XPost: alt.windows-xp   
   From: johnwilliamson@btinternet.com   
      
   Bod wrote:   
   > On 26/09/2011 21:21, John Williamson wrote:   
   >> Pfsszxt@aol.com wrote:   
   >>> On Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:23:56 +0100, John Williamson   
   >>>  wrote:   
   >>>> How up-to-date are your backups?   
   >>>>   
   >>> Very -- but none far enough back to precede the problems   
   >>   
   >> The reason for the data backups is to let you wipe Windows totally and   
   >> then restore all your data when you've re-installed XP. You don't use   
   >> them to restore Windows if the built in System Restore program hasn't   
   >> worked.   
   >>   
   >>>> to a CD will let you mount a USB drive if the hardware's working.   
   >>>>   
   >>>   
   >> Have you tried a Linux live CD yet? If not, then do so and report back.   
   >>>   
   >>>> Once your data's safe, then you can nuke XP using either a restore CD   
   >>>> bought from Acer   
   >>>   
   >>> I have restore disks but that would install the original Win XP Pro   
   >>> before SP1,2,3 etc.   
   >>>   
   >>  This is not a major problem. I have just had to do exactly   
   >> this to an Asus EEE PC, starting with an upgrade copy of XP Home SP1.   
   >> The Asus Windows re-install took about 5 hours in total, including   
   >> finding and downloading the drivers from the Asus website. It now has a   
   >> clean, faster installation of XP customised to suit my needs.   
   >>   
   >> You need to do a clean install of XP from your recovery discs, add any   
   >> drivers you need and have available, install a security suite, and   
   >> connect to the internet (In that order, this is important). Let XP   
   >> connect to the Windows update site, enable automatic updates, and you   
   >> will, sooner or later (A few hours with a decent broadband connection)   
   >> and after a number of reboots, depending on how fast your internet   
   >> connection is and how fast your computer is, have a fully up to date,   
   >> virus and malware free, copy of XP SP3 installed. Then you can start   
   >> re-installing your applications from the install media which you have,   
   >> of course, carefully stored along with the activation keys.   
   >>   
   >> Alternatively, admit you've totally screwed up the system beyond your   
   >> and our ability to restore and get your wife/ girlfriend/ significant   
   >> other to take it to your local friendly computer store along with a   
   >> credit or debit card and look sorry for themselves.   
   >>   
   >  >   
   >   
   > One mistake with that. SP1 and 2 are not supported anymore, so after   
   > installing his antivirus prog, he'd have to download SP3 from Microsoft,   
   > otherwise windows update will not work.   
   >   
   I installed using a CD labelled as SP2, and it worked fine yesterday. It   
   just installed the later version of Windows update first. Then it   
   installed SP3 straight away. IIRC, it is only the original version   
   without any service packs that isn't supported any longer.   
      
   I've not re-installed the Toshiba SP1 version that I'm using on this   
   machine lately, so can't be totally sure though.   
      
   On the other hand, I do have a copy of SP3 somewhere in the piling   
   system to save download time if I'm in a hurry.   
   --   
   Tciao for Now!   
      
   John.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)