer #3 · answered by The_Amish 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, you should try... i have some problems like that. if i have a virus, i reinstall windows... it works with errors, but if i install again then it's normal..... so... every 4-5 months i have to reinstall like that but it's ok because i have 2 partitions and i reinstall only the basic stuff :D so... if this desn't work try the thing with the external hdd, good luck %%-
2007-01-12 19:52:37 · answer #4 · answered by Flavia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋