Re-Installing XP - a fresh start

vr6lad

Need some advice from the techies!

Looking to give my laptop a fresh start and format my hard drive. I know with XP (Home) that you reboot the computer with the XP cd and go from there.

The one thing I'm not sure about is the partitions. I have two, one for NTFS and another for EISA. What exactly is EISA? Is it safe to delete both partitions and create one new one?

I've got all organised and downloaded the latest drivers ready to install, but I couldn't find anything to clarify whether I should keep or delete the EISA partition. Hoping someone can help.

Any other useful tips for re-installing XP and drivers would be very welcome!

nielingren

Ok STOP....

the EISA partition is a restore of your laptop do not get rid of it....


you are right with windows xp you just boot to cd but you don't have to


when your computer boots up you need to boot the restor EISA (this is different from computer to computer) this means you don't need to try and find the right drivers and so on. and it keeps the partition there for next time.



what laptop do you have i'll try and find out what key to push at boot to get in the restore mode.

:cool:

Tallymanjohn

Not too sure on what the EISA partition is in your case - may just have drivers for some of your hardware, but for now, you can ignore it.

If you're using a proper XP CD then when you boot from it, you will eventually get the option of where to (re)install Windows - choose the original location, making sure you do not install a second operating system - you want to over-write the original. Again ignore the EISA partition, just install on the main NTFS partition. Let it go through the reinstall process and when you're up & running you can then investigate the second partition & decide if you need the drivers or whatever or you can just use Admin tools to delete, rename it or whatever.

If you are using a Restore CD - branded with the manufacturer's logo - then there's a possibility that the 2nd partition contains data required during the reinstall. Again, ignore it & let the restore disk do it's job but when finished, leave the 2nd partition alone.

Browntoa

I'd go with this being a default restore partiton as well, Dells do a re-install to factory settings, Packard Bells used a disk to access this

but it will achieve what you are after without a format/re-install

joemardo1

Ok, you may have a recovery disk with your laptop that will enable you to get it back to factory condition, or have a hidden partition on your laptop that will have the backup in it. if you have the recovery cd then go into bios and set laptop to boot from cd.

I would strongly advice (so as to save many hours of reinstalling xp and applications in the future) that you make a backup of your windows partition using one of the many available programs Norton ghost acronis true image etc, do this in 2 stages, after you have reinsalled xp and downloaded all the updates, got all your drivers installed etc, BACKUP 1 then when you have xp and all applications installed and everything is working honkey dorey BACKUP 2. (its always better to have 2 backups then just one)

This will save you so much time if you have probs with xp or applications again or get hit by a virus, just reinstall the backup, and you are back to your previous perfect working windows enviroment.

All the best

Joe

vr6lad

Thanks for the rapid response guys. Much appreciated FYI, I have an Evesham Voyager.

Having done plenty of re-installs using Win 98 etc, the partitions stumped me somewhat. To reinstall XP then, do I need to delete the NTFS partition and create a new one? I assume this is where all my junk, and the OS is situated? The general consensus seems to be to leave the EISA partition alone.

Yes, I have the Evesham branded copy of XP. I assume there will be a hefty update when I go to windows update!

Once I've got windows up and running, am I able to connect to the internet or will I require to install the drivers first? (I'm running wireless at the moment) Also, is it safe to use the windows firewall whilst I do my updates? Or would you download a firewall first (I was thinking of Comodo or Zonealarm.

Thanks again

albertross_2

If you have a router, that firewall should protect you from worms etc, while you are doing windowsupdates. It won't work wireless out of the box (unless you haven't setup encryption on the router), but should work if you wire it up with an ethernet cable.

Either reformat the ntfs partition as part of the xp install, or if the recovery partition uses disk imaging technology, that should sort it out for you.