Reformatting an HDD

[CharvelRocker]

I'm looking at buying a used laptop of some kind, probably a newer Sony Vaio. I want to reformat the hard disk drive though and reload windows to make sure all is clean on it. What exactly do I need to do for this (mainly reloading Windows). Should it come with a recovery disk that will allow me to that after I start over with the HDD, or is that disk for something different?

[FlyingSkull]

You should be able to boot the laptop with a Windows install CD or DVD in the drive, you may have to press one of the F keys right after boot to select to boot from the CD or DVD drive.

It will start the Windows install process, in which you can partition and format and then install to your heart's content.


Some brands do come with their own recovery CD's or DVD's that you can use to install the system software that originally came with the branded computer. Some even have a part of the Hard drive set aside where these recovery files are stored.

In my opinion you are better off installing just the operating system, I am guessing you are looking at XP or Vista, and then loading what software you want. Many proprietary software builds contain extras that you don't need and will slow you down or take up space in the long run.

If you need anything feel free to PM.

I'm looking at buying a used laptop of some kind, probably a newer Sony Vaio. I want to reformat the hard disk drive though and reload windows to make sure all is clean on it. What exactly do I need to do for this (mainly reloading Windows). Should it come with a recovery disk that will allow me to that after I start over with the HDD, or is that disk for something different?

[Spivonious]

^ Yep.

Boot to the install CD/DVD and you can clear out all of the partitions and start fresh. When installing, use the key that's on the bottom of the laptop rather than the one that came with the CD.

[CharvelRocker]

Yes, I am looking at Vista... so I just need Vista's recovery disk (Do they even still call it that), right? I know Vista doesn't cost that much anymore compared to when it came out, but that's $100 less than I would have to put towards the computer itself, as I've allocated myself $500 for the whole shebang.

[FlyingSkull]

Yeah it's technically a recovery disc, but often referred to as Installation Media, or setup disc, or "Hey you got that Windows disc?"

Unless you are really set on Vista you can still get by with XP. The latest service packs have it running really nice. And it looks like software vendors are going to still be supporting it for sometime, at least until System 7 is released.

Vista was a bomb kinda like Windows Me was. But you can get it to run decently if you really tweak it. IE, shut off all the things it has running in the background by default.

Yes, I am looking at Vista... so I just need Vista's recovery disk (Do they even still call it that), right? I know Vista doesn't cost that much anymore compared to when it came out, but that's $100 less than I would have to put towards the computer itself, as I've allocated myself $500 for the whole shebang.

[CharvelRocker]

Yeah it's technically a recovery disk, but often refereed to as Installation Media, or setup disk, or "Hey you got that Vista disk?"

Thanks!

[Spivonious]

Not to start a Vista vs XP debate, but I've run Vista as my primary OS for two years now and have had ZERO problems with it, and it's actually faster than XP was on the same hardware. Just make sure to feed it memory, as it does some pretty heavy precaching, which makes a very noticeable difference in app launching speed.

For what it's worth, in my side job of repairing PCs, I've had the most problems with Sony Vaios. I think your money would be better spent on an HP or a Dell. With $400-$700, you could even get a new laptop that would be plenty for everything but 3D games. Just remember to go with at least 3GB of RAM and you'll be fine. It's too bad Circuit City is closed. They had some great deals on computers there in the last few days.

If you can wait, I'd wait 6 months for Windows 7 to be released (no official date yet, but the release candidate is due to be released next month). It is much better than Vista is on slower hardware.

[CharvelRocker]

I can't wait for Windows 7, as I doubt I can afford one new with that OS sadly. I'm finally just now looking at Vista as it seems most of the bugs are ironed out and most things work with it so long as it isn't 64 bit. I'm not big on buying anything like that when it is new though

I'm leaning towards Sony as my brother has one and it has been flawless. Granted it cost more than my car but still His Gateway was also a very good notebook. I'm leery of HP as everything new by them I've used or someone I know has used has been CRAP. I don't mind dell as long the battery doesn't explode in my lap, same goes for Toshiba.

FWIW, is the better laptop at $500 going to be something new or something used? 3D gaming isn't a big concern as the only modern games I play on a PC are RTS, most of my others are fairly old and run fine on this 4 year old machine as it is. If it was new, it would need to be some kind of HP though I guess. I've just not been thrilled with their products the past few years, or in the case of this god-awful printer, their Customer Service.

[FlyingSkull]

No problem Spiv, good comments, I should have said it was more of a commercial bomb, although I would say a fair bit of that was to do with various compatibility/performance issues, some that were within Microsoft's scope and others were not. It looks like System 7 is stripped down in a way that will make it better out of the box, we have a pre-release version here at work. (We have it running on an old Dell D610 and its not half bad performance wise, 512 MB ram!) Vista really throws the kitchen sink at you and on older hardware, it can be problematic. Understanding however that there are many with good experiences with it.

I can echo the option of looking at a new laptop, over used especially at current prices. Laptops can be really hardy, or real lemons, luck of the draw really. A warranty comes in handy with laptops.

Not to start a Vista vs XP debate, but I've run Vista as my primary OS for two years now and have had ZERO problems with it, and it's actually faster than XP was on the same hardware. Just make sure to feed it memory, as it does some pretty heavy precaching, which makes a very noticeable difference in app launching speed.

For what it's worth, in my side job of repairing PCs, I've had the most problems with Sony Vaios. I think your money would be better spent on an HP or a Dell. With $400-$700, you could even get a new laptop that would be plenty for everything but 3D games. Just remember to go with at least 3GB of RAM and you'll be fine. It's too bad Circuit City is closed. They had some great deals on computers there in the last few days.

If you can wait, I'd wait 6 months for Windows 7 to be released (no official date yet, but the release candidate is due to be released next month). It is much better than Vista is on slower hardware.

[Spivonious]

I can't wait for Windows 7, as I doubt I can afford one new with that OS sadly. I'm finally just now looking at Vista as it seems most of the bugs are ironed out and most things work with it so long as it isn't 64 bit. I'm not big on buying anything like that when it is new though

Problems with 64-bit were ironed out years ago It doesn't make sense to stick with 32-bit UNLESS you want to use a device that doesn't have a 64-bit driver. But with a laptop I doubt you'd be plugging too much into it.

I'm leaning towards Sony as my brother has one and it has been flawless. Granted it cost more than my car but still His Gateway was also a very good notebook. I'm leery of HP as everything new by them I've used or someone I know has used has been CRAP. I don't mind dell as long the battery doesn't explode in my lap, same goes for Toshiba.

HP has really turned it around in the past few years. My wife's laptop is an HP and I'm always impressed by what they're offering in the stores, as they tend not to skimp on the important parts like some other OEMs do. With that said, their prices for entry-level are a bit higher than Dell's. I just built a nicely-equipped Inspiron 13 for $529, so you may want to check both of their websites out before committing to the used one (unless you're getting it for under $250 that is).

FWIW, is the better laptop at $500 going to be something new or something used? 3D gaming isn't a big concern as the only modern games I play on a PC are RTS, most of my others are fairly old and run fine on this 4 year old machine as it is. If it was new, it would need to be some kind of HP though I guess. I've just not been thrilled with their products the past few years, or in the case of this god-awful printer, their Customer Service.

Without a doubt, it's something new. Technology only gets cheaper. I built my current desktop machine for roughly $2000 3 years ago. Nowadays I could build a faster machine for under $600. If all of your games play fine on a 4 year-old machine, the entry-level laptops will have plenty of horsepower. I've had two good experiences with HP support, but they were both for laptops, so maybe their printer division is staffed by different people? I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of their printers.

I know we live in the same general area, so PM me if you'd like any help shopping around, or if you want me to take a look at the laptop you've been offered.

edit: oh, and any reason you're going with laptops? There's a definite price premium for the portability they give you.

[CharvelRocker]

I'm going after laptops as it's handier for me to kart around between various rooms, and even the garage if need be (amazing how many times you can run back and forth between the garage and the pc when fixing something without a repair manual). It also makes recording potentially easier (note I only run a Line 6 Toneport, so nothing draining there). I would also prefer if possible to have it for future use in college, plus going on vacation and what not.

The only 64 bit thing that kind of concerns me is my Saitek X52 joy stick, which I use for a couple games, and one or two of my older games simply will not function on 64 bit stuff (pod and Mechwarrior4 being the two), plus just the fact that some software doesn't seem built for it makes me leery of it.

[OnlineStageGear]

I like both XP and Vista.

Windows 7 on the other hand is quite impressive. The Ultimate runs on around 600 megs of ram. I thought it was kinda sluggish at first but I think the newer superfetch finally figured out what to load and man that thing sings. I load IE8 in like 2 seconds with the webpage fully displayed.

Matt

[LouSiffer]

If it was originally a Vista machine and you are going to reformat to XP, make sure the drivers are available for that particular laptop/hardware for XP.

I have had to fix a few laptops in the last couple of months because people tried to revert back to XP, but, the drivers for say, the built in wireless connection, were never written for that particular setup.

I tried bumming drivers from other manufactures with same/similar setups that did utilize XP, but, they never worked right.-Lou

P.S. As I have said with Vista, when it first came out it was horrible. Absolutely hated it. Now I have Ultimate 64 and after the newest SP and updates, it is fantastic. I use it more than XP now. Looks nicer, cleaner, smoother and it lets you take full advantage of the DirectX an Shader capabilities that XP won't. If you aren't into graphically intense games, this is completely useless to you.

[Ben...]

Don't know if this is much help, but I got an HP laptop for Christmas. Its been great so far. It can handle most of my games (Except for COD4 and World in Conflict because I can't play them on low, it just doesn't look right) though with a few things turned down compared to my old desktop that has a powerful GPU. It can handle things like Photoshop very well. If you get one, when doing set up, do NOT select to set up Norton, I did and then I realized how much of a system hog it is. When I cleaned my registry after I uninstalled it CCleaner said it left over a thousand errors in it. Just get AVG or Avast! or something. Also, get rid of the pre-installed crap on any laptop you get. There's a neat thing called PC Decrapifier that gets rid of all that stuff. (link)

[CharvelRocker]

Alright I've settled on a Dell Inspiron 15 for about $525. Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 (2GHz, and it seems I will need to bite the bullet to get a good processor and go with the 64bit), 2GB DDR2 Ram, 160GB HD. So does anyone know where to get the best deal on these? I looked atGateway, but their stuff is a bit out of my range. Toshiba's L300-ST2051 has identical specs plus a larger, 250GB HDD for $580, but that relies on a nearly $200 rebate that I have zero info as to when it expires. HP's CQ60Z also looks like an option at $550 and with identical specs to the Dell with a key difference; it has an AMD Athlon x2 Processor that is slightly faster at 2.1 ghz. The HP's price is however influenced by a $100 instant rebate, which once again they give little info about.

Is this instant rebate stuff like how MAP pricing is with guitars? Which of the two processors should I go for?

EDIT: It seems HP's rebate expires on the 21st. Should I assume it will be replaced by another similar one?

EDIT 2: I also must say, thinknig back on it, despite how they were used and abused, the HP/Compaq's we used in middle school were damn good computers, reliable to boot.