Loading XP

The only time I have been directed to do a clean install was by MSN and PSS
a few months ago over an issue that prevented MSN from running correctly or
being reinstalled after removal. Go figure! I must say both support groups
tried hard with me for several days of phone calls and they communicated
with each other before giving up on a less drastic solution.

Fortunately I keep my install cd's carefully stored and I never
download-and-run an installer. I always download-and-save and then archive
the installer file and product key to an external drive after installation.
Still, it takes a weekend to get everything installed and updated again.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"Ken Blake" wrote in message
...
In ,
Don Cromer typed:

Can I reinstall Windows XP without courting disaster?


Certainly. You can do a repair installation (see "How to Perform a Windows
XP Repair Install" http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm)
or a clean reinstallation (find detailed instructions he
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm
or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm)


However why do you want to do this? A repair installation is OK, but a
reformat and reinstall is almost always a mistake in my view. With a
modicum of care, it should never be necessary to reinstall Windows (XP or
any other version). I've run Windows 3.0, 3.1, WFWG 3.11, Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, each for the period of time
before the next version came out, and each on two machines here. I never
reinstalled any of them, and I have never had anything more than an
occasional minor problem.

It's my belief that this mistaken notion stems from the technical support
people at many of the larger OEMs. Their solution to almost any problem
they don't quickly know the answer to is "reformat and reinstall." That's
the perfect solution for them. It gets you off the phone quickly, it
almost always works, and it doesn't require them to do any real
troubleshooting (a skill that most of them obviously don't possess in any
great degree).

But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to
restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your programs,
you have to reinstall all the Windows and application updates,you have to
locate and install all the needed drivers for your system, you have to
recustomize Windows and all your apps to work the way you're comfortable
with.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs? Can
you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data backups to
restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and tweaks you may
have installed to make everything work the way you like?

Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve that
Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and far between;
reinstallation should not be a substitute for troubleshooting; it should
be a last resort, to be done only after all other attempts at
troubleshooting by a qualified person have failed.

If you have problems, post them here; it's likely that someone can help
you and a reinstallation won't be required.


--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

gls858's response in this thread may yield some information.

As to settings, you'll need to go through your security settings and
software as I've outlined to try to narrow this down or find the exact
source of the issue.

One other possibility, you may not have Java installed on your system. You
can test your Java installation at the following site:
http://www.pocoso.de/pocoso052.html


--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...
I thought reinstalling would be overkill.

I have tried Firefox to no avail.

I am sure it is some setting somewhere, but I haven't found it.

The same problem exists at all crossword sites.


Don



"Michael Solomon (MS-MVP)" wrote in message
...
And that's your only problem?

It could be a problem at the website, IE may be having a problem with the
code at the website and thus bounces you out...no amount of reinstalling
will fix that but you might try a different browser, Firefox, Opera, etc.
or contact the site's tech support as this issue may be on their end.

It also might be some security settings, it could be a setting in a
firewall, antivirus or some other security software you have installed on
your system in which case you need to check their logs, many firewalls
have keep logs with regard to what they've blocked, if you find nothing,
return to the site, try again, then check the log. If no logs, check
what the applications are blocking, check their settings, maybe they are
too stringent for that specific site or you may be able to set the
application or firewall to allow all activity from that site.

As to your request, it is vast overkill for the problem as you've
described it and might not even fix the issue. Installing or
reinstalling, whether clean, a repair install, or an install over the
current setup is the equivalent of doing major brain surgery on your
setup and any time it is done you are courting disaster. If you mean can
you safely do it without backing up, NEVER perform any such procedure
without backing up. Regardless of how easy such procedures have become,
there is always the possibility of failure, catastrophe and disaster.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...
My immediate problem is that whenever I try to enter a site
to download crossword puzzles, I get bounced out
of IE 6.0. I have tried reinstalling everything I can
but nothing works.

Don

"Will Denny" wrote in message
...
Hi Don

What problem(s) have you got with XP, that needs a re-install? If
needed, you can try a 'Repair' install of XP - please see the following
article by Michael Stevens:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups


"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...
Can I reinstall Windows XP without courting disaster?


Don

http://www.primate.wisc.edu/people/hamel/cp.html

At this site.
line
3. Best crosswords




"gls858" wrote in message
...
Don Cromer wrote:
I thought reinstalling would be overkill.

I have tried Firefox to no avail.

I am sure it is some setting somewhere, but I haven't found it.

The same problem exists at all crossword sites.


Don



"Michael Solomon (MS-MVP)" wrote in message
...

And that's your only problem?

It could be a problem at the website, IE may be having a problem with the
code at the website and thus bounces you out...no amount of reinstalling
will fix that but you might try a different browser, Firefox, Opera, etc.
or contact the site's tech support as this issue may be on their end.

It also might be some security settings, it could be a setting in a
firewall, antivirus or some other security software you have installed on
your system in which case you need to check their logs, many firewalls
have keep logs with regard to what they've blocked, if you find nothing,
return to the site, try again, then check the log. If no logs, check
what the applications are blocking, check their settings, maybe they are
too stringent for that specific site or you may be able to set the
application or firewall to allow all activity from that site.

As to your request, it is vast overkill for the problem as you've
described it and might not even fix the issue. Installing or
reinstalling, whether clean, a repair install, or an install over the
current setup is the equivalent of doing major brain surgery on your
setup and any time it is done you are courting disaster. If you mean can
you safely do it without backing up, NEVER perform any such procedure
without backing up. Regardless of how easy such procedures have become,
there is always the possibility of failure, catastrophe and disaster.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...

My immediate problem is that whenever I try to enter a site
to download crossword puzzles, I get bounced out
of IE 6.0. I have tried reinstalling everything I can
but nothing works.

Don

"Will Denny" wrote in message
.. .

Hi Don

What problem(s) have you got with XP, that needs a re-install? If
needed, you can try a 'Repair' install of XP - please see the following
article by Michael Stevens:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups


"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...

Can I reinstall Windows XP without courting disaster?


Don






Don,
Post one of the sites and I'll try to duplicate the problem.

gls858

As I was clicking around at the site, I noticed reference to Java Applets,
have you checked to make sure it is installed as I suggested because if it
isn't that may well be the issue.

I have Sun's Java installed and didn't have any problem at the site, of
course, your mileage may vary but it's worth checking to see if you have it
installed.

If it is and it's functioning properly, then I would guess some sort of
security restriction. Many security apps will restrict Java implementation
or prevent the loading of Java apps.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...
http://www.primate.wisc.edu/people/hamel/cp.html

At this site.
line
3. Best crosswords




"gls858" wrote in message
...
Don Cromer wrote:
I thought reinstalling would be overkill.

I have tried Firefox to no avail.

I am sure it is some setting somewhere, but I haven't found it.

The same problem exists at all crossword sites.


Don



"Michael Solomon (MS-MVP)" wrote in message
...

And that's your only problem?

It could be a problem at the website, IE may be having a problem with
the code at the website and thus bounces you out...no amount of
reinstalling will fix that but you might try a different browser,
Firefox, Opera, etc. or contact the site's tech support as this issue
may be on their end.

It also might be some security settings, it could be a setting in a
firewall, antivirus or some other security software you have installed
on your system in which case you need to check their logs, many
firewalls have keep logs with regard to what they've blocked, if you
find nothing, return to the site, try again, then check the log. If no
logs, check what the applications are blocking, check their settings,
maybe they are too stringent for that specific site or you may be able
to set the application or firewall to allow all activity from that site.

As to your request, it is vast overkill for the problem as you've
described it and might not even fix the issue. Installing or
reinstalling, whether clean, a repair install, or an install over the
current setup is the equivalent of doing major brain surgery on your
setup and any time it is done you are courting disaster. If you mean
can you safely do it without backing up, NEVER perform any such
procedure without backing up. Regardless of how easy such procedures
have become, there is always the possibility of failure, catastrophe and
disaster.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...

My immediate problem is that whenever I try to enter a site
to download crossword puzzles, I get bounced out
of IE 6.0. I have tried reinstalling everything I can
but nothing works.

Don

"Will Denny" wrote in message
. ..

Hi Don

What problem(s) have you got with XP, that needs a re-install? If
needed, you can try a 'Repair' install of XP - please see the
following article by Michael Stevens:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups


"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...

Can I reinstall Windows XP without courting disaster?


Don






Don,
Post one of the sites and I'll try to duplicate the problem.

gls858

Don Cromer wrote:
http://www.primate.wisc.edu/people/hamel/cp.html

At this site.
line
3. Best crosswords




"gls858" wrote in message
...

Don Cromer wrote:

I thought reinstalling would be overkill.

I have tried Firefox to no avail.

I am sure it is some setting somewhere, but I haven't found it.

The same problem exists at all crossword sites.


Don



"Michael Solomon (MS-MVP)" wrote in message
...


And that's your only problem?

It could be a problem at the website, IE may be having a problem with the
code at the website and thus bounces you out...no amount of reinstalling
will fix that but you might try a different browser, Firefox, Opera, etc.
or contact the site's tech support as this issue may be on their end.

It also might be some security settings, it could be a setting in a
firewall, antivirus or some other security software you have installed on
your system in which case you need to check their logs, many firewalls
have keep logs with regard to what they've blocked, if you find nothing,
return to the site, try again, then check the log. If no logs, check
what the applications are blocking, check their settings, maybe they are
too stringent for that specific site or you may be able to set the
application or firewall to allow all activity from that site.

As to your request, it is vast overkill for the problem as you've
described it and might not even fix the issue. Installing or
reinstalling, whether clean, a repair install, or an install over the
current setup is the equivalent of doing major brain surgery on your
setup and any time it is done you are courting disaster. If you mean can
you safely do it without backing up, NEVER perform any such procedure
without backing up. Regardless of how easy such procedures have become,
there is always the possibility of failure, catastrophe and disaster.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...


My immediate problem is that whenever I try to enter a site
to download crossword puzzles, I get bounced out
of IE 6.0. I have tried reinstalling everything I can
but nothing works.

Don

"Will Denny" wrote in message
. ..


Hi Don

What problem(s) have you got with XP, that needs a re-install? If
needed, you can try a 'Repair' install of XP - please see the following
article by Michael Stevens:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups


"Don Cromer" wrote in message
...


Can I reinstall Windows XP without courting disaster?


Don



Don,
Post one of the sites and I'll try to duplicate the problem.

gls858



Don,
Did you ever get this sorted?

gls858