computer wiped clean, now what?
in [Windows XP]
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From: mindydee113 via WindowsKB.com on 6 Feb 2010 11:22 my daughters laptop had something wrong with it......i'm not exactly sure..... ..when you turned it on, it made a funny sound like it kept wanting to re- boot. we were not able to do anything with it. couldn't get on internet, download anything, etc. we don't have the starter disk that came with the computer to wipe it clean, so we gave laptop to a friend who did have the starter disk for her computer. windows xp with sp2. the friend inserted the disk and wiped computer clean for us, so it is new, like when it came from factory. my question is this.......what do i do now? what steps do i need to take to make sure the computer is safe before i allow my daughter to get on internet? i know i need to add firewall and virus protection. how do i add firewall? somebody mentioned something to me about installing a service pack? also.......what about the drivers? are the necessary drivers re- installed with the starter disk when the computer is cleaned? i am not a tech head by any means, so it would help if any answers i received were in plain English. any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. -- Message posted via http://www.windowskb.com
From: DL on 6 Feb 2010 11:56 You cannot know whether the drivers were installed without asking the person who installed winxp WindowsXP has its own firewall You connect to the internet and allow MSUpdate to run and install Critical Updates ONLY "mindydee113 via WindowsKB.com" <u55080(a)uwe> wrote in message news:a33c2cd24fa94(a)uwe... > my daughters laptop had something wrong with it......i'm not exactly > sure..... > .when you turned it on, it made a funny sound like it kept wanting to re- > boot. we were not able to do anything with it. couldn't get on internet, > download anything, etc. we don't have the starter disk that came with the > computer to wipe it clean, so we gave laptop to a friend who did have the > starter disk for her computer. windows xp with sp2. the friend inserted > the > disk and wiped computer clean for us, so it is new, like when it came from > factory. my question is this.......what do i do now? what steps do i > need > to take to make sure the computer is safe before i allow my daughter to > get > on internet? i know i need to add firewall and virus protection. how do > i > add firewall? somebody mentioned something to me about installing a > service > pack? also.......what about the drivers? are the necessary drivers re- > installed with the starter disk when the computer is cleaned? > > i am not a tech head by any means, so it would help if any answers i > received > were in plain English. any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. > > -- > Message posted via http://www.windowskb.com >
From: Pegasus [MVP] on 6 Feb 2010 12:14 "mindydee113 via WindowsKB.com" <u55080(a)uwe> said this in news item news:a33c2cd24fa94(a)uwe... > my daughters laptop had something wrong with it......i'm not exactly > sure..... > .when you turned it on, it made a funny sound like it kept wanting to re- > boot. we were not able to do anything with it. couldn't get on internet, > download anything, etc. we don't have the starter disk that came with the > computer to wipe it clean, so we gave laptop to a friend who did have the > starter disk for her computer. windows xp with sp2. the friend inserted > the > disk and wiped computer clean for us, so it is new, like when it came from > factory. my question is this.......what do i do now? what steps do i > need > to take to make sure the computer is safe before i allow my daughter to > get > on internet? i know i need to add firewall and virus protection. how do > i > add firewall? somebody mentioned something to me about installing a > service > pack? also.......what about the drivers? are the necessary drivers re- > installed with the starter disk when the computer is cleaned? > > i am not a tech head by any means, so it would help if any answers i > received > were in plain English. any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. > > -- > Message posted via http://www.windowskb.com > I think your friend did a little more than just wipe the disk. He probably re-installed Windows for you, otherwise you would not be able to use the machine. To activate the Firewall, Click Start / Control Panel / Windows Firewall, then make sure that the Firewall is turned on. If everything on your PC works the way it did before then you do not need to install any extra drivers. I am thinking of things such as - Display resolution - Mouse - Network adapter (to connect to the Internet) - Sound - Printers If your technical expertise with Windows is limited then you should ask your friend to complete the job for you. And as you say, you will need a virus scanner too.
From: Russ SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP] on 6 Feb 2010 12:21 Along with the other suggestions You can get Microsoft Security Essentials for the PC for free (Antivirus) http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/ Russ -- Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP] Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist 24hr SBS Remote Support - www.SBITS.Biz Question or Second Opinion $25.00 - www.PersonalITConsultant.com Free Trial Microsoft Online Services - www.Microsoft-Online-Services.com "mindydee113 via WindowsKB.com" <u55080(a)uwe> wrote in message news:a33c2cd24fa94(a)uwe... > my daughters laptop had something wrong with it......i'm not exactly > sure..... > .when you turned it on, it made a funny sound like it kept wanting to re- > boot. we were not able to do anything with it. couldn't get on internet, > download anything, etc. we don't have the starter disk that came with the > computer to wipe it clean, so we gave laptop to a friend who did have the > starter disk for her computer. windows xp with sp2. the friend inserted > the > disk and wiped computer clean for us, so it is new, like when it came from > factory. my question is this.......what do i do now? what steps do i > need > to take to make sure the computer is safe before i allow my daughter to > get > on internet? i know i need to add firewall and virus protection. how do > i > add firewall? somebody mentioned something to me about installing a > service > pack? also.......what about the drivers? are the necessary drivers re- > installed with the starter disk when the computer is cleaned? > > i am not a tech head by any means, so it would help if any answers i > received > were in plain English. any help i can get would be greatly appreciated. > > -- > Message posted via http://www.windowskb.com >
From: Daave on 6 Feb 2010 13:35
mindydee113 via WindowsKB.com wrote: > my daughters laptop had something wrong with it......i'm not exactly > sure..... .when you turned it on, it made a funny sound like it kept > wanting to re- boot. we were not able to do anything with it. > couldn't get on internet, download anything, etc. we don't have the > starter disk that came with the computer to wipe it clean, so we gave > laptop to a friend who did have the starter disk for her computer. > windows xp with sp2. the friend inserted the disk and wiped computer > clean for us, so it is new, like when it came from factory. my > question is this.......what do i do now? what steps do i need to > take to make sure the computer is safe before i allow my daughter to > get on internet? i know i need to add firewall and virus protection. > how do i add firewall? somebody mentioned something to me about > installing a service pack? also.......what about the drivers? are > the necessary drivers re- installed with the starter disk when the > computer is cleaned? > > i am not a tech head by any means, so it would help if any answers i > received were in plain English. any help i can get would be greatly > appreciated. More information is needed. 1. What is the make and model of your daughter's laptop? This determines the method that is needed to restore the laptop to its original condition. For instance, if it is a Dell, and if the friend did indeed use the correct Dell reinstallation CD, we would still need to know if the friend installed the correct hardware drivers, too. A quick way to determine is any drivers need to be installed is to go to Device Manager: Right-click My Computer and select Manage. Then select Device Manager. In the right window, are there any question marks or exclamation marks? That is, does it look anything like this?: http://media.photobucket.com/image/xp%20%252522device%20manager%252522%20drivers/norskheim/devicemanagerXP.jpg If so, let us know so we can help you with the installation of the proper drivers. 2. Also, a better description of this "funny sound" is needed. Is it a sound that came from speakers? Or is a particular hardware component noisy? If the latter, is this component still noisy? I ask because the component may need to be replaced. Also... By default, SP2 has the built-in Windows firewall already on. You can verify this by following the method Pegasus gave you. There is a lot of work involved (but it is all doable) to get your daughter's laptop to where it needs to be. It involves installing SP3 and all subsequent security updates, a decent antivirus program (Avira Antivir is free and recommended), other antimalware programs (MBAM and SAS are free and recommended), and a number of other things. POst back if you still have questions. |