When you install Windows for the first time, or on a newly formatted computer, you will be given a choice of performing a typical or a custom installation. You should choose the Custom Install if you know the difference between what's needed and what's wanted. That way you can have control of the components you have installed, rather than Microsoft. What they did, is figure out what the average user would like to have installed, bundled it all together and called it a 'Typical Installation'. Trouble is, there are at least 32 items that I counted that are not included in the typical install. Right now you may have components installed that you might never use, and have certain components NOT installed that you would dearly use!
So maybe the best thing if your not too sure, is to run a 'Typical installation', then when your up and running again simply customize it as I show you below.
You can perform your own Windows customization at any time. By taking away things you don't want and adding things that you DO. For example, there is a 'Backup' program in Windows, but it's not installed unless YOU install it. It's not included in the typical installation procedure. Why? i'll never know! And for you WindowsME users, go to your installation disk and click on 'Add-Ons', that's where you'll find your backup utility, and just run it's setup from there.
That's one of the beauty's of having a partitioned drive by the way, you can use this very simple yet efficient FREE backup utility and save the backups to another partition!
To perform a custom installation of Windows, AFTER it's already been installed, this is what you need to do: First make sure you have your Windows disk at hand, or copied onto your hard drive, you don't need your serial # or CD key for this procedure, ( you will need it if you reformat and install windows though.
Go to 'Control Panel' and open up Add/Remove Programs, then click on the 'Windows setup' tab. Go down the list one by one and if you see a tick box shaded, that means not every option in that category is enabled, either double click to open it up and see all the options available, or click on 'Display'. As you highlight each item, a description of what it's for appears below, and if you still don't understand what it is, leave it as you find it and go on to the next one.
Some items you come across will be obvious choices to tick off, while others are not, but don't worry, nothings finished untill you finally click 'Apply' and 'OK', and then... you can always come back and change things later if you like.
This 'Custom Install' is different from Re-Installing Windows.
I'll deal with that in a minute, because there's a few things I want to point out before you go ahead with any of this:
- If you don't actually 'Net meet', you really ought to not include it in your installation, because having that installed turns on a great big unnecesary welcome sign to hackers.
- Same with 'Windows Scripting Host', which is used for writing scripts, as it suggests. And the vast majority of users won't use it, ( in fact, if you don't know what i'm talking about you don't need it). With Scripting Host enabled, a hacker can enter your computer, from wherever he/she is at, and use YOUR Scripting host to write a script on YOUR computer which would be a command to be carried out at a later date. That could be anything from sending an infected email out to everyone in your address book, or it could command your computer to wipe out all your data at a specific time, and you won't know a thing untill it's all happened. It could even be written in such a way that after so many times of opening a certain file, it would set off a trigger to start the devastation in your computer. Do you remember Mafia Boy, who shut down eBay and Amazon etc? He did that by using Windows Scripting Host to write command sripts in other peoples computers, having them send mail to these companys, thereby overwhelming them with a vast amount of traffic which overloaded them and shut em down! So... Unless you use it, disable Windows Scripting host', because by default, it is installed!
- When you get to 'Desktop Themes', choose only the ones you will use, the others are just dead weight! If you have ANY at all, you will need desktop themes support ticked off as well as your choice of theme. But, if you don't use Themes, untick everything and you'll save over 30 Mb of space. If you don't use 'Online Services' don't tick it either. If you don't use Outlook Express, don't enable it, you don't need it. Under 'System Tools' you ought to enable 'Backup', and 'System Monitor' at least. With System Monitor enabled you can click on Start, Programs, Accessories', System Tools, then click on 'System Monitor'. It'll tell you everything about your computer. And if you are having problems with your computer, this is an excellent place to start troubleshooting. Try this for an example: Open up System Monitor as I just described and tick the spot for Advanced Information, now look down the list till you see 'Components' and click on 'Problem Devices'. You'll see it tells you if you have any problems with your devices, if drivers are not installed it'll tell you, etc.
Don't worry, you can only look... No touch. So you can't hurt anything by using System Monitor.
- If you see 'Web TV for Windows', don't bother ticking it hoping you'll be able to watch TV like it suggests, you need to be set up otherwise to recieve it.
And that's about it, when you are ready, click Apply' and OK. You just customized your Windows Installation.
Just one more thing while your here. Click on the 'Startup Disk' tab and create one! You just need a blank floppy disk, which may become worth it's weight in gold to you one day, mine's got me out of trouble many times, i'll give you a tip though... Print off the Help file you find on it, it's a big help when the time comes. It gives full instructions and it tells you the switches to use etc.
To Re-Install Windows
Re-installing Windows is NOT the same thing as re-formatting your computer. In fact, you don't even need to back anything up, 'cos you're not gonna' lose nothing! You won't lose all your data, as you would if you had formatted, not if you do it right anyways. : )
If you've been getting 'System file' errors pretty often, re-installing Windows can be a quicker fix for you than spending hours tracing what happened and then fixing it, and that's IF you know how. Because it'll replace those missing or corrupt System files.
If you remember anything at all from this article though, Remember this: At some point in the Setup process you will be asked whether you want to save, or keep your user preferences and settings, for goodness sake, say "Yes", if you don't, your gonna' be in a heck of a mess, with all kinds of things missing when you reboot.
You'll need the 25 digit Serial no. of your Windows disk, (you can find it in your registry if you don't know it and you know how to look in your registry). You might want to read this I wrote about the Windows Registry if you're unfamiliar with it.
Anyway, put your Windows disk in it's drive and reboot. If it doesn't auto-execute, simply boot up in DOS (This is the best method of installation by the way, it's a 'Clean Install',) and at the prompt, type: E:\setup.exe (assuming E is your CD Rom drive letter after choosing to boot up with CD Rom support,) and let it run itself. you'll need to stay with it for a short while and input some simple data untill it tells you to sit back and relax. The whole thing only takes about half hour, a little longer if running from DOS, because DOS operating system runs slower than Windows. If you can't boot into DOS, insert your EBD (emergency boot disk) in it's drive and re-boot, choose to 'Start your computer with CD Rom support', and watch as it's booting up, it'll tell you what your CD Rom's drive letter is for this session. what it does is moves your drive letter to the next letter from what it WAS. So at the A: prompt, type E:\setup.exe
Again, i'm assuming 'E' is your cd rom drive letter, which you normally know as D drive. If you're a bit confused as to what drive letter to use, use what you want, it won't work out untill you hit the right letter, it'll just say 'Invalid drive specification' or something very similar, so just try the next letter.
During setup, if you are asked whether you want a 'Typical install' or one of the others, choose 'Custom', and perform as above, if not, come back when it's all finished installing and you're up and running to customize it.
Just a couple a more things to mention. One being, you need to disable any virus protection you have running, that includes the virus protection you may not even realize you have, and that's in your BIOS settings. If you know how to work in your BIOS settings thats fine, go ahead and disable it, but if you're not familiar with it, nor know how to enter it, PLEASE read this first, it's a tale I told about a problem I had entering BIOS one day, but it tells you about what BIOS does and how to enter it, and some of the extreme risk you face by messing in there if you don't know what your doing. Yet in the same breath, I'm telling you it's ok to go there, just don't go changing things that you don't understand the implications of, that's all. (I have reformatted without disabling my BIOS virus protection, and everything worked out just fine so if you are unsure whether you want to go into BIOS, dont, try it, it'll still work out for sure.) Oh, and ummmm.... Good Luck. (jus' teasin')
Last thing I want to mention is disconnect from your computer, any Peripherals you may have connected, like your printer, scanner, etc. And re-connect them when you've finished installing windows.
That's it, there's really not that much for you to do when installing Windows, it does it all by itself mostly. Just remember to say "Yes" when asked if you want to save your user settings etc. I can't stress that enough.
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