Reformat Help

[3Garrett3]

I've been looking to get a lot of crap off of my computer for a while now, and it seems to me that the easiest way is to simply reformat it.

At this point, if you are going to tell me to use ubuntu and be happy, please leave :).

I am on vista, and I got this computer for free from someone that my dad works with. It is a pretty good computer, but it's been slowing down lately, and I just want a fresh system. The only problem is that I have... around 50GB of music and movies that I don't really want to lose (no porn) and have to download again. I don't own an external harddrive, and I can't think of anywhere else to put it. Is there an easy way around this?

I think I will be having another problem too, because I don't have a vista CD, but I would like to put vista back on it. Or xp, it really doesn't matter, but the point is that I don't have any windows CDs. I do have a partition created by HP when I got the computer that is meant for recovery. I guess that it would probably be helpful to use. But I have no idea how to use it. When I click on the recovery file, it gives me this:

http://i33.tinypic.com/2e0mqs3.png

So if anyone has any idea how to help with either of these two problems, without using the words ubuntu or linux, I would appreciate their help.

[Dynamite]

I just searched on google:
Try this:
http://frostupload.com/
or a list of a few:
http://www.freewebspace.net/free/Free-file-hosting

;)

T~M

[3Garrett3]

I just searched on google:
Try this:
http://frostupload.com/
or a list of a few:
http://www.freewebspace.net/free/Free-file-hosting

;)

T~M

The thing is that 50GB of music and movies does not upload very well.

[Hobbit]

Okay well to activate the HP recovery partition when you reboot repeatedly hit F11, or on older HP's sometimes its F10.

Look on the side of the computer, if there is a sticker with the HP OEM code I can get you a OEM disk from work and make and ISO for you. Or if you want XP, or better version of vista or windows 7 ultimate, etc let me know and I'll make ISO's on my work disks (Win7 has a dev activator so you won't need to worry about a key)

edit: For your back up do this...

http://www.villavu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13475

Install the program, compress it all, burn to DVD, format, reinstall program, uncompress

(Before you say WTF compress?? Read the thread)

[Dynamite]

Hobbit, what is an OEM?
And please read your Host thread :D

T~M

[ShowerThoughts]

Okay well to activate the HP recovery partition when you reboot repeatedly hit F11, or on older HP's sometimes its F10.

Look on the side of the computer, if there is a sticker with the HP OEM code I can get you a OEM disk from work and make and ISO for you. Or if you want XP, or better version of vista or windows 7 ultimate, etc let me know and I'll make ISO's on my work disks (Win7 has a dev activator so you won't need to worry about a key)

edit: For your back up do this...

http://www.villavu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13475

Install the program, compress it all, burn to DVD, format, reinstall program, uncompress

(Before you say WTF compress?? Read the thread)

These compress programs are good, but I expect that all those movies are going to be screwed up, do you have a computer network setup? Just use filesharing on the network copy the 50 GB to your dad's pc and done.

[Rick]

Original Equipment Manufacturer

Edit: If you don't want to use your HP Partition for backup I can recommend a decent Utility. Acronis (http://www.acronis.com/).

[3Garrett3]

Okay well to activate the HP recovery partition when you reboot repeatedly hit F11, or on older HP's sometimes its F10.

Look on the side of the computer, if there is a sticker with the HP OEM code I can get you a OEM disk from work and make and ISO for you. Or if you want XP, or better version of vista or windows 7 ultimate, etc let me know and I'll make ISO's on my work disks (Win7 has a dev activator so you won't need to worry about a key)

edit: For your back up do this...

http://www.villavu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13475

Install the program, compress it all, burn to DVD, format, reinstall program, uncompress

(Before you say WTF compress?? Read the thread)

I will look around for the side of my computer. Took it off to change the gfx card, haven't gotten around to putting it back on.

So I only need a disk if I can't find that sticker? I didn't really understand that part.

And for the backup, the peacompress doesn't work. I've tried it. It does technically work, but do you know how long it takes? I broke the music into 5G sections, and left it to compress for 48 hours, and it still wasn't done. I have no intentions of waiting months for it to compress. It would be faster to redownload the music.

[ShowerThoughts]

It's like if you just format you kind of can't use your OEM serial anymore.
Unless you know certain people.

Hobbit, if I already formatted on a certain PC can you make it work with an OEM serial?

edit:
G3r: msn?

[Hobbit]

So I only need a disk if I can't find that sticker? I didn't really understand that part.

If you use the recovery partition you won't need the OEM code. If for some reason the partition does not work or somehow becomes damaged at some point in time you can use a OEM disk to reinstall (using the code). I also have developer activated versions for some computers like older Dells that didn't ship with OEM stickers and the customers may have lost their disks.


It's like if you just format you kind of can't use your OEM serial anymore.
Unless you know certain people.

Hobbit, if I already formatted on a certain PC can you make it work with an OEM serial?


Yes, you can get OEM codes reactivated. By default, OEM codes have a couple of uses (I think 2) before they are deemed "used". In that case, you can phone up Microsoft be like "HEY, I'm formatting my computer and my OEM don't work no more!" Then they will ask you for that other little number on the OEM sticker to verify, then they will reactivate the OEM code or give you a new one :)

[3Garrett3]

If you use the recovery partition you won't need the OEM code. If for some reason the partition does not work or somehow becomes damaged at some point in time you can use a OEM disk to reinstall (using the code). I also have developer activated versions for some computers like older Dells that didn't ship with OEM stickers and the customers may have lost their disks.



Yes, you can get OEM codes reactivated. By default, OEM codes have a couple of uses (I think 2) before they are deemed "used". In that case, you can phone up Microsoft be like "HEY, I'm formatting my computer and my OEM don't work no more!" Then they will ask you for that other little number on the OEM sticker to verify, then they will reactivate the OEM code or give you a new one :)

So then by my understanding all I need to do is start it up and press f11, and it will reformat the computer? I may have a solution for the music, sending it temporarily to my dad's laptop when he isn't watching, then getting it back after that.

[Hobbit]

So then by my understanding all I need to do is start it up and press f11, and it will reformat the computer?

Yes and it will will say "Windows is loading files" with a white loading bar going across the bottom.
Then it will open a new window with a blue background saying recovery options.
There will be a button on the bottom left of that window that says "Advanced", click that.
It will bring you to a new window screen with 5 or 6 radio buttons, choose the bottom one that says "System Recovery" and the description will say something along the lines of it brings to factory conditions.
Thats what you want, so click next and it will ask you if you want to back up files, say no. (Its a pain trying to gain access to the back up later cause it sees you as a different user so always back up to external source first)
Then after click no, go next and it will start recovering.
This will take ~10 minutes, then it will reboot and say in a white dos text "Windows is settting up your computer..."
This will take some time, be patient and let it do its thing
After that it will either have a screen saying "Installing HP software" with two loading bars or it may go straight to the windows set up (Depends on recovery module version)
Go through windows set up
Go through stupid HP crap setup (Customer improvement, trials, etc)
Go to desktop
Transfer data back
Update
You are done

:)


I may have a solution for the music, sending it temporarily to my dad's laptop when he isn't watching, then getting it back after that.


That will work.

[ShowerThoughts]

So then by my understanding all I need to do is start it up and press f11, and it will reformat the computer? I may have a solution for the music, sending it temporarily to my dad's laptop when he isn't watching, then getting it back after that.

That was my solution! :p

[3Garrett3]

That was my solution! :p

Yeah, you did help me out quite a bit. :)