Hi Folks
I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days. Since
I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone out early this
week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of problematic hardware. I
am concerned however, because when they leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new
hard drive, and be facing a C:\ prompt.

Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original laptop, and
if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm properly registered, and
not cut off after 30 days or so?


Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem there as
well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an "educational
licence" pack (It came with the license to install on 3 machines. I've used
all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine that's pretty much kaput if that
would make the difference, but the question here is whether I need to.

How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the old one
will literally be sent back within the next few days...)

any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard drive,
but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not let me do a
COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out. so my user files seem
fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be backed up.

thanks
--
Mokantx

mokantx wrote:
> Hi Folks
> I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days.
> Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone
> out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of
> problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because when they
> leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be facing a
> C:\ prompt.
>
> Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
> laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
> properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?
>
>
> Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
> there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an
> "educational licence" pack (It came with the license to install on
> 3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine
> that's pretty much kaput if that would make the difference, but the
> question here is whether I need to.
>
> How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
> old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)
>
> any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.
>
> FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard
> drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not
> let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out.
> so my user files seem fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be
> backed up.

My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out - use the
imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your current hard disk.
Then when they install the new one - apply that image to the new hard disk
drive and it is like it never happened.

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage

BootItT NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

mokantx wrote:
> Hi Folks
> I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days.
> Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone
> out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of
> problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because when they
> leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be facing a
> C:\ prompt.
>
> Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
> laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
> properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?
>
>
> Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
> there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an
> "educational licence" pack (It came with the license to install on
> 3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine
> that's pretty much kaput if that would make the difference, but the
> question here is whether I need to.
>
> How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
> old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)
>
> any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.
>
> FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard
> drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not
> let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out.
> so my user files seem fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be
> backed up.

My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out - use the
imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your current hard disk.
Then when they install the new one - apply that image to the new hard disk
drive and it is like it never happened.

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage

BootItT NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Shenan

thanks for the reply. I have a couple of problems here. While I DO have an
external hard drive, I doubt the laptop's hard drive has what it will take to
read itself to the external drive. As it is, it now takes 10-15 minutes for
the system to boot (when it boots at all...)

Last weekend, I WAS able to do a backup of the entire hard drive, but it
literally took 3 days for it to back up the 32GB or so on that drive. It has
slowed considerably since. Two nights ago, I tried an incremental backup of
the hard drive, and that effort resulted in a blue screen error. My sense is
that a full-scale backup is just beyond what this drive has left. (as it is,
it took about 6-8 attempts this morning simply to get it to boot up at all,
and now that it's up, I have no intent to shut it down again until the techs
get here...)

Is there a "proper" way to handle this situation with Microsoft to assure
I'll not run into licensing problems?

thanks

--
Mokantx


"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> mokantx wrote:
> > Hi Folks
> > I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days.
> > Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone
> > out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of
> > problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because when they
> > leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be facing a
> > C:\ prompt.
> >
> > Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
> > laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
> > properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?
> >
> >
> > Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
> > there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an
> > "educational licence" pack (It came with the license to install on
> > 3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine
> > that's pretty much kaput if that would make the difference, but the
> > question here is whether I need to.
> >
> > How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
> > old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)
> >
> > any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard
> > drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not
> > let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out.
> > so my user files seem fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be
> > backed up.
>
> My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
> application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out - use the
> imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your current hard disk.
> Then when they install the new one - apply that image to the new hard disk
> drive and it is like it never happened.
>
> Symantec/Norton Ghost
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/
>
> Acronis True Image
> http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage
>
> BootItT NG
> http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>

Shenan

thanks for the reply. I have a couple of problems here. While I DO have an
external hard drive, I doubt the laptop's hard drive has what it will take to
read itself to the external drive. As it is, it now takes 10-15 minutes for
the system to boot (when it boots at all...)

Last weekend, I WAS able to do a backup of the entire hard drive, but it
literally took 3 days for it to back up the 32GB or so on that drive. It has
slowed considerably since. Two nights ago, I tried an incremental backup of
the hard drive, and that effort resulted in a blue screen error. My sense is
that a full-scale backup is just beyond what this drive has left. (as it is,
it took about 6-8 attempts this morning simply to get it to boot up at all,
and now that it's up, I have no intent to shut it down again until the techs
get here...)

Is there a "proper" way to handle this situation with Microsoft to assure
I'll not run into licensing problems?

thanks

--
Mokantx


"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> mokantx wrote:
> > Hi Folks
> > I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days.
> > Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone
> > out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of
> > problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because when they
> > leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be facing a
> > C:\ prompt.
> >
> > Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
> > laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
> > properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?
> >
> >
> > Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
> > there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an
> > "educational licence" pack (It came with the license to install on
> > 3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine
> > that's pretty much kaput if that would make the difference, but the
> > question here is whether I need to.
> >
> > How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
> > old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)
> >
> > any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard
> > drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not
> > let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out.
> > so my user files seem fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be
> > backed up.
>
> My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
> application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out - use the
> imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your current hard disk.
> Then when they install the new one - apply that image to the new hard disk
> drive and it is like it never happened.
>
> Symantec/Norton Ghost
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/
>
> Acronis True Image
> http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage
>
> BootItT NG
> http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>

mokantx wrote:
> I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final
> days. Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending
> someone out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other
> pieces of problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because
> when they leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be
> facing a C:\ prompt.
>
> Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
> laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
> properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?
>
> Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
> there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of
> an "educational licence" pack (It came with the license to
> install on 3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it
> from a machine that's pretty much kaput if that would make the
> difference, but the question here is whether I need to.
>
> How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
> old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)
>
> any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.
>
> FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external
> hard drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that
> will not let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue
> screen out. so my user files seem fine, but the MS software
> likely will NOT be backed up.

> My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
> application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out -
> use the imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your
> current hard disk. Then when they install the new one - apply that
> image to the new hard disk drive and it is like it never happened.
>
> Symantec/Norton Ghost
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/
>
> Acronis True Image
> http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage
>
> BootItT NG
> http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

mokantx wrote:
> thanks for the reply. I have a couple of problems here. While I
> DO have an external hard drive, I doubt the laptop's hard drive has
> what it will take to read itself to the external drive. As it is,
> it now takes 10-15 minutes for the system to boot (when it boots at
> all...)
>
> Last weekend, I WAS able to do a backup of the entire hard drive,
> but it literally took 3 days for it to back up the 32GB or so on
> that drive. It has slowed considerably since. Two nights ago, I
> tried an incremental backup of the hard drive, and that effort
> resulted in a blue screen error. My sense is that a full-scale
> backup is just beyond what this drive has left. (as it is, it took
> about 6-8 attempts this morning simply to get it to boot up at all,
> and now that it's up, I have no intent to shut it down again until
> the techs get here...)
>
> Is there a "proper" way to handle this situation with Microsoft to
> assure I'll not run into licensing problems?

You should have no licensing issues.
Your support for the OS is through Dell - as it is an OEM copy of Windows
XP.
So if you have trouble activating - you speak to Dell.

There is no true "de-activation" for a Microsoft product. Just activation.

So you should be fine. I do have a few suggestions... (okay - more than a
few. heh)

** You may want to print this **

1) Download and install Belarc Advisor onto the current Windows XP
machine. Use it to get a list of hardware from the
machine as well as the CD Key used to install it. Print it if you like.
http://www.belarc.com/

You may be able to obtain other product keys from here as well.
You will see everything that is installed listed here - so you have
a record of what you will be putting back - if you have the
installation media. Now is the time to find the installation media!

2) Using the list of hardware you obtained - visit the hardware
manufacturer(s) web page(s) and download the software drivers
for each of the components.

If it is a "vendor" computer (Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, etc..) - simply
visit the vendor's page and go to the support/downloads for the
particular model and download all hardware drivers. Write those
to external (to that computer) media. CD/DVD/USB/Network.

If it is a piece-meal computer, take the Belarc list and visit each
manufacturer's web page. Be sure - at a minimum - to obtain the
motherboard chipset drivers, the hard drive controller card drivers,
the video card drivers, the modem drivers, the network card
drivers and the sound card drivers. Technically - if you have the
drivers for the hardware that will allow you to access the Internet,
everything else can be gotten later. However - there is something
to be said about going in prepared.

3) Now that you have the software and hardware drivers covered -
you can get to the business of obtaining Service Pack 2 and most
of the post-sp2 updates you will need. I have a list with links
below this - if you grabbed everything on this list - installed them
(after installing Windows XP) in numerical (by KB Article #) order
- rebooting when asked to - before ever connecting to the Internet
- you might (at this time) have 5-10 more to grab from the update
web page.

Essentially - visit each of these pages, download the update for
Windows XP (32bit) w/SP2 and save them to an external location.
CD/DVD/USB/Network. Consider yourself an "IT Professional" in
order to get to the page with the actual file download link for each
update.

You could get away with (pretty much) installing them in the order
given.

Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
http://snipurl.com/8bqy

Critical Updates
----------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address ] -- Description:
9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885626 ]
-- Critical Update for Windows XP
11/22/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887742 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885835 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885836 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/886185 ]
-- Critical Update for Windows XP
12/13/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873339 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891781 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888302 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887472 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Messenger
4/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890859 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
5/18/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894391 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
5/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896344 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896358 ]
-- Security Update for Microsoft Windows XP
6/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896428 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/24/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900930 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/27/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898461 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
7/11/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901214 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896423 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899587 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899591 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893756 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/901017 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902400 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905749 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905414 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/10/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900725 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
11/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896424 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
12/12/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910437 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
12/13/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904706 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
1/5/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/912919 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
1/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908519 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911927 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
4/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911562 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
4/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911567 ]
-- Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express for Windows XP
4/18/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904942 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900485 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
4/25/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908531 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
5/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913580 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/6/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916595 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
6/8/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918439 ]
-- Vulnerability in ART Image Rendering Could Allow Remote Code
Execution in Internet Explorer for Windows XP SP2
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914389 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917953 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
6/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917344 ]
-- JScript 5.6 Security Update for Windows XP SP1 and SP2
6/27/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911280 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917159 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
7/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914388 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920214 ]
-- Security Update for Outlook Express for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917422 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920670 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922616 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920683 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/7/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921398 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
8/17/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920872 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920685 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922582 ]
-- Update for Windows XP
9/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919007 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
9/26/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925486 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP SP2
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922819 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924496 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923414 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
10/9/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923191 ]
-- Security Update for Windows XP
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922760 ]
-- Cumulative security update for Internet Explorer
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920213 ]
-- Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent could allow remote code
execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923789 ]
-- Vulnerabilities in Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe
could allow remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924270 ]
-- Vulnerability in Workstation Service could allow
remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928088 ]
-- Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services could
allow remote code execution
11/14/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923980 ]
-- Vulnerability in the Client Service could allow remote code
execution

Media Player:
-------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
9/2/2004 -- [ http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=30984 ]
-- Windows Media Player 10
11/7/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902344 ]
-- Update for WMDRM-enabled Media Players
2/13/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911564 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player Plug-in
4/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/911565 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP
6/12/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917734 ]
-- Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 for Windows XP

..NET Framework:
------------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
3/30/2004 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bde ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package
8/30/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885055 ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
2/8/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887219 ]
-- ASP.NET Security Update for Microsoft NET Framework 1.1
Service Pack 1
3/22/2006 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bdv ]
-- Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable
Package (x86)
7/11/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917283 ]
-- NDP 2.0 ASP.Net Security Update
10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922770 ]
-- NET Framework 2.0 SYSTEM.WEB.DLL Security Update

Other Updates:
---------------------
Released: -- [ Web Page Address: ] -- Description:
9/14/2004 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/873374 ]
-- Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool
9/2/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893803 ]
-- Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)
10/14/2005 -- [ http://snipurl.com/10bex ]
-- Windows Media Connect 2.0
11/29/2005 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909520 ]
-- Microsoft Base Smart Card Cryptographic Service Provider
Package: x86
10/10/2006 -- [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890830 ]
-- Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool
- November 2006

Purely OPTIONAL:
----------------------
10/18/2006 -- [ http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ ]
-- Internet Explorer 7.0

4) Now that you have all the updates you will need to install Windows
XP Home Edition, all the hardware drivers you will need to get the
operating system to communicate with your hardware, all your
installation media and product keys in a pile - you can install
Windows XP by simply changing the boot order in
the system BIOS to CD first, putting in your Windows XP
CD and following the prompts. When it asks where you
would like to install - delete the partitions shown and create a new
partition to install on. Format it NTFS. Continue following the
prompts.

5) Once the installation is done - break out whatever external media
you saved all the 2nd & 3rd list items to and connect/insert it into
the system and begin installing all the hardware drivers (1st) and
then all the patches and such. It'll take a while and probably 10+
reboots.

6) Install your favorite AntiVirus software (I am including a tips list that
has several free alternatives as tip (9)) and immunize your system
against most spyware (see tip (10) in the same list below) and connect
to the Internet. Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and scan
your system for more updates. Do not install hardware drivers from
here.

7) Install whatever other software you need this system to have. Plugins
like quicktime, flash, shockwave, real player (or real alternative),
acrobat reader and so on... Full applications like Microsoft Office,
WordPerfect, Photoshop, etc. Any special software for
cameras/scanners/printers. Anything and everything you want this
computer to have.

8) Create an additional administrative user. Log out and log in as that
user. Make sure it has a password that is good and that you can
remember. Log out and log back in as the original user. That new
user is your 'just in case' account.


Good luck to you!

Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
various things that could happen to you/it:

Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

Outfitting a new computer for the Net
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...wcomputer.mspx

Getting started with a new PC
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/yournewpc.mspx

Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
know above and beyond that. Below I have detailed out many tips
that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but keep it clean,
secure and running at its best.

I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
to take in for a novice - however I can assure you that one trip
through this list and you will understand your computer and the
options available to you for protecting your data much better -
and that the next time you go through these steps, the time it
takes will be greatly reduced.

Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step.
Yes, it will take up some of your time - but consider what you use
your computer for and how much you would dislike it if all of your
stuff on your computer went away because you did not "feel like"
performing some simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking
out your garbage, collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying
your bills on time, etc.

I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
document is about; however, here is some places for you poor souls
still stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on
maintaining your system:

Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/u...s/maintaining/

Windows ME Computer Health:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/u...alth/articles/

Pay close attention to the sections:
(in order)
- Clean up your hard disk
- Check for errors by running ScanDisk
- Defragment your hard disk
- Roll back the clock with System Restore


Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )


Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
done once (mostly):

Tip (1):
Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
(the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe
place along with their CD keys and such. Make backups of these
installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner
and application, Disk copier, etc.) You'll be glad to know that if you
have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
duplicate copy of your CDs. One such application is ISORecorder:

ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/beta.htm

Yes - it is BETA software - but very useful and well tested.
(Don't know what "BETA" means? In simplest terms, it is the stage of a
softwares' life where it is tested for bugs, crashes, errors,
inconsistencies, and any other problems.)

More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:

CDBurnerXP Pro
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

DeepBurner Free
http://www.deepburner.com/

ImgBurn (burn ISO images)
http://www.imgburn.com/

Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.


Tip (2):
Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
size between 128MB and 512MB..

- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
following:
- Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
- Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
now.)
- Click OK.
- Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
(the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
minutes or more.)
- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
Explorer.


Tip (3):
If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system
(1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method is:

Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying
"prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
other annoyances. You could also grab and install/use one
(or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

Another viable (decently inexpensive) option is to increase the amount
of memory (RAM) your computer has. You can get an idea of what you
need by visiting:

Crucial Memory AdvisorT Tool
http://www.crucial.com/

Then either buy direct from there or write down the specs you get and
visit: http://www.pricewatch.com/ and locate the best price on what you
need. 512MB up to 1GB total memory should be more than enough for
the normal home user.


Tip (4):
Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password
your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always
"in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely
have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that
you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is why you should
understand and utilize good passwords.

Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):

Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !, :)

Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.

One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Great new job in January 2006'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Gr8n3wj0bJAN2006'

The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
every account you have.'

Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
recommend:

KeePass Password Safe
http://keepass.sourceforge.net/

It can even generate passwords for you.


Tip (5):
This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section; however -
if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.

Why you should use a computer firewall..
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...wbenefits.mspx

You should, in some way, use a firewall. Hardware (like a nice
Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you. Many use both of
these. The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device
for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment
to make things work for them. Next in the line of simplicity would
have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP. In SP2 it
is turned on by default. It is not difficult to turn on in any
case, however:

Enable/Disable the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673

More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855

Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
http://snipurl.com/atal

The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
out. For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
MORE than sufficient. However, you may feel otherwise. If you want to
know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the
outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a
third-party application and configure/maintain it. I have compiled a
list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
from:

BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
http://blackice.iss.net/

Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm

Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html

Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/

Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/

ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
http://snipurl.com/6ohg

You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
list and set it up.

Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.

** Don't stack the software firewalls! Running more than one software
firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run. It is
fine (and in many ways better) to have the software firewall as well
as a NAT router.


Now that you have some of the more basic things down..
Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
maintain a healthy and stable windows computer. If you have not
done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,
they will become routine and some can even be scheduled.


Tip (6):
The system restore feature is a useful - first appearing in Windows
ME and then sticking around for Windows XP. It is only a useful
feature if you keep it maintained and use it to your advantage.
Remember that the system restore pretty much tells you in the name
what it protects which is 'system' files. Your documents, your
pictures, your stuff is NOT system files - so you should also look
into some backup solution.

Whenever you think about it (after doing a once-over on your machine
once a month or so would be optimal) - clear out your System Restore
and create a manual restoration point.

'Why?'

Too many times have I seen the system restore files go corrupt or get
a virus in them, meaning you could not or did not want to restore from
them. By clearing it out periodically you help prevent any corruption
from happening and you make sure you have at least one good "snapshot".
(*This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.*)

- Turn off System Restore.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
- Reboot the Computer.
- Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore
- Make a Manual Restoration Point.
http://snipurl.com/68nx

That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files
that you are REALLY worried about - yours! For that you need to look
into backups. You can either manually copy your important files, folders,
documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings and so on
to an external location (CD/DVD - any disk of some sort, etc) or you can
use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:

How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422

Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
(while you do other things!)

Another option that came to my attention as of late:

Cobian Backup
http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image
backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
(something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble than
performing a full install of the operating system and all applications.

Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive
completely using many methods - by far the simplest are using disk cloning
applications:

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage

BootItT NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html


Tip (7):
You should sometimes look through the list of applications that are
installed on your computer. The list may surprise you. There are more
than likely things in there you know you never use - so why have them
there? There may even be things you know you did *not* install and
certainly do not use (maybe don't WANT to use.)

This web site should help you get started at looking through this list:

How to Uninstall Programs
http://snipurl.com/8v6b

How to change or remove a program in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307895

A word of warning - Do NOT uninstall anything you think you MIGHT need
in the future unless you have completed Tip (1) and have the installation
media and proper keys for use backed up somewhere safe!


Tip (8):
Patches and Updates!

This one cannot be stressed enough. It is SO simple, yet so neglected
by many people. It is really simple for the critical Microsoft patches!
Microsoft put in an AUTOMATED feature for you to utilize so that you do
NOT have to worry yourself about the patching of the Operating System:

How to configure and use Automatic Updates in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525

However, not everyone wants to be a slave to automation, and that is
fine. Admittedly, I prefer this method on some of my more critical
systems.

Windows Update
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get the critical ones
as you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you see when
selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the next few days,
go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), insure that the
'Show Updates' checkbox is checked and match up the latest numbers you
downloaded recently (since you started noticing an issue) and uninstall
them. If there was more than one (usually is), uninstall them one by one
with a few hours of use in between, to see if the problem returns.
Yes - the process is not perfect (updating) and can cause trouble like I
mentioned - but as you can see, the solution isn't that bad - and is
MUCH better than the alternatives.

Windows is not the only product you likely have on your PC. The
manufacturers of the other products usually have updates. New versions
of almost everything come out all the time - some are free, some are pay
and some you can only download if you are registered - but it is best
to check. Just go to their web pages and look under their support and
download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office you should visit:

Microsoft Office Updates
http://office.microsoft.com/
(and select 'Check for Updates' and/or 'Downloads' for more)

You also have hardware on your machine that requires drivers to interface
with the operating system. You have a video card that allows you to see on
your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your PCs sound output and
so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the latest downloadable
drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always get the manufacturers'
hardware driver over any Microsoft offers. On the Windows Update site I
mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting their hardware drivers - no matter
how tempting.

How do you know what hardware you have in your computer? Break out the
invoice or if it is up and working now - take inventory:

Belarc Advisor
http://belarc.com/free_download.html

Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the latest driver for your
hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For example, let's say you
have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card, perhaps a Creative
Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...

NVidia Video Card Drivers
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

ATI Video Card Drivers
http://www.atitech.com/support/driver.html

Creative Labs Sound Device
http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/

C-Media Sound Device
http://www.cmedia.com.tw/e_download_01.htm

Then install these drivers. Updated drivers are usually more stable and
may provide extra benefits/features that you really wished you had before.

As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft has made this
particular patch available in a number of ways. First, there is the
Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct download site.

Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
http://snipurl.com/8bqy

Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD
http://snipurl.com/d41v

If all else fails - grab the full download above and try to use that.
In this case - consider yourself a 'IT professional or developer'.


Tip (9):
What about the dreaded word in the computer world, VIRUS?

Well, there are many products to choose from that will help you prevent
infections from these horrid little applications. Many are FREE to the
home user and which you choose is a matter of taste, really. Many people
have emotional attachments or performance issues with one or another
AntiVirus software. Try some out, read reviews and decide for yourself
which you like more:

( Good Comparison Page for AV software: http://www.av-comparatives.org/ )

AntiVir (Free and up)
http://www.free-av.com/

avast! (Free and up)
http://www.avast.com/

AVG Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
http://free.grisoft.com/

eset NOD32 (~$39.00 and up)
http://www.eset.com/products/products.htm

eTrust EZ Antivirus (~$29.95 and up)
http://ca.com/store/home/us/hp2/

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$49.95 and up)
http://www.kaspersky.com/products.html

McAfee VirusScan (~$11 and up)
http://www.mcafee.com/

Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/
(Free Online Scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)

RAV AntiVirus Online Virus Scan (Free!)
http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/

Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$11 and up)
http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_9xnt/

Trend Micro (~$49.95 and up)
http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/personal.htm
(Free Online Scanner:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/hous...start_corp.asp)


Most of them have automatic update capabilities. You will have to
look into the features of the one you choose. Whatever one you finally
settle with - be SURE to keep it updated (I recommend at least daily) and
perform a full scan periodically (yes, most protect you actively, but a
full scan once a month at 4AM probably won't bother you.)


Tip (10):
The most rampant infestation at the current time concerns SPYWARE/ADWARE.
You need to eliminate it from your machine.

There is no one software that cleans and immunizes you against
everything. Antivirus software - you only needed one. Firewall, you
only needed one. AntiSpyware - you will need several. I have a list and
I recommend you use at least the first five.

First - make sure you have NOT installed "Rogue AntiSpyware". There are
people out there who created AntiSpyware products that actually install
spyware of their own! You need to avoid these:

Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Also, you can always visit this site..
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
For more updated information.

Install the first five of these: (Install, Run, Update, Scan with..)
(If you already have one or more - uninstall them and download the
LATEST version from the page given!)

Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdn )

Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/index.html
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/atdk )

Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate3 )

SpywareBlaster (Free!)
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate6 )

IE-SPYAD2 (Free!)
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm#IESPYAD
(How-to: http://snipurl.com/ate7 )

CWShredder Stand-Alone (Free!)
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract..._download.html

Hijack This! (Free!)
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
(Log Analyzer: http://hjt.iamnotageek.com/ )

ToolbarCop (Free!)
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/toolbarcop.htm

Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/

Browser Security Tests (Free Tester)