Korg Forums

[ausser]

Ok - after buying - installing and trying to run Roxio10,
Plus other incensing loadup times and weird sh1t in general going on wit my XP - some updates won't install etc - and lazy uninstalling on my part with some apps...

After having run a few Norton FSS's - and used a loadup optimizer to the nth, scoured the registry for hidden mysteries etc....

I've decided to attempt a novice re-install.
If it goes south.....I'll take 'er down to the PC woman and and get Vista.

I have backed up all important files drivers etc I can find on an external HD.
I have a genuine copy of XP SP2.

The net guidence I have found is here:
http://www.nickpeers.com/articles/tutorials/reinstall.htm

and here:
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

OK, heres what I want to do.

1.Completely wipe and reformat the main internal HD - 160GB.

2.Re-install WinXP home - clean.

3. Take Vows NEVER to install anything experimental from the web without having set-up a trustworthy System Restore Point - infact with all application installations...
Eg. Real Player is an example - damn near takes control of your desktop and I HATE THAT! + other crazy camera/phone software...

4.Take Vows NEVER to adhoc uninstall applications.

5. AFAP - try to run all web activity through Sandboxie - if my Online MP social life suffers - all the better...

6. Plan and employ a good filing system for data, audio and image and doc.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thats my course at present.
I will attempt this in the next while - tonight or tomorrow maybe...

Is there anything anyone with experience might say to me at this point, apart from PRAY___ MUCH...
?

Peace
Ausser.

PS:
The XP CD I have came wrapped in celophane with a sticker saying:

DO NOT RE-INSTALL - For Back Up Only.

I presume this means that it is the actual version that is already installed on my machine when I bought it - so I didn't need to install it when I opened the big box.
_________________
Will we march only to the music of time...?
Or will we march to the soul-saving music of eternity?
MLK Junior - Strength to Love 1963.

[ausser]

hmmm .. no responses or even exclamations...

Perhaps I should delay this act of madness....

Peace
Ausser.
_________________
Will we march only to the music of time...?
Or will we march to the soul-saving music of eternity?
MLK Junior - Strength to Love 1963.

[Timo]

The backup disc should work well. It probably has the initial, pre-installed drivers that were bundled with your computer at the time you bought it, which means you wont have to do as much as you would if you installed XP completely from scratch. Undoubtedly there'll be newer drivers, but you should be able to update them effortlessly via Microsoft Windows Update.

First thing, however, backup ALL of your documents, including internet favourites too (which can usually be found in something similar to "C:\Documents and Settings\Timo\Favorites\" as my example). They will be overwritten by restoring the system via the backup disc.

Also back up any customised files or presets that relate to any applications. An example in my case being something like 'Master Section Presets' in Wavelab, where I'd navigate to C:\program files\Steinberg\Wavelab\Presets\MasterSection and copy the file to somewhere safe, so I could retain all my presets for later restoration. I'd also make a note of what plugins I have installed too, etc.

Another example being archiving any emails (inbox/sent, etc.) from Outlook Express, which are stored locally on your computer. (Incidently trying to back these up is a complete nightmare, and after the first time I attempted it I vowed never to use Outlook Express ever again. And I haven't! I use internet based email clients (for my ISP) so I'd never have that worry about it again, and also has the added bonus that you can access your email from any computer with internet access in the world.)

But I digress...

Make a note of log-in data for things like your internet access, too etc.

If you use a full version of Windows XP SP2 you'll have to set the partition and stuff, as well as installing your own drivers, but with the backup disc it should be more straight-forward. After you've installed Windows via the backup disc, basically just connect to the internet and run Windows Update. No doubt you'll have loads of updates to download.

Just reboot whenever it asks and then keep connecting to Windows Update again afterwards (it can't install everything at once so you'll likely have to download then reboot, download then reboot, etc.), until all the critical updates are completed. Incidently, SP3 (Windows XP Service Pack 3) is also being released in two days time (29th April.)

Grab a nice free anti-virus while you're at it. These two are oft recommended (I use Avast, and it's never let me down):-

[Avast free]
[AVG free]

Do regular anti-virus updates.

Whilst music making, though, obviously, disable the anti-virus software if they interfere with your system (audio dropouts when using ultra low latencies, etc.)

Place your favourites back into their respective folder.

If you're using the computer for general surfing, too, then these add-ons are usually standard fare:

[Flash Player]
[Adobe Reader (PDF file viewer)]
[Java Runtime]
[Shockwave Player]
[Direct X (which you may not need)]

If you wish to view Quicktime or Real files, then you can install completely stripped down versions of them that wont hijack your system:

[Quicktime Alternative]
[Real Alternative]

... Basically they are just the codecs for Quicktime and Real and they use Media Player Classic as their host, instead of their own enormously bloated, advert-laden offerings.

If you want a free (open source/LGPL) alternative to Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) that is still completely natively compatible with all of Microsoft Office, and also lets you create PDFs or flash-presentations, then you may wish to try Open Office:

[Open Office 2]

And of course Mozilla Firefox is a popular alternative to Internet Explorer:

[Firefox]

I stick to IE7 myself though. It does what it says on the tin.

One bit of software that's worth its weight in gold, is Norton Ghost. It takes an "image" of your hard-disk when you have installed Windows XP and all your applications and got everything fine-tuned just how you like it. If ever your system becomes corrupted and inoperable, you can simply restore the backup image you made using Ghost to the hard-disk and 'hey presto!' it's back to what it was when you took the image. You'll never have to re-install XP from scratch ever again.

It's the only good bit of software that Norton/Symantec have made. Can't say the same for the rest of their shite offerings!

Any Q's, give us a shout. Just built my own computer (weee!!) and installed XP and all its gubbins from scratch this weekend.
_________________
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[Infekted.org - Original Access Virus Forum & Community]
Trinity V3 PBS | Radias KB | Virus TI Snow | Virus Indigo 1 | 505 Groovebox

[tritex4]

[ausser]

Gentlemen, what can I say....
- a very big THANKYOU! for all that Timo.

And that snappy info about SP3 for XP... I may wait now as it could save time in the long run.

I have Norton Security On-Line as part of my BTBB package - I kinda trust it - regularly update and quick scan fairly regularly - Full System takes a couple of hours so not to often on that.
I....er...don't mind Norton - but then again - haven't really used anything else, and it hasn't picked up any viruses ever - aside from the odd low-level tracking cookie.
I'm of course greatful that it hasn't - but a little disappointed too - lol.
Sometimes I fear that in some code-geek-way Norton's .ini may have been hacked to ignore things - but I'm not sure thats possible.
I've never had any real virus problems - just sys tray crap and processes that seem to slow and de-stablize the OS - hence my desire to wipe clean and start anew.

I have all necessary logins - reg data - important files etc copied and stored so thats all set.
BTBB stores WebFavs online so I don't need to back-up those.

However - that Open Office looks interesting - must give it a look.

Tritex4 - dude - if there was anyway I could check for the presence of those files - as is - my XP update is screwed somehow, it won't install some new updates - failed to install 6 of 7 - 7 of 9 etc...
Hence another reason to wipe clean and re-install.
I just bought Roxio and it works totally on my brothers laptop - but not good at all on my PC, apps won't start etc.
- there are issues with it I believe.

Also today - I was browsing the muso/PC mags in Easons,
(Future Music has a 'world first' review of the Fantom 'G' - bought it - nice DVD - but the review aint all that - just stuff we already know.)
and I read in PC advisor that Vista is - well - not too good....
- and that quite a lobby of anti-Vista people is growing much like Win Millenium -
since Microshaft are 'planning' to stop issuing liscenses for XP in June - if I speedread correctly.
So - yet another reason to learn the XP Re-Install process.

My main concern in this - is that I will not be able to locate a necessary driver for a component or an older driver that works stabley with my other perphs - but a newer one doesn't.
Eg - I have a Turbo-cache 6200 nVidia 256MB integrated (64mb on board)
A while back I installed a driver update - but it messed up frame rates on a game I was playing at the time - so I simply rolled back.
My fear is that I won't be able to locate such drivers - for other perphs - like my DVD drive - Firewire card etc..God knows where the originals are.
I do have a zipped SBLIve XP compatible driver though.
I kinda feel more comfortable if I could get the same for the other perphs - especially the firewire card if I knew what the hell make it was.
And now also - I'm wondering - doesn't XP do all that automatically on re-install or virtually automatically after re-install - or via that website you mentioned Timo?

Also - I'm not too worried about program settings or plugins etc - as I rarely if ever use the PC for music making - just some editing looping CD/DVD burning etc,
and with Reaper hopefully in the near future - mixing and mastering.

[JonSolo]

Let's knock the video card question out of the way first.

If you ever install a Nvidia driver, make sure the old one is completely gone. This includes running CCleaner a free (donation) based registry cleaner that is the BEST on the market. I run it every 30 days just to remove junk from my registry.

What this also means is that the newer driver probably worked fine, but had some old info thus causing corruption. In MOST cases the most current driver is the best.

That is NOT the case when it comes to Vista verses XP. XP is stable and smooth. Vista can be a nightmare for a novice. Stay with XP if you can.

What kind of computer do you have? Most come with a recovery partition that when run, takes it back to the factory install (i.e. all Dells have this feature). If you have that as an option use it.

Then just uninstall the bloatware from your computer (all the files NOT needed to run XP with devices) and then your machine is ready for any program.

If you need more personal help, feel free to PM me.

Solo
_________________
Jon Solo

http://www.solosounds.net
http://jonsolo.me
http://www.soundcloud.com/jonsolo
http://www.twitter.com/thejonsolo

Windows 10 | Intel i9 9900K | 64 GB RAM | Scarlett 18i20 | Nektar Panorama P6
Korg Kronos - 88 | Korg Kronos 2 - 61 | Roland Fantom 6 | Push 2 | Maschine Mk2 | Slate ML1 | JBL LSR308/310
Nuendo 11 | Ableton Live 11 | Reason 12 | FL Studio 20.9

[ausser]

Wow JonSolo - thanks for that.
I was looking for a good Reg Cleaner - though some XP guides say they can do more damage than good.
I will download it presently.

I got my PC in a dedicated local store - I don't think it has a recovery partition - and re: the guide articles on re-installing I listed above, I personally would not want to partition my main HD as I think it could slow things down with XP somehow - I would keep data on an external HD anyway - and apps in single HD drive where XP is installed.

BTW - I saw this as I was trying out my new FSX - which lumps along considerably....

http://support.microsoft.com/servicedesks/ShowMeHow/SMH012304.asx

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/815069/

Presumably - one couldn't run a good few programs with that stripped down boot - let alone Roxio10.
Whadaya u guys think - as a way to test PC speeds and capabilities?

Peace
Ausser.
_________________
Will we march only to the music of time...?
Or will we march to the soul-saving music of eternity?
MLK Junior - Strength to Love 1963.

[Timo]

Yep, Service Pack 3 will be fully downloadable from the net. I'd wait until that is released and then do the re-install, as it also includes many updates since SP2, so it'd be nice to download them all together.

Norton... usually their stuff just compromises system performance by constantly "optimising" in the background. Also you have to pay for upgrades, etc.

I've used Avast since around the year 2000, and it's saved my ass on a number of occasions, containing the viruses extremely well and never letting them infect any other files in any shape or form. - I've had about 10 viruses in the last 10yrs, two of those were properly nasty, and Avast kicked their asses every time (where other anti-virus programs didn't). A very re-assuring package, and completely free.

Tray crap, as you say, can be weeded out by going to START > RUN and typing "msconfig" and pressing Enter. Then go to the "Startup" tab, and it should list all the third-party routines/applications that load up when Windows has been booted up. The names are all very confusing, like "NvCpl" or "Ctfmon" etc., but googling them can often tell you what they are. Some sites like to hype things and erroneously claim "TROJAN!! VIRUS! DELETE!!" for many of the start routines in msconfig, but this is basically to get you to check their website to bring in advert revenue for themselves, so take things with a pinch of salt.
For example, I have something called "WinSys2" in my msconfig startup, which is shown on many sites as a trojan/virus and suggests that I should delete it from the msconfig at all costs, but it's actually an official, legitimate overclocking tool for my VGA card made by MSI and is completely harmless.

So, basically expand the msconfig startup tab and look across to the right and see where each items is stored (which folder they reside in) and this is often the first and best clue as to what they are. For example I have one in my msconfig startup sequence that is called "ccApp" which is shown to be stored in the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe , which shows that it relates to Norton Ghost (Symantec owns the company Norton). Or another example is "ashDisp" which displays it as being stored in C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashDisp.exe, showing it's related to my anti-virus software (Alwil is the company that makes Avast anti-virus) and thus should be left alone (not disabled). Just common sense.

I disable all the 'quickstart' type agents, such as Winamp agent, quicktime quick start, etc. and other diagnostic modules that are run at startup that I don't need.

Top tip: If you don't know what it does for certain, then don't disable it.

>> Tritex4 - dude - if there was anyway I could check for the presence of those files - as is - my XP update is screwed somehow, it won't install some new updates - failed to install 6 of 7 - 7 of 9 etc...

Net Framework 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 are shown in your Add/Remove utility in Control Panel. You can find this by going to: START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL, and then open the "Add or Remove Programs" icon. Once it's scanned the system, scrolling down the list you should find "Microsoft Net Framework 1.1", etc. Personally I don't tend to install Microsoft Net Framework versions 2.0 or above unless I have to (such as if you use a program that relies on them, like Roxio, that Tritex mentions).

Vista is a proverbial heap of poo! I bought Vista (64-bit) for my latest computer, but it takes twice as long to boot up and also gives me (and other musicians) terrible problems with regards to something called "Deferred Procedure Call" latencies.

Needless to say I wiped it off my hard-drive and replaced it with Windows XP.

Microsoft are allowing Tiny PC to sell PCs with XP up until 2010, and Microsoft even have a "downgrade" option for people with Vista Professional that want to downgrade to XP Professional!

I don't think Vista will have a very long shelf-life.

It's not all bad, though. At least it looks nice!

However Windows XP is mature, rock solid, and extremely well supported. So if it ain't broke, why fix it?

>>And now also - I'm wondering - doesn't XP do all that automatically on re-install or virtually automatically after re-install - or via that website you mentioned Timo?

Yes, Microsoft Windows Update should cover you. To access it, log on to the internet and go to the menu Tools > Windows Update from Internet Explorer.

Use that first, but if you have any problems then go to the manufacturer's websites for your mobo/graphics/audio, etc. and download their drivers. More info below:

>>My main concern in this - is that I will not be able to locate a necessary driver for a component or an older driver that works stabley with my other perphs - but a newer one doesn't.
Eg - I have a Turbo-cache 6200 nVidia 256MB integrated (64mb on board)

Onboard/integrated graphics (in other words, graphics that don't have a dedicated graphics card) are reliant upon the motherboard, and the drivers are often found on the motherboard manufacturer's website. Best thing to do would be to find out what motherboard you have (make and model) and then go to their site to download the latest onboard graphics drivers for it.

You can run a free system analyzer such as [SiSoftware Sandra Lite] or [Everest Free] to run and see exactly what is inside your system (the make & models of your motherboard, graphics, audio card, memory, storage, etc.) in really quite detail.

As mentioned though, Windows Update should cover you.

What I tend to do, though, is, knowing what make/models of things I have in the computer, I go to their respective sites and download the latest drivers and store them safe (on a CD or a separate physical hard-drive, or similar) beforehand. Then, after I've re-installed Windows, I then use those latest drivers I just downloaded, installing them in this order:

* Chipset (motherboard)
* Graphics
* Audio
* LAN & Modem (including wireless drivers if you want to use those)
* Keyboard & Mouse (usually you don't need to though, they're "plug-and-play")
* Anti Virus & Firewall (whatever you've chosen).

... And then connect to the internet, and log on to Windows Update to download all the rest of the critical updates etc.

But whatever works!

Lastly, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, then you could always check if you're using the latest BIOS version too, and update it if not, but that's maybe for another thread.
_________________
[Free Moss Set For All Workstations With Moss Expansion]
[Infekted.org - Original Access Virus Forum & Community]
Trinity V3 PBS | Radias KB | Virus TI Snow | Virus Indigo 1 | 505 Groovebox

[Pecca]

Didn´t read all but...

For regisrty cleaning i bought Uniblue - http://www.liutilities.com/
Not that expensive and it´s reasonably fast. It also defrags the registry. (good for gaming )

Not sure how this compares to other reg-cleaners, but i´m satisfied.
_________________
Korg R3 - Korg 01W/fd - FL StudIO, Harmor, reFX Vanguard, Toxic 4 (BioHazard), PoiZone, Sytrus, Adventusdf...etc

[ausser]

In your debt Timo,
Man - that is a lot of very clear good advice and links.
I will check all those things and download those utilities you've listed - getting all the drivers before I go for my 1st re-install.

Many thanks for taking the time to post that up Timo.
And thanks again to you guys for all the other info.

Peace
Ausser.

PS:
I will post - when I've done the deed.
_________________
Will we march only to the music of time...?
Or will we march to the soul-saving music of eternity?
MLK Junior - Strength to Love 1963.

[tritex4]

Timo.........Amen!!

Ausser...
Vista is pretty, very pleasing to the eye, but it doesn't like my less bloated Nero 6 and other
stellar applications. That's a shame!!
If you're going to edit video, I'd suggest getting a better video card.
Those turbo cache cards share your ram. Great, if you have 2 Gb of ram, installed.
Not so great, if you have 512 Mb to 1 Gb. You'd fare better though with 1 Gb.
I'd suggest the older ATI Radeon X1300 or it's replacement, the X1550.
From Nvidia, the 7300GT is a good choice. These cards will give you quicker encoding
and transcoding than the Nvidia 6200 LE. Unless you're into gaming, don't bother with
anything newer. The recent cards are geared primarily towards HD video and gaming.
Their video editing performance for MPEG is about the same or just a tad quicker than
the above cards, I mentioned. I found this out after testing some of them.

Getting back to your setup, Timo's advice is gold!!!
Good Luck!!

Keep us posted.
_________________
Regards
TritEx4

[Timo]

Glad to be of help. Anything you don't understand, just yell.

Seems like Windows XP Service Pack 3 is delayed, and may not be made available up until June.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/04/29/Microsoft-delays-release-of-Windows-XP-SP3_1.html

So, you may wish to take the plunge and install XP with SP2 now, and then simply update to SP3 when it arrives online.
_________________
[Free Moss Set For All Workstations With Moss Expansion]
[Infekted.org - Original Access Virus Forum & Community]
Trinity V3 PBS | Radias KB | Virus TI Snow | Virus Indigo 1 | 505 Groovebox

[Kerzwhile]

Yeah, Drop back 5 and Punt!!
http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/
_________________
MY Weapons of choice: K2600X, Oasys88, PC3X, K2661, V-Synth, MotifESR, ZR-76, TS-12, VFX, EPS16+,ESQ-1, ESQ-1R, Emu Xtreme Lead, SCI Six Trak, HR-16, Kurzweil Mark 150 Baby Grand and 2 D1600's synced!!!
http://www.soundclick.com/members/default.cfm?member=kerzwhile

[ausser]

Tritex - I will presently be upgrading my video card to those recommendations....
If for nothing else than to get FSX to run nicely - as is - I'm sliders to the left......

My system:

Pentium IV - 3.2 Dual Core - (as opposed to Core 2 Duo - confusing isn't it...)
2 Gig RAM
Afore mentioned nVidia 6200 turbocash - 64OnBoard - uses 256 RAM - XP recognizes it as a 256MB VC
SBLive - '98 card - somewhat dated now...

I am however, as you say Timo, going to go ahead soon with a re-install and download SP3 to my new system.
BTW FYI Timo - Norton Security Center comes free - updates an all with BTBB Option 1 - and you can set it Not To Run in the background - AFAIK.
Still - if it hogs my new system - I may ditch it.
Again - thanks you guys...

Peace
Ausser.

PS:
I will post the results here.
_________________
Will we march only to the music of time...?
Or will we march to the soul-saving music of eternity?
MLK Junior - Strength to Love 1963.

[JonSolo]

If you don't download a lot of files and never open stupid things in your email, and you don't go web surfing the underground, you should be fine without a virus protector. I do recommend Spybot S&D however for all the cookies that get left behind in your surfing. And it has a system protector built in. I have never run antivirus on any machine ever. No problems in almost 30 years (with 20 of those connected in some shape size or form to what is now the Internet). For what it is worth...a/virus slows you WAY down.

Solo
_________________
Jon Solo

http://www.solosounds.net
http://jonsolo.me
http://www.soundcloud.com/jonsolo
http://www.twitter.com/thejonsolo

Windows 10 | Intel i9 9900K | 64 GB RAM | Scarlett 18i20 | Nektar Panorama P6
Korg Kronos - 88 | Korg Kronos 2 - 61 | Roland Fantom 6 | Push 2 | Maschine Mk2 | Slate ML1 | JBL LSR308/310
Nuendo 11 | Ableton Live 11 | Reason 12 | FL Studio 20.9