Over time, Windows loses stability. If you
keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you're going
to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch. But
contrary to popular belief, you won't have to reformat your hard drive
(with one exception, discussed below). The bad stuff you need to get
rid of is all in your Windows folder.
Back up your data. Before you begin, gather your Windows and application
CD-ROMs. Back up your data files (just to be safe), and then clear
two days off your calendar. If everything goes smoothly, you can reinstall
Windows in a few hours. But you have to assume something will go wrong:
You may not be able to find a necessary CD, or data won't be where
you thought it was, or something will simply refuse to work.
There's a difference between a repair reinstall and a complete reinstall.
Though a repair (also called a refresh) will let you keep your current
settings, a complete reinstall will give you a truly fresh version
of Windows. Repairs are fast and easy, but they don't fix anywhere
near as many problems. The instructions below are for total reinstalls,
except where noted.
Your Vendor's Restore CD.
Most computers ship with a vendor-specific restore CD rather than
with a Microsoft Windows CD-ROM. (If your PC came with a Microsoft
Windows CD, or if you bought a retail copy of Windows, skip to the
section for your version.)
Some
restore CDs give you all the options of a full Microsoft Windows CD,
but with better instructions and the convenience of having all the
right hardware drivers. Others can do nothing except reformat your
hard drive and restore it to the condition it was in when you bought
the PC. (This case is the exception I mentioned above that requires
a reformat.)
If your restore CD is reformat-only, back up your data files to a
network or a removable medium before reinstalling Windows. If you
use Windows 98 or Me, back up C:\My Documents, plus the folders inside
C:\Windows discussed in the 98/Me section below. If you have Windows
2000 or XP, back up C:\Documents and Settings. Also back up any other
folders in which you store your data files.
Windows 98 and ME CDs.
These Windows versions keep some important data inside your soon-to-be-erased
Windows folder, so you need to copy several of its subfolders to another
location. Right-click My Computer and select Explore. Double-click
the C: drive icon (in Me, you may then have to click View the entire
contents of this drive). Right-click in the right pane and select
New, Folder. Name the new folder oldstuff.
Go to the Windows folder (you might have to click View the entire
contents of this folder), hold down Ctrl, and select the following
subfolders: All Users, Application Data, Desktop, Favorites, Local
Settings, Profiles, SendTo, and Start Menu. If you don't see them
all, select View, Folder Options (Tools, Folder Options in Me), click
the View tab, select Show all files, and click OK. (If you still don't
see them all, don't worry about it.) Press Ctrl and drag the folders
to C:\oldstuff.
Restart Windows with a start-up disk in your floppy drive. (To make
a start-up floppy, insert a disk, select Start, Settings, Control
Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Startup Disk, Create
Disk, and follow the prompts.) At the Startup Menu, select Start computer
with CD-ROM support. While the drivers load, insert your Windows CD-ROM.
Unless you're doing a repair reinstall, type the command c:\windows\command\deltree
/y c:\windows and press Enter. Deleting your old files could take
time, but the /y switch suppresses confirmation prompts, so take a
break.
When you're back at the A: prompt, type x:setup, where x is your CD
drive letter (it's likely one letter past what it usually is in Windows,
so if it's D: in Windows, it's probably E: here). Press Enter and
follow the prompts.
Once you're back in Windows, reinstall your graphics card driver.
If you have Windows set up for more than one user, you'll also have
to re-create each account. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel,
Users to do so. It's important that the user names match those in
the old installation. If you're not sure, open Windows Explorer and
navigate to C:\oldstuff\profiles. There you'll find a folder for each
registered user name . Don't worry about passwords. Log off and log
back on as each user. When you're done, log off and back on one more
time, but instead of choosing a user name and a password, press Esc
to enter Windows without being a specific user.
Select Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt (in Windows 98) or Start, Programs,
Accessories, MS-DOS Prompt (in Windows Me). Type xcopy c:\oldstuff\*.*
c:\windows /s /h /r /c and press Enter (if you want to know what the
xcopy switches do, enter the command xcopy /?). When xcopy asks if
it should overwrite a file, press a for All.
When xcopy is through, reboot and log on (as a particular user, if
necessary). Open My Documents to make sure all your personal files
are where they belong, including your Internet Explorer favorites
and your custom Start menu shortcuts. Now skip ahead to "Finishing
the Job."
Windows 2000 and XP CDs. Boot
your computer with your Windows CD-ROM inserted. When you get the
'Press any key to boot from CD' message, do so. (If you don't see
that message before Windows starts, restart Windows, press the key
you're prompted to enter for your PC Setup program, and change the
boot order so your CD drive is first.)
At the 'Welcome to Setup' screen, press Enter. The R (repair) option
takes you to the Recovery Module, which is useful if Windows won't
boot, but it's no help with a reinstallation. Soon you'll be told
that there's already a Windows installation on the computer. Press
r for a repair reinstall or Esc to begin a complete, destructive one.
For a complete restore, select your C: partition and press Enter.
When you get the warning that says an operating system is on that
partition, press c. When you are asked your partition preference,
select Leave the current file system intact (no changes). When you're
told that a Windows folder (or WinNT folder for Windows 2000) already
exists, press l ('ell') to delete it and create a new one. Follow
the series of prompts. When the installation program asks for your
name, enter temp.
Once the installation is complete, your system will reboot into Windows,
and you'll be logged on as user Temp. If the screen is difficult to
read, reinstall your graphics card driver. If you are reinstalling
Windows XP, skip to "For Both Windows XP and 2000."
If you're reinstalling Windows 2000, log off as Temp and back on as
Administrator. Now log off and on again, this time as Temp. Open Windows
Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings. One of the subfolders
will be named Administrator. Another will be named something like
Administrator.computername.
If you're reinstalling Windows 2000, log off as Temp and back on as
Administrator. Now log off and on again, this time as Temp. Open Windows
Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings. One of the subfolders
will be named Administrator. Another will be named something like
Administrator.computername.
Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command
Prompt. Type cd "\documents and settings" and press Enter. Then type
xcopy administrator\*.* administrator.computername /s /h /r /c, replacing
computername with the last part of that folder's name (after "Administrator.")
in Documents and Settings. Now press Enter, and when you're asked
about overwriting files or folders, press a for All.
If you have any users on the old installation besides Administrator,
continue with the "For Both Windows XP and 2000"
section. Otherwise, open Windows Explorer and make sure your data
files are where they belong. Then go to Control Panel's Users and
Passwords applet and delete the user Temp before skipping to "Finishing
the Job."
For Both
Windows XP and 2000. Reopen Windows
Explorer. Select your C: drive (you may have to click Show the contents
of this folder). Right-click in the right pane and select New, Folder.
Name the new folder oldstuff. In the left pane, choose the Documents
and Settings folder. It should have subfolders for each user from
the previous install, plus one for Temp and a few others. Move the
folders for your previous user names to oldstuff.
Select Start, Control Panel, User Accounts (Start, Settings, Control
Panel, Users and Passwords in Windows 2000). Create an account for
each user who was registered before the reinstall. Be sure to use
the exact names. They are the same names as the folders you just moved
to oldstuff. In Windows XP, at least one user must have administrator
privileges.
Log off and back on as each user, before logging back on as Temp.
Make sure that you select Log Off and not Switch User at Windows XP's
Log Off dialog box (this isn't an issue in Win 2000).
Log on as Temp, select Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt
(in XP, Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt), type xcopy
c:\oldstuff\*.* "c:\documents and settings" /s /h /r /c,
and press Enter. Press a when asked if you want to overwrite a file.
Log off Temp and log on to each restored account to make sure everyone's
documents and data are where they belong. Log on as an administrator
and run Control Panel's User Accounts applet again to remove the user
Temp.
Finishing
the Job. Now you've got Windows going,
but not much else. You may have to reinstall your printer, sound card,
and so on. Luckily, if a driver for the gadget came on your Windows
or vendor restore CD, it was probably reinstalled automatically. You'll
have to reinstall your applications to reintroduce them to Windows.
Some of their settings will not be changed by the reinstallation,
but those that were stored in the Registry were wiped out.
Once your Internet connection is running again, browse to Windows
Update and download all critical updates for your version. Then
visit the sites of your hardware vendors to update your drivers.
After the reinstall, some of your data may not show up where it should.
Search for it in both your Application Data and oldstuff folders,
and see if you can move it to the folder in which Windows or your
apps are looking for it. If you find a folder called Identities with
two subfolders whose names are long and indecipherable, try moving
the contents of one to the other and see if your data reappears.
You've probably guessed that the final step is deleting the c:\oldstuff
folder--and the Administrator folder in Windows 2000. Make this the
very last step, however. Wait a couple of days, weeks, or even months
until you're confident that all of your needed files are accessible
Sudden Reboots.
There are three common causes of sudden computer reboots. A bad power
supply, a faulty video card or driver, and a failing RAM chip. Also,
if you use a compressed air to clean out your computer's insides,
wait at least 2 hours before turning your system back on.
Breaking Into IT
Take low-risk first steps
Consider volunteering your way into the IT division of your current
company.
Learn It Now
Take a beginning computer course
Learn to build Web pages
Networking basics
Find an IT course in the Encarta learning Center
Taking courses to explore your new interests
After you've identified the types of jobs that might interest you,
take an introductory course or two. Taking courses--whether it's
a nearby evening class or an online learning experience--is a great
way to test your interests and aptitudes in a low-risk way.
How much new education is enough?
To enter most IT fields, it's more important to show evidence that
you have a specific set of workable skills than that you have a
degree. You can acquire most entry-level skills by taking a series
of short courses.
Certificates have become quite popular among technology career
changers. Unlike degrees, which may require liberal arts courses
such as history and psychology, certificates commonly consist of
four to six sequential courses, all of them focused in a single
IT career area. Most certificates can be completed within a year.
Degrees, on the other hand, take two to four years of full-time
study.
Give your current career an IT twist
IT is a rich career area. Hundreds of different tech job exist,
ranging from C++ programmer to security expert to new media journalist.
Nurses retrain as medical database managers. Lawyers become specialists
in Internet law. Marketers become e-marketing gurus. Teachers become
designers of instructional software.
Winning Office XP Tips TIP OF THE MONTH: Draw Borders in Excel Worksheets
Microsoft
Excel offers users to create a tables that meet their own unique specifications:
Draw Borders. Here's how to use it: On
the Formatting toolbar, click the arrow next to Borders, and then
click Draw Borders on the palette. On the Borders toolbar, click the
arrow next to Draw Border or Draw Border Grid, and then click Draw
Border on the palette. Do one or more of the following:
Draw a border line on cells. Click the line you want as a border or
click and drag on the lines you want as borders. Draw an outside border
around a row. Click in the center of a cell and drag across the row.
Draw an outside border around a column. Click in the center of a cell
and drag down the column. When you are finished drawing borders, close
the Borders toolbar to leave Draw Borders mode.
Here are some keyboard shortcuts to use with the new Draw Borders
feature:
To draw borders around every cell within the row or column, press
the CTRL key while you drag the cursor. To erase the borders you've
drawn around a row or column, press the SHIFT key while you drag the
cursor across the row or down the column. To erase the borders you've
drawn around every cell within a row or column, press CTRL+SHIFT while
you drag the cursor across the row or down the column.
Net ranks as top information source
The study, released by the University of California, Los Angeles,
is
the latest example of how the Internet is gaining ground against
other forms of media for information, entertainment and news.
The Internet has surpassed all other major information sources
in importance.
Two thousand people, both Internet users and non-Internet users,
were surveyed for the report, which is in its third year.
The report, "Surveying the Digital Future," asked
Americans who use the Internet to rank the importance of six different
forms of media as sources of information. Out of these respondents,
61.1 percent ranked the Internet the most important; 60.3 percent
ranked books second important; 57.8 percent ranked newspapers
third; 50.2 percent ranked television fourth; 40 percent ranked
radio fifth; and 28.7 percent ranked magazines last.
SHORTCUT
KEYS Microsoft WORD SHORTCUT KEYS
Shortcut
keys help provide an easier and usually quicker method of navigating
and using computer software programs.
Shortcut Keys
Shortcut Keys Description
Ctrl + A
Select all contents of the page.
Ctrl + B
Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + C
Copy selected text.
Ctrl + X
Cut selected text.
Ctrl + P
Open the print window.
Ctrl + F
Open find box.
Ctrl + I
Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K
Insert link.
Ctrl + U
Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + V
Paste.
Ctrl + Y
Repeat the last action performed.
Ctrl + Z
Undo last action.
Ctrl + L
Aligns the line or selected text to the left of
the screen.
Ctrl + E
Aligns the line or selected text to the center of the screen.
Ctrl + R
Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen.
Ctrl + M
Indent the paragraph.
Ctrl + Shift + F
Change the font.
Ctrl + Shift + >
Increase selected font +1.
Ctrl + ]
Increase selected font +1.
Ctrl + Shift + <
Decrease selected font -1.
Ctrl + [
Decrease selected font -1.
Ctrl + Shift + *
View or hide non printing characters.
Ctrl + <up arrow>
Moves to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
Ctrl + <down arrow>
Moves to the end of the paragraph.
Ctrl + Del
Deletes word to right of cursor.
Ctrl + Backspace
Deletes word to left of cursor.
Ctrl + End
Moves the cursor to the end of the document.
Ctrl + Home
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document.
Some
restore CDs give you all the options of a full Microsoft Windows CD,
but with better instructions and the convenience of having all the
right hardware drivers. Others can do nothing except reformat your
hard drive and restore it to the condition it was in when you bought
the PC. (This case is the exception I mentioned above that requires
a reformat.) 
Microsoft
Excel offers users to create a tables that meet their own unique specifications:
Draw Borders. Here's how to use it: 
