Quick Windows reinstallation

[aemxt]

Hello, windows became unstable and slow, can anyone tell me how to reinstall windows quickly and without losing any data? I read somewhere that it's possible to install windows in the unattended mode. How's that? What's needed for that?

 

[Fragrant Coit]

Whether or not a Repair install will help is a different story, but....

Go into BIOS {generally by hitting "DEL" key when it's 1st starting - during POST Screen}

Set it to boot from CD 1st

SAve & exit.

Insert your XP CD {You may have to press "Any Key" to boot from it}

Let it go through it's thing, it will ask you if you want to Install or Repair after youve hit F8 at the EULA screen. CHOOSE REPAIR.

It will basically reinstall Windows, leaving all your Documents et al intact.

 

[aemxt]

You can easily install Windows in the unattended mode. Only you gotta have brains for that

here's an extract from the manual on unattended installation

This manual is for the following groups of IT specialists:

* IT specialists responsible for deploying device drivers on client computers working under
Windows Vista or Windows Server Longhorn.
* IT specialists engaged in planning and analyzing the information infrastructure and
evaluating the features of Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn.
* Security specialists responsible for protecting computer environments.
* Administrators who would like to get acquainted with the technology described in this manual.

read carefully, might work out for you as well.

There are different ways to go in case of unattended installation:
1. free, but difficult (do it all manually, read stuff, get into details)
Unattended Windows installation manual.
msfn,org/board/

2. paid and easy:
Almeza Multiset
www,almeza,com

Way back I tried both, now I have this one DVD from MultiSet
unattended windows installation + all the rest (drivers, service packs, software)

 

[Essex]

Hello, windows became unstable and slow, can anyone tell me how to reinstall windows quickly and without losing any data? I read somewhere that it's possible to install windows in the unattended mode. How's that? What's needed for that?

May I add a quick tip?

Every so often I do a mirror back up using Paragon Drive back Up 8 Special Edition. free licence courtesy of PC Plus sometime back. I run the OS, programs and peripherals on one drive and data storage on another. Common practice I gather nowadays.
The bonus is the OS+ restore (from DVD) with more than a days downloading of OS and programs etc are done in less than 30 minutes. (Unattended LOL)

I use this process on all virgin set ups and the occasional clone installs are done for in-house use should a reinstall be needed.

 

[N3051M]

as like the above method, norton ghost (or other disc cloning utilities), install windows like you'd normaly do, and all relevant drivers etc. and just before you start populating it with various extra programs etc, do a clone of the drive right there, and when you want to reinstall, all you need to do is retrieve the image from your clone (backed up media- dvds, secondary hdd, wherever you saved the original to). Maybe 40-1+hrs to get this set up, but subsequent reinstalls are by far cut shorter in time.

do note that hardware may change over time, so whether you choose to save an image with drivers installed or not is up to you. driver installs themselves only takes a few minutes, plus there's always new updated ones available by the time you need to reinstall....

partitioning your hdd into two (one for windows + programs and other for data) may also improve the down-time. read up on it, there's already some threads going on about this issue around..