Reinstall order

[spegb]

Not sure if this should be here or in tech support. I could not find anything like this either place.

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a opty 165 with an A8N-SLi Prem.

Now I need to reinstall windows and everything else. I need to do it as I have not done a reinstall in 2 years.

So I am trying to get the order down

XP
SP1
SP2
patches (aka SP3)
Nforce 6.70 chipset (bother with the nvidia IDE drivers that remove a bottle neck?)
AMD dual core
dual core hot fix
vid driver
and finally my programs

That sound right? Also, does anyone know how to save your book marks? Do I have to just manually write them down or is there a file I can copy ( I am using IE and Firefox)

 

[jscarrozzo]

sounds about right... save your favorites from C:\documents and settings\(user name here)\favorites

make sure all you other drivers are installed, along with additional windows updates.

 

[superjohnyo]

service pack 2 includes all of the fixes from SP1, so you only need to install SP2.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I have done more reformats than I can count, and here is the order that I use for my machine, and every machine that I build:
windows
chipset / NIC drivers
video drivers
sound drivers
install anti-virus software
then connect ethernet cable / connect to internet
windows updates (and keep on until all are installed)
remaining drivers (printers, mice, etc)
update all drivers
install remaining software (Office, etc)
update programs
double check drivers / software for updates
image the fresh drive for backup purposes

immediately create a restore point

change all settings (ie size of restore point space & recycle bin)
tweak registry
install misc utilitites
setup auto-backup schedule / program

defrag.

 

[ProviaFan]

Bear in mind that if your original Windows installation disk does not have SP2 "slipstreamed" (in other words, having the Windows installation files updated so that you don't have to install a service pack after installation), you should not connect directly to the internet until after you have installed SP2 and turned on the Windows Firewall.

You can either download and burn SP2 to a CD beforehand, or connect to the internet from behind a router after installation to download the service pack without risk of being hit by one of the worms that the service pack has been made to protect your computer from.

Other than that cautionary note, I don't see anything wrong with your proposed installation order.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: spegb
Not sure if this should be here or in tech support. I could not find anything like this either place.

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a opty 165 with an A8N-SLi Prem.

Now I need to reinstall windows and everything else. I need to do it as I have not done a reinstall in 2 years.

So I am trying to get the order down

XP
SP1
SP2
patches (aka SP3)
Nforce 6.70 chipset (bother with the nvidia IDE drivers that remove a bottle neck?)
AMD dual core
dual core hot fix
vid driver
and finally my programs

That sound right? Also, does anyone know how to save your book marks? Do I have to just manually write them down or is there a file I can copy ( I am using IE and Firefox)

As far as favorited, both IE and Firefox have import/export features. Export them to a file and Email it to yourself. That way you'll always have a backup of your favorites.

 

[spegb]

Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo
I have done more reformats than I can count, and here is the order that I use for my machine, and every machine that I build:
windows
chipset / NIC drivers
video drivers
sound drivers
install anti-virus software
then connect ethernet cable / connect to internet
windows updates (and keep on until all are installed)
remaining drivers (printers, mice, etc)
update all drivers
install remaining software (Office, etc)
update programs
double check drivers / software for updates
image the fresh drive for backup purposes

immediately create a restore point

change all settings (ie size of restore point space & recycle bin)
tweak registry
install misc utilitites
setup auto-backup schedule / program

defrag.

Thanks for all the help everyone! I will actually be behind 2 firewalls as my new DSL modem has a firewall and I am using a router for my network.

@Fullmetal Chocobo: I realize I may have to do the chipset drivers early on in order to get my NIC card working. Should I just jump to the latest (nvidia has 6.70 on their site) or install the ones on the CD that came with the mobo (6.65 maybe??)? Lastly you mentioned registry tweaks. Any sites or programs in particular?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Here is a list of registry hacks that I use... I keep them in a doc, and I just uploaded it. It's very useful to me anyway... I'll upload some istes later, or you can just google "registry edit or tweaks", and you'll find all kinds of good stuff.

As far as the drivers, go ahead and download all of the newest drivers to a CD or USB key or something, reformat (or whatever you are doing), and then install the newest drivers. I only install the CD drivers if the others are available...

 

[spegb]

Thanks for the help! I will probably try and start to tackle this process tomorrow