OT: Reinstalling XP, What do I need to save?

[Super 8]

I'm going to be reinstalling XP after a reformat and partition. I have a backup of all my important files, I went through and exported the registry, is there anything else.

Basically, I'd like to do this without having to reinstall all of my software and redo all of my setting. I want it to work like it does now.

 

Recomendations?

Thanks

[MikeRivers]

 

I'm going to be reinstalling XP after a reformat and partition. I have a backup of all my important files, I went through and exported the registry, is there anything else. Basically, I'd like to do this without having to reinstall all of my software and redo all of my setting. I want it to work like it does now.

Your best bet is to use a program that saves a disk image and restores it. I've used Norton Ghost when upgrading disk drives. New hard drives are so cheap these days that you might as well buy one for your "ghost" copy - or just Ghost your present drive to a new drive, stick in the new drive, and then if you want, recycle the old drive.

 

Ghost is one of those programs that gets more complicated as newer versions come out. When I needed it bad, people advised me to get Ghost 2003 that was still available even though there were newer versions, and it worked just fine. I think I paid $15 for it at newegg.com though I doubt that they still have it. When I just looked it up, I ran across a couple of reviews of reviews that panned that version. Like with any software, beware of what people say about it. It might be better than you think . . . or worse.

[MrKnobs]

I'm going to be reinstalling XP after a reformat and partition. I have a backup of all my important files, I went through and exported the registry, is there anything else. Basically, I'd like to do this without having to reinstall all of my software and redo all of my setting. I want it to work like it does now. Recomendations? Thanks

 

If you erase your hard drive, and then restore Windows to what it was before, what have you accomplished?

 

Terry D.

[Super 8]

If you erase your hard drive, and then restore Windows to what it was before, what have you accomplished? Terry D.

 

I want to restore all of my settings and file associations. I keep my OS on C: and keep most of my apps and most other inportant files on other drives. So I want to be able to do this without having to reinstall EVERYTHING. I want to keep it reasonably simple.

[ggm1960]

I'd always liked to just save my creations and certain settings and then go with a nice clean install. It was always the best way to eliminate the dingleberries that inevitably linger on a HD.

These days though I'd have a second internal or USB HD to mirror the current drive to and then I could pull things I needed off of it until I was sure I had all I needed from it.

[Alndln2]

 

Basically, I'd like to do this without having to reinstall all of my software and redo all of my setting. I want it to work like it does now. Recomendations? Thanks

 

Yeah, pick up a copy of Acronis True Image and use the default option of backing up "My Computer".

[the stranger]

If you erase your hard drive, and then restore Windows to what it was before, what have you accomplished? Terry D.

 

I tend to think the registry and windows in general gets corrupted over time. I do think this reformat/install fetish is partly from previous incarnations of windows being really bad about just turning into a pile of non-functioning binary mush. But, I would be willing to bet that my computer would run way faster after a reinstall. Seeing as how I'm on my original XP install. I've only had a couple of minor crashes in five years, probably due to user error. XP is rock solid, ime. I'm lovin' it.

 

But, faster is better.

 

Super,

 

I think what you need is to just backup certain portions of the registry. And reinstall them in the appropriate manner for your software. I'm guessing you want a fresh install, yet be able to reload your critical software without re-registering/etc, and probably save your various desktop/asst settings/themes/and maybe pron.

 

Anyway,

 

I only have analysis, not solutions. Check the recent and latest happening threads on registry type voodoo. See if those various links and such don't end up telling you what you need to know.

 

P.S. Come back and share what you find, so I don't have to go look it up. Thanks!

 

[the stranger]

Oh yeah, those kind participants in the other threads noted how you could reload just portions of the image file with certain software offerings. Maybe this is the key?

[STFU NOOB!]

Reinstalling XP, What do I need to save? Thanks

 

some money up and buy a mac

[rasputin1963]

Yeah, I think it's good computer "hygiene" to format and reinstall, at least once a year. Too much detritus and meshugaas accumulate in your 'puter over time that go unnoticed.

 

If you don't use a holistic proggie like GHOST, then at the very least, be sure to save your INTERNET EXPLORER favorites and your OUTLOOK EXPRESS (now called WINDOWS MAIL) addresses/contacts.

 

Major bummer to lose email addresses you haven't saved to hardcopy or disk somewhere.

 

As for buying a MAC... why have I resisted? Maybe it's because every major software--- and the myriad, bejillions of little auxiliary programs across the 'Net, and so valuable they are--- appear first in WINDOWS format.

[alphajerk]

you wont gain anything by restoring an image of your drive now... you really want to take the image on fresh install of XP and all your apps, only necessary things.... i doubt restoring your registry will help you at all, because that is one place that gets lot of things left in from installs/uninstalls. i would just take the time and rebuild your system from scratch and then image it, that way next time you will have that image. then if you add software down the line, you could restore your intital image getting rid of any deleterious files/installs from your fresh install, then add the new software and image that state for next time.

[MrKnobs]

you wont gain anything by restoring an image of your drive now... you really want to take the image on fresh install of XP and all your apps, only necessary things.... i doubt restoring your registry will help you at all, because that is one place that gets lot of things left in from installs/uninstalls. i would just take the time and rebuild your system from scratch and then image it, that way next time you will have that image. then if you add software down the line, you could restore your intital image getting rid of any deleterious files/installs from your fresh install, then add the new software and image that state for next time.

 

This is right.

 

Reinstalling Windows and then restoring the registry and system files will just put you right back where you were - after a lot of work.

 

Terry D.

[Paully]

Take a look at this link from your desktop:

 

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings transfer wizard.

 

It allows you to choose what you want to save to an external drive. Very usefull for restoring something like your current desktop. You really can pick and choose what you want to save.

 

Paul

[philbo]

 

you wont gain anything by restoring an image of your drive now... you really want to take the image on fresh install of XP and all your apps, only necessary things.... i doubt restoring your registry will help you at all, because that is one place that gets lot of things left in from installs/uninstalls. i would just take the time and rebuild your system from scratch and then image it, that way next time you will have that image. then if you add software down the line, you could restore your intital image getting rid of any deleterious files/installs from your fresh install, then add the new software and image that state for next time.

 

 

Everything is good here except the very last part... In all the times I've saved the image state of my boot drive or program drive, by the time I need use it it's already horribly out of date. So I gave up on that, and just reinstall everything. Cleaner & fewer problems, for only a little more work.

 

If you access the net on this PC, remember to export your browser bookmarks

and email address book, and email messages (if you want to save them). The rest probably should be dumped.

[alphajerk]

see, you have to update your image after you add things you buy. it keeps it all nice and clean, and FAR less time than reinstalling. shorter than even reinstalling JUST the OS.

[philbo]

Alpha,

Of course you're right. It's just something I don't do...

[Jon Gnash]

If you access the net on this PC, remember to export your browser bookmarks and email address book, and email messages (if you want to save them).

If he deletes his bookmarks, address book, or email messages, then perhaps Harmony Central could sell them back to him.

[Jon Gnash]

If he deletes his bookmarks, address book, or email messages, then perhaps Harmony Central could sell them back to him.

Never mind.

 

It was a spyware / privacy policy joke.

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

No one will ever get it.

[alphajerk]

Alpha, Of course you're right. It's just something I don't do...

 

i havent either on this machine im brutally testing it to see how far i can take a single machine. this one does internet/email, jukebox, accounting, design, full audio DAW w/VSTi, NLE video, 3d, compositing, authoring, vpn tunnels to several networks and anything else i can think to make it do. i have tortured the machine to see how long it takes me to break it down to where i have to reinstall, and that is going to be a total bitch there is so much stuff on this machine.

 

also trying to see what else interacts with things you are doing on the machine while not doing the others... and how well it can multitask over multiple applications.

 

i SHOULD have been imaging it clean and with each step, but i was lazy... its going to take a day to rebuild the OS drive for this machine should/when i have to actually do it.

[Cry Logic]

 

Basically, I'd like to do this without having to reinstall all of my software and redo all of my setting. I want it to work like it does now.

 

 

It doesn't work like that.

 

As others have already said,here's absolutely no point in doing a format and

reinstall of XP and then restoring the registry.....it's the registry that becomes

corrupted!

The whole idea of reformatting is to start afresh, with an uncluttered registry.

 

Having said that, for some programs, you can get back to pretty close to where

you were by saving their system folders/files (if you know where they live) and

putting them back where they were after the reinstall.

This works for me with FireFox and Thunderbird.

With SONAR I have my Cakewalk Projects folder on another partition,

so I can reinstall SONAR and just point it to that folder, but I have to use

Plugin Manager to back up all my plugin presests or I lose 'em all.

 

With FL Studio I backup the "Projects" & "Patches" folders and just put 'em back

once I've re-installed.... and it all comes back... even patches and

presets for 3rd party VST and VSTi.

 

I can backup all the free/open source VST plugins in my VST Plugins folder,

and just copy them back a new VSTPlugins folder in a fresh install,

but that doesn't work with the commercial ones.. they need to be registered.

More often than not, the registration info is hidden in some obscure section

of the registry.

 

And so on and so forth......

 

On average, I re-install XP 3 or 4 times in a year....

 

There's no easy way.....