Reinstalling Windows XP
After maybe three years of constant use, my XP was running extremely ragged. It’s always a good idea to reformat your hard drive and reinstall your software, probably once a year, once every two years on the outside, especially if you use it constantly and install various software on it. Otherwise, data corruption eats you alive. That’s what I was getting–the computer was becoming very slow even on startup, and if it was up for any length of time, things could slow to a crawl.
And here was where I found yet another Mac vs. PC distinction: Windows reinstallation can suck, big time. Maybe it works better on some machines than on others. It certainly wasn’t easy on mine.
Now, when you get a Mac, you get the Mac OS, and you get an install DVD. Not a “restore” disc, although in the past, restore discs have been included as an extra. But you definitely get the OS install discs just as if you’d bought the OS separately. And none of this “install disks will only install onto your specific model” baloney, the OS install discs will work on any Mac modern enough to handle it. In the past, Apple did that differentiation thing, but not for a long time now, to my knowledge. Well, I have an eMachines computer, a cheap desktop box, and that’s what the restore discs will work on, and nothing else. Well, fine for today.
Next, when you try to use the install disc, it’s simple to use, self-explanatory. If you put the disc in while the computer is on, then open the install icon, it’ll tell you exactly what to do–restart and boot from the install disc. It’ll even auto-target the disc so all you have to do is click “restart,” and you’re on your way. Simple.
Not so simple for the PC. I put the restore CD in the CD drive (the computer has separate CD-RW and DVD-ROM drives), and all I got was an auto-run that opened a simple text editor file that told me that the drivers were on the second disk. Well, fine. But I don’t want the drivers, I know they’re on the second disk, I want to reformat the drive and reinstall the OS. I put in the second disk, it’s just got the drivers, and no other instructions.
So after a while, I figure maybe I’ll leave the first install CD in the computer and restart. Aha! That’s what was needed! It now asks me if I want to restore the software. that’s great, but how many people would have thought to do what I did? There are no instructions to that effect on the CD label, nor on the CD content. Nothing. Nada. You gotta figure it out on your own. Stupid.
But at least I figured it out, and so now I’m ready. I select the “restore” option, read the warnings, and tell the machine to go ahead. Bzzzzt! Sorry! A program starts up called “Symantec Ghost 2.0.0.260”, and an error dialog comes up, stating “Single User Version cannot do multiple loads”; I press “OK,” and another error dialog comes up (“Cannot open GHOSTERR.TXT”), and then another (“Invalid dump file”). After clicking “OK” for these dialogs, the computer then helpfully reports that the restore process was successful and my new software has been installed. Yeah, right.
I try different variations, and always the same thing happens. I get a copy of my sister-in-law’s restore CD (they have the exact same model), and it fails. She can’t figure it out either. But something strange is going on: every time I try the procedure, after it fails but reports it’s finished, the DVD-ROM tray pops out. Now, left to my own self, I eventually would have figured out that the computer seemed to think that the restore CD was in the DVD drive rather than the CD drive, but in fact, my sister-in-law suggested it first. Sure enough, I pop the CD into the DVD drive, and everything works.
But again, we get a very non-intuitive process, and a stupid machine: why can’t it recognize which drive a CD is in? Why does it only work when the CD is in the DVD drive and not the CD drive? And why can’t the computer itself suggest to put the CD in the DVD drive?
This is what I’m talking about. The updates are similarly non-intuitive–I have to figure out where the software updater is, then update the updater, then install 19 updates, and only then does it suggest installing Service Pack 2, which is what I was looking for… oy. This is why I like Macs better. Sorry, but it is way easier to use. I just don’t see any way around that.
I have found installing the windows os to be a tricky thing. Many companies do a horrible job of making it easy to reinstall xp. Dell, which is very good relative to the others in my opinion, publishes a list of steps on the internet that is several hours long. The steps are all a bit tricky, yet if done correctly, they work ok. Other companies don’t publish the list of steps (e.g. install driver x, then driver y, then …), which can make reinstalling xp close to impossible.
Win Xp pro has a full back up utility that backs up the os and all the programs and settings, so that if the hd goes down, one can get back to where they were with one delightful click.
It takes me 2 to 3 days to install xp and all the software that I have.
I definitely use the full back up to avoid this. I back up to a $200 200GB usb 2.0 external hd, which has saved me on many occasions.
Norton software causes xp to get dog slow. It is the most incompetetant software in the world. If a computer is slow, I recommend removing all norton stuff.
Microsoft announced they will be providing email scanning functions in new software, making it so that one does not need norton. I think they did this since norton is hosing xp, and they need xp to run well. My theory is that this decision was not based on trying to make money on email scanning software, and instead was done for personal reasons (i.e. software that hoses xp must be destroyed).
Hi
after reading your blod for (two years???) I have decided to jump to mac with my next and impending computer purchase. Question—What is the best way to buy a mac(I need it to be bilingual English/Japanese here in Japan? I am out in the sticks so I cant really get to an apple dealer (although I could drive to Kitakyushu–they have a mac store in a Best Denki)
Any help would be great. Also, how do you get your english software?
thanks
matthew
ps. great blog!
Matthew: thanks, that’s nice of you to say.
Your best bet is to use the online Apple Store, and to use a credit card (hopefully you have one).
The language of the OS is no problem–the Mac OS is multilingual, you can switch between system languages easily (not possible in Windows); there are about 15 languages the system can switch to if you like. By “system languages,” I mean the language that is used for the menus, dialog boxes, etc.–the language that the OS uses. I believe you get to decide that on startup, but you can switch between languages at any time later.
Additionally, if you want to type in other languages, about 50 come pre-installed, with fonts and everything–no requirement to download and install them like on Windows.
To control languages, you go to the System Preferences and choose “International.” There, you can choose to switch the OS language (under the “Language” tab), or you can activate languages that you can type (under the “Input Menu” tab). By “activate” I mean you add them to the language input menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen; to type in that language, you just select it from that menu and then type.
The other language issue is the keyboard–if you buy at any brick-and-mortar shop in Japan like in Kitakyushu, they keyboard will be in Japanese. To get the option for a U.S. keyboard, you have to buy through the online store at apple.com. There is no extra charge for the keyboard, though it may take a few extra days to have it shipped (especially if you buy a laptop).
As for English-language apps, that’s less a problem on the Mac; most apps are also multilingual, which means they sense the language your OS is set to and they automatically match it. Not all apps are like that, for example I don’t know if MS Office will do that. But all Apple apps will, and you can get those through the apple store online as well, though buying Apple apps locally would be no different in terms of languages. If you work at the right kind of school, you might be able to get the academic discount, though for Apple apps, that would also have to be through the online store.
If you’re not married to MS Office, consider iWork–it costs just 8000 yen or so, and gives you good Word Processor and Presentation apps, which can read and save as MS Word and Powerpoint formats. They take the place of MS Word and Powerpoint, and they’re maybe a few hundred bucks cheaper. No spreadsheet app in the set yet, however (though both apps now have very limited spreadsheet ability when you add tables).
By the way, if you’re looking for a laptop, and want the cheaper model, wait a month or two–the current iBooks are still G4s, but the Intel “Macbooks” are rumored to be a month or so away from release. Currently, the Macbook Pro, the iMac, and the Mac Mini are all Intels; for a Power Mac or Macbook (iBook), you should wait until they’re released, unless you don’t care about running Windows.
Yeah, I just tried it. MS Office is one language–you buy it in Japanese, it’ll probably stay in Japanese, the bastards. But what can you expect from Microsoft. All my Apple apps do nicely in auto-switching languages, though.
You can also buy software from online stores (MacZone, MacConnection, etc.) back in the U.S., and if they don’t ship to overseas, have them ship to your folks or friends in the US, who can then ship them to you.
I asked my sister this morning about why the CD would work in the DVD drive and not the CD drive. She told me that the computer is probably looking to install from the lower letter drive. If your computer is configured the same as mine (and it should be since they’re the same model), your DVD drive is the D drive and your CD-RW is the E drive. She also said that some machines seem to “prefer” the drive the system was originally installed from.
I think this sort of quirkiness and the non-intuitive installation process is the result of the great diversity among PC makers. Each has a different set of rules and different software for their machines. As Mac users, primarily, we get used to Apple looking after its users a bit better and we also have had a more consistent user experience throughout over a decade of Mac usage. However, Apple has been slowly migrating from that by replacing standard Mac usage guidelines with standard PC usage guidelines (like replacing the shift key for multiple non-consecutive selections in a window with the command key for the same type of selections).
At any rate, you said Apple gives you a full version of the OS with the computer. That isn’t always true. Consumer models frequently do no include a full OS version and contain a machine-specific OS disc only. I know this because my Mac Mini did not come with a system disc (only a Mini specific disc which will no run on any other Mac). I can’t speak for mid-range and high end models as I haven’t purchased one recently but I’m guessing based on your comments and the fact that you buy higher end models of Macs than I that they still include full system discs with some models.
In regards to PCs not including a standard copy of Windows, I’m guessing the reason for this is two-fold. First of all, they want to be sure people don’t install the OS on a machine that it wasn’t licensed for because a commercial (non-machine-specific) version of Windows is significantly more expensive than an OEM version. Considering that we paid $400 for our eMachines and Windows XP is between $150 and $200 commercially, you have to figure that eMachines isn’t paying anywhere near $150 for the right to include Windows with their PCs.
The second reason probably is that the percentage of PC users who are relatively “unsophisticated” and would be confused by two system discs is far higher than the percentage of Mac users who would be similarly confused. Despite the fact that the Mac is easier to use, the users tend not to be novices. That’s not to say that there aren’t more very savvy PC users than educated Mac users but because there are so many PC users compared to Mac users, there are bound to be a lot more novices out there and it’s easier and cheaper to cater the novice than the computer sophisticate.
Windows reinstallation can suck, big time.
Having some relatively recent experience in that area, I know what you mean. I recently upgraded our new PC’s (we ended up getting a new Windows machine, but don’t hate me for it) OS to Windows XP Pro, which was tedious. I find it somewhat ironic, actually, the Microsoft has gone all these years without creating a decent graphical installer for Windows, so even when installing the latest version comercially available, you still have to work with what looks like the Blue Screen of Death. Compared to the installer for my OS of choice, it’s not much to look at.
Anyway, I figure this machine will stay until its warranty runs out, at which point it will probably be time to get a Mac. By then I imagine Windows will be a common option for Mac users who need to be able to run Windows applications.
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!!!! I’ve been trying to format the hard drive of our PC for over a week due to the exact problems you have had in the past. In a last desperate attempt, searched the symsntec ghost error online and found your blog.
Someone above mentioned using the CD burner drive which I did and VOILA!! My drive is formatting as we speak!!!
I just hope reinstallation doesn’t cause me nearly as many heart aches and frustrations!!
Glad to hear it! Good luck with that.