.Reformatting the C: drive and reinstalling Windows, the software, and your data can take 12-25 hours of sitting in front of the computer regardless of your skill level or computer speed. There is a risk of loosing your data and/or software settings. Reformat at your own risk.
Some computers require a keyboard with a purple, PS/2, 6 pin round connector at the end instead of a more modern, flat USB plug. Step 5 requires a keyboard to make a choice during bootup. Older computers don't recognize USB ports that early in the bootup process, so anything connected to a USB port won't work. Find, borrow or buy a keyboard with a PS/2 connector before continuing.
I've found it helpful to write down what I've done as I'm doing it so that if something goes wrong, I have a record of what I did. It makes things much easier if I need help. It also serves as modified or enhanced instructions in case I need to go through this again.
In the steps below, I've mentioned outdated hardware such as Zip drives and dial-up modems in case someone is still using them. It does not mean this section is old or out dated.
Steps
Inventory the hardware and software (0.5 hours)
Locate the original installation CDs and registration keys for each software application and original installation CDs for most of the pieces of hardware (0.5-1 hour)
Download the latest drivers for the hardware and updates for the software (1-5 hours)
Backup the entire hard drive (1-5 hours)
Reformat the hard drive (1 hour)
Install Windows (0.5-1 hour)
Install hardware drivers and set personal preferences (1-2 hours)
Install anti-virus and firewall software, run updates, and set personal preferences (1 hour)
Connect to the internet and e-mail (0.5-2 hours)
Install Windows updates (1-3 hours)
Install additional software, install update, and set personal preferences (0.5 hours per application)
Copy the data files from the backup (1 hour)
Consider buying and using backup software
Step #1 - Inventory the hardware and software
Download, install, run, and print the results from Belarc Advisor. It will take a hardware and software inventory of your computer.
If you don't have a printer, click on File, Save As... and save the web page to an USB flash drive or a floppy disk. Take the disk to a computer with a printer, use Windows Explorer to open the web page on the A: drive for the floppy disk, and print it. USB flash drives are typically any drive between drive E: and M:. It all depends on how many other drives are connected to the computer.
Step #2 - Locate the installation CDs and registration keys
Find the installation CD for most everything on the list of hardware and software that Belarc Advisor listed on the print out. There are some exceptions.
Installation CDs for hardware are not needed for the hard drive, CD or DVD drive, floppy drive, motherboard, processor, memory, wired Ethernet network card, USB ports, firewire ports, and memory card reader. They will all work with drivers supplied by Windows.
Installation CDs for software are not needed for Internet Explorer, MediaPlayer, DirectX, Messenger, Cinematronics 3D Pinball, InstallShield unInstaller, and anything that has Microsoft Windows as part of its name. These are included in Windows.
Belarc Advisor http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html will miss a lot of registration keys. A registration key is a group of numbers and/or letters that allow you to use the software. They are also called serial numbers, product activation numbers, or software licenses. Only software that you pay for requires a registration key. If you are unsure of what software requires a registration key, load the software in question. On the menu, click on Help, About and the registration key will appear, if there is one at all. Write it down. Once the hard drive has been reformatted, these registration keys will be erased. You will not be able to use the software without entering the registration key first.
Find the original Windows installation CD too. If you purchased an "upgrade" version of Windows, you will also need the full, non-upgrade version of an older version of Windows. The "upgrade" version will stop the installation for a minute to verify that you own an older version of Windows.
Step #3 - Download updated drivers and software upgrades
http://www.driversupdate.org/?yahoo&OVRAW=update%20drivers&OVKEY=detective%20driver&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=21575521511&OVKWID=166233472511
A driver is software that translates instructions between Windows and a piece of hardware so the two can talk to each other. The sound card has a driver. The video card has driver. The keyboard has a driver. The mouse has a driver, etc. Windows comes with many drivers that it will automatically install, but many drivers still need to be installed manually.
During the Windows Update process in step #10 below, many of the drivers will be downloaded automatically. However, some hardware comes with extra software. For example, a mulitmedia keyboard or wireless mouse may be missing some features that a Windows Update will not provide. I prefer to download the software ahead of time while everything still works.
For added reliability, capability, and speed, download the most recent hardware drivers and software updates. Go to the manufacturer's home page and find the "support" or "download" section. Navigate to the correct page to download the latest update. For free software, it's quicker to use the search function at www.dowload.com
This is easier said than done. The manufacturer's web site is typically http://www.{manufacturer's name}.com. If that doesn't work, try typing in the manufacturer's name in Google to find the home page. Determine if you already have the most recent version and download it if you don't. Repeat this process for each piece of hardware and software you have.
Backup the drivers, updates, and WinZip to a CD. WinZip is free to use for 30 days. Windows XP and Vista have a built in unzip feature if you don't want to use WinZip. You'll need to install the hardware drivers immediately after Windows is installed and before any other software is installed. A CD or DVD drive will work immediately after Windows is installed, but a Zip drive or external hard drive may or may not. That's why a CD is best.
Step #4 - Backup the entire hard drive
There's always a Word document, a configuration file, or some setting that is lost when the hard drive is reformatted. Most of these files are in the c:\documents and settings folder (Windows 2000/XP) which includes the My Documents folder, but some are not. AOL and older versions of Quicken save data and personal settings to the c:\program files (Windows 2000/XP) folder by default. Minimize the amount of information that is lost by backing up the entire hard drive. I prefer using an external hard drive since it's the fastest way to make a backup and it can hold more than Zip disks, CDs, or DVDs.
Make sure the backup software is capable of restoring a single file. Most backup software will compress the hard drive into a single backup file or several multi-gigabyte backup files. It's faster and more convenient if you can choose the single file you want to restore and have the backup software extract the file from the multi-gigabyte backup file. If the software has to decompress the multi-gigabyte backup file before restoring a single file, then restoring the file isn't fast or convenient. There are too many good, inexpensive backup programs that include this feature that it doesn't make sense to be without it. See the backup software section for some recommendations.
Write down all of the phone numbers and settings to connect to the internet and e-mail. These settings are under Start, Control Panel. Double click on the Internet Options, Network Connections, and Phone and Modem Options icons. Browse through all of the tabs and buttons and make print screens of them or write down the settings.
Make sure your backup is reliable. This sounds stupid, but it happened to me. The external hard drive failed to work on the new computer to transfer the data files. My external hard drive has a USB and Firewire connection. I backed up the hard drive using the Firewire connection. Firewire (400Mbps) is faster in real life than USB 2.0 (480Mbps). I tried to copy the data files to the new computer with a USB connection. For some unknown reason, the new computer couldn't see the external drive. When I plugged it back into the old computer with the Firewire cable, the drive was unrecognizable and I had to reformat the external drive. What a pain. If you have access to another computer, test to see if the external hard drive will work on another computer before reformatting the hard drive. Even if you never mix and match USB and Firewire, it may be worth a few minutes of your time. This unfortunate discovery lead me to buy a new external hard drive. Make sure your backup is reliable.
Step #5 - Reformat the hard drive (C: drive)
You will need a keyboard with a purple, PS/2, 6 pin round connector at the end.
Here are a few options:
a) Install a newer, faster, larger hard drive as the new C: drive.
b) Remove the partitions on the old hard drive and then reformat it.
c) Reformat the old drive.
Step 5a - Install a newer, faster, larger hard drive as the new C: drive.
Turn off the computer and install the new drive per the drive's instructions. For SATA drives that require the red, 4 pin data cable, make sure the red data cable is plugged into SATA 0 on the motherboard and not SATA 1, SATA 2 or SATA 3. For IDE drives that require the gray, 80 pin ribbon data cable, make sure the gray ribbon cable is plugged into I