Monday 12 May 2014
Malware city
16,812 infected objects on the PC I'm working on - I think that's my record! Nothing serious, just plenty of free offers, strange toolbars and programs that threaten to "clean" and "speed up" the PC!
Thursday 8 May 2014
Reinstall checklist
If you are going to reinstall a machine, most of the problems relate to preserving things that are already there. The actual reinstallation of Windows is quite a minor part of the whole job! Here is a typical checklist for someone doing a reinstall:
1. Record the Windows and Office codes using a utility such
as ProduKey.
2. Record the Outlook account details (use mailpv).
3. Make a list of installed software that will need
reinstalling.
4. Check that user data is all backed up.
5. Locate and back up Outlook .pst files.
6. Record Outlook server settings.
7. Make a note of hardware devices.
8. Get drivers for Ethernet controller if non-standard.
9. Reinstall Windows.
10. Install Ethernet controller.
11. Install other hardware devices.
12. Update Windows.
13. Install Microsoft Security Essentials and other basic
software.
14. Install remote access software.
15. Install Microsoft Office and activate.
16. Put back pst files and set up Microsoft Outlook.
17. Reinstall other specialist software.
18. Restore user data.
19. Activate Windows.
Windows backup - why can't I see any files?
If you choose to use Windows backup, you will be prompted to set it up to make backups to another partition, preferably a removable disk.
Once you have made a backup, you will notice that the free space on this device has gone down, but there don't appear to be any files there! The backups are all hidden within a single object on the disk, which will bear the name of your computer. You can spot this object easily, as its icon will be a Windows backup icon - a picture of a disk with a green arrow next to it.
If you double-click on this object to attempt to open it, it will start trying to do a Windows restore...but you can see what is within it by right-clicking, and then selecting "Open in new window".
Once you have made a backup, you will notice that the free space on this device has gone down, but there don't appear to be any files there! The backups are all hidden within a single object on the disk, which will bear the name of your computer. You can spot this object easily, as its icon will be a Windows backup icon - a picture of a disk with a green arrow next to it.
If you double-click on this object to attempt to open it, it will start trying to do a Windows restore...but you can see what is within it by right-clicking, and then selecting "Open in new window".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)