I have had enough of my chug chug computer which is stuffed full of rubbish programmes I cant get rid of like Nortons and a whole multitude of junk.I have also had Trojan horses which seem to reappear even after they have been removed and I now have AVAST which sticks them in a virus chest but this seems to happen on every reboot!I am not happy with MSFS which sometimes is smooth and then back to chug chug.So I am going to wipe the whole thing clean and reinstall windows XP.Is there a utility to save your E mails and other important bits or should I just copy the whole lot over to my D drive and wipe that clean when I have taken back what I want?I am running an ATI Radeon PRO 9700 is there anything new worth changing for at present?Is it worth installing windows on both drives using the D drive as a no internet drive for fast games and is it possible to have a cut down version of windows just to operate games! without all the other bits installed?ThanksPeter

>I have had enough of my chug chug computer which is stuffed>full of rubbish programmes I cant get rid of like Nortons and>a whole multitude of junk.>>I have also had Trojan horses which seem to reappear even>after they have been removed and I now have AVAST which sticks>them in a virus chest but this seems to happen on every>reboot!>>I am not happy with MSFS which sometimes is smooth and then>back to chug chug.>>So I am going to wipe the whole thing clean and reinstall>windows XP.>Is there a utility to save your E mails and other important>bits or should I just copy the whole lot over to my D drive>and wipe that clean when I have taken back what I want?>>I am running an ATI Radeon PRO 9700 is there anything new>worth changing for at present?>>Is it worth installing windows on both drives using the D>drive as a no internet drive for fast games and is it possible>to have a cut down version of windows just to operate games!>without all the other bits installed?>>Thanks>>PeterPeter; I would not install Win XP on two drives...instead create a second hardware profile and user profile and disable the extra stuff you don't want on that profile for running FS/games. My advice is to download all the latest drivers for video, sound, NIC, and mobo prior to starting...put them on a different partition. Also, check to see if there's a BIOS upgrade available for your mobo, and consider flashing the new BIOS before starting. Also, if you haven't done it, I would strongly suggest you create a slipstreamed CDROM to install Win XP with SP2 already incorporated. Good luckBob ScottATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-V L-300Washington, DC

PeterYou will find a free Outlook Express backup program here - http://www.softwarepatch.com/software/oebackup.htmlHope this helps.David

"Is there a utility to save your E mails and other important bits or should I just copy the whole lot over to my D drive and wipe that clean when I have taken back what I want?"Check out Files and Settings Transfer Wizard located under Accessories>System Tools. This program will backup and transfer any desired settings as well as your e-mails.Jim

Hi, Peter.I can understand your frustration. I am just surprised that more people that think they know about computers, give out the wrong advice. I am sure it

Peter,There's a GREAT guide to setting up and tweaking a new install of XP that you can get at http://www.tweakguides.com/XPTC.html - it's amazinglly comprehensive and almost every tweak I've used personally for years is covered in it - guy did a great job.I second the notion of making a Slipstreamed XP SP2 install CD - I did this on my last reformat and it worked great! There's a program that will create the CD for you here: http://www.autopatcher.com/autostreamer.html - just point it to you original XP CD and the SP2 full install EXE (get from Microsoft's site) and it makes you a new bootable CD image to burn with SP2 included.You need to have the latest drivers for your motherboard chipset, ethernet/modem, and video at the very least availiable on a CD or on another HD for installing once you get the new install up and running. Follow the install order outlined in the XPTC guide.As for video - if you wanted to upgrade right now, get a 256MB card based on the Nvidia GeForce 6800GT. It's definitely the best card out there for cost vs. performance right now. The BFG and eVGA brands have good reputations and low prices.Email me if you have any questions - I've done what you're doing here probably 25-50 times since XP was released...

Hello Peter, I would like to offer a suggestion. regardless of how you configure your system, but when you are done, back up your whole drive with a utility like Norton

I do the same as Pete...and use Acronis True Image. Works really well and have had no problems whatsoever.Mark

I'm not sure who AVCOMWARE was talking about, but his advice is the oddest of all.Like the guy above, I also think a second install of XP is a waste. And, I'm not sure how you can disable your LAN and still get on the internet, unless you're using a dial-up or USB modem. File sharing is kind of useful too if you have more than one computer on your network.I can't really same I'm "on the boat" with backing up a fresh install. It has it's benefits- but what if you have buggy ATI drivers and need to upgrade? Wiping out the old ones can be a pain in the ####- I just went through it. Also, if you change video cards, or your mobo or anything else- you will probably have to do a fresh install anyway. Plus a fresh install will force you to get the latest drivers. If I hadn't done a fresh install this week, I may not have seen the new BIOS for my motherboard that fixed the intermittent hangs during AC cycles that was driving me nuts.If you can get on MSDN, there is an .iso of XP with SP2 already slipstreamed, but system restore works pretty well, so I personally don't bother backing up the whole disk image. A reinstall on my system takes less than 30 minutes (not including a 160 gig format of course).As for Outlook- just go into File and export your mail as a .pst, save it to CD or your other drive, and re-import it when you're done- you don't need any any external program to do that! However, somebody mentioned the File and Settings Transfer wizard- it works great.Just make sure to save My Documents too-If you are careful where you save things you can avoid that problem in the future-I have a drive that I call archives- I save everything in it. It has a My Documents folder that I just re-point the My Documents folder on the desktop too, so you don't have to copy files back and forth. Just export mail, and wipe out C:, everything else is saved on your other drive INCLUDING your FS settings (they are saved in My Documents). I backup the stuff on this drive to CD or DVD. You could look at getting an external USB drive too for personal files. They are handy, cheap, and don't require an IDE slot (extra heat, DMA support, bus speed headaches are avoided).Of Course I re-install all my programs, which can be a pain in the ####, but realistically I can cut down on garbage I no longer use anyway- If I need it, I install it.As for not going on the internet without zone alarm or something else, that's being a bit paranoid unless you spend alot of time surfing porn sites. SP2 did a great job of eliminating drive-by installs, and I haven't had a problem since. I don't run any AV software. Some people are not that confident, so I would do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I also use Virtual PC if I need to run a program that I'm not sure about, or don't want to install on my real PC. I couldn't care less if I screw up a virtual PC- close it, re-open it, and you're good as new. Naturally a hardware router/firewall is a must. Running the SP2 Firewall or Zone Alarm will surely eat up your resources- why not let your internet router do that? I have a Netgear Prosafe Firewall which does stateful packet inspection, and even the cheaper ones do now.And I would upgrade to 1024Mb if you can- in that case "disabling unecessary services" is kind of redundant, since they use some memory but won't hurt your FS framerates one bit. Some of them are kind of useful- error reporting, and the indexing service to name a few.And as for disabling automatic updates- why? Especially if you're paranoid about security and viruses- most of those updates fix security holes. Either leaving it running, or go out and check every once in a while.I can't say running firefox and Mozilla are bad ideas- I can't run them now since I'm doing ASP.NET development and need I.E., but that's not a bad thing. Personally, I think the best defense is just to be prudent about your surfing habits, or surf in Virtual PC.EDIT: I wanted to add something else- I don't like when people come on and say other people are wrong for arbitrary reasons- I know AVCOMWARE wasn't making a blatant attack, but really this is the internet- credentials are difficult to produce. Even with all my training and background (as an MS instructor) we all have different ways of doing things. Sorry if I sound angry sometimes.

EDIT: I've posted a computer trivia question in hangar chathttp://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=16295&page=I'm just curious- who really does know their stuff? It's a tough one, but I know there are people here that can answer it. I'm giving away a GeForce 4600Ti to the winner.

I'm not sure who AVCOMWARE was talking about, but his advice is the oddest of all.Like the guy above, I also think a second install of XP is a waste. And, I'm not sure how you can disable your LAN and still get on the internet, unless you're using a dial-up or USB modem. File sharing is kind of useful too if you have more than one computer on your network.I can't really same I'm "on the boat" with backing up a fresh install. It has it's benefits- but what if you have buggy ATI drivers and need to upgrade? Wiping out the old ones can be a pain in the ####- I just went through it. Also, if you change video cards, or your mobo or anything else- you will probably have to do a fresh install anyway. Plus a fresh install will force you to get the latest drivers. If I hadn't done a fresh install this week, I may not have seen the new BIOS for my motherboard that fixed the intermittent hangs during AC cycles that was driving me nuts.If you can get on MSDN, there is an .iso of XP with SP2 already slipstreamed, but system restore works pretty well, so I personally don't bother backing up the whole disk image. A reinstall on my system takes less than 30 minutes (not including a 160 gig format of course).As for Outlook- just go into File and export your mail as a .pst, save it to CD or your other drive, and re-import it when you're done- you don't need any any external program to do that! However, somebody mentioned the File and Settings Transfer wizard- it works great.Just make sure to save My Documents too-If you are careful where you save things you can avoid that problem in the future-I have a drive that I call archives- I save everything in it. It has a My Documents folder that I just re-point the My Documents folder on the desktop too, so you don't have to copy files back and forth. Just export mail, and wipe out C:, everything else is saved on your other drive INCLUDING your FS settings (they are saved in My Documents). I backup the stuff on this drive to CD or DVD. You could look at getting an external USB drive too for personal files. They are handy, cheap, and don't require an IDE slot (extra heat, DMA support, bus speed headaches are avoided).Of Course I re-install all my programs, which can be a pain in the ####, but realistically I can cut down on garbage I no longer use anyway- If I need it, I install it.As for not going on the internet without zone alarm or something else, that's being a bit paranoid unless you spend alot of time surfing porn sites. SP2 did a great job of eliminating drive-by installs, and I haven't had a problem since. I don't run any AV software. Some people are not that confident, so I would do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I also use Virtual PC if I need to run a program that I'm not sure about, or don't want to install on my real PC. I couldn't care less if I screw up a virtual PC- close it, re-open it, and you're good as new. Naturally a hardware router/firewall is a must. Running the SP2 Firewall or Zone Alarm will surely eat up your resources- why not let your internet router do that? I have a Netgear Prosafe Firewall which does stateful packet inspection, and even the cheaper ones do now.And I would upgrade to 1024Mb if you can- in that case "disabling unecessary services" is kind of redundant, since they use some memory but won't hurt your FS framerates one bit. Some of them are kind of useful- error reporting, and the indexing service to name a few.And as for disabling automatic updates- why? Especially if you're paranoid about security and viruses- most of those updates fix security holes. Either leaving it running, or go out and check every once in a while.I can't say running firefox and Mozilla are bad ideas- I can't run them now since I'm doing ASP.NET development and need I.E., but that's not a bad thing. Personally, I think the best defense is just to be prudent about your surfing habits, or surf in Virtual PC.EDIT: I wanted to add something else- I don't like when people come on and say other people are wrong for arbitrary reasons- I know AVCOMWARE wasn't making a blatant attack, but really this is the internet- credentials are difficult to produce. Even with all my training and background (as an MS instructor) we all have different ways of doing things. Sorry if I sound angry sometimes.EDIT: I've posted a computer trivia question in hangar chathttp://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=16295&page=I'm just curious- who really does know their stuff? It's a tough one, but I know there are people here that can answer it. I'm giving away a GeForce 4600Ti to the winner.

>I am just surprised that more people that think they know about computers, give out the wrong advice. I am sure it

Avcomware:"AVAST is OK, just make sure you disable it when you use the sim."Why's that?ThanksRichard

I want to thank everyone for all this advice as most have spent a lot of time in replying and I for one appreciate all the efforts in helping me with the best way forward.Peter

Yeah,sadly about once a year or two thats the only way out. Before I install I use a Disk wipe type of utility I have on CD. It takes a couple of hours on your HD but NOTHING is left readable. Merely deleting and formating doesn't do the job.I'd had enough about this time last year and started using Webroot's Spy Sweeper and Trend Micro's Anti-virus. Both run in real time when your on the Web and catch anything thrown at you. I haven't had a virus,trojan horse etc for over a year.David