Start computer from scratch vista

Far more important is what you do afterwards. If you have an original release Windows XP CD-ROM it's fairly tedious to go through the manual rigmarole of inserting floppy disks containing SATA drivers, installing the appropriate Service Pack after the main Windows install, and then installing all the other hardware drivers.

But if you have multiple PCs, or have to install from scratch on a regular basis, it becomes a real chore, and it's even worse for those whose PCs lack a floppy drive. Fortunately, there are ways to automate the various steps. This is known as 'slipstreaming'. PC Stats provide a good step-by-step guide at www.

Creating such a disc also performs the useful extra function of making a backup copy of your Windows CD-ROM, which is quite legal. If you want to go even further and customise your Windows installation by not only integrating Service Packs, but also Hotfixes, other updates and extra drivers, while discarding hordes of other generic drivers you will never need, as well as ignoring other Windows components you know you'll never use, take a look at nLite www.

It works with Windows , , XP and x64, and there's even a new vLite version that can perform the same tasks for Vista. Another utility designed to create a seriously slimmed-down Windows install is the freeware Bart's PE Preinstalled Environment , which you can download from www. This creates a bootable CD-ROM containing a lightweight version of Windows XP or Server that you can use for maintenance or to gain access to data when your hard drive Windows installation won't boot.

As its name suggests, Windows Update provides updates and bug fixes for Microsoft operating systems plus, in the latest version shown here for Vista Ultimate, optional content, software, services and tips.

However, very few of the Hotfixes actually improve audio performance, and many are optional for musicians. Once all the relevant Microsoft files have been updated, you should next install any drivers required by your motherboard devices that aren't included with Windows.

They are usually supplied as executable files — just double-click on the file to copy to the appropriate Windows folder. Some offer the option to transfer files to a floppy disk, so you can use them to add SATA support during the Windows install, as mentioned earlier. Always read any TXT or Readme file for details. One debatable area is installing special Power Management drivers and associated utilities such as Intel's Speed Stepping, which alter the CPU voltage and fan speed to match instantaneous processing demand.

This certainly makes sense for general-purpose PCs, but there's always a time lag between increased processing demand and the CPU speed being ramped up, which generally causes audio drop-outs in sequencer applications. So while it's still beneficial to have CPU fan speed linked to CPU temperature, in order to keep the noise levels down, a DAW should always use the 'Always On' power scheme and avoid speed ramping at all costs.

It may even be necessary for you to disable such hardware features in the BIOS. The next thing is to open up Device Manager and see if there are any other devices in there with a question mark against them.

If so, this means that Windows found no suitable generic drivers for them in its collection, so you'll need to search out their drivers from the motherboard support CD-ROM or its manufacturer's web site. Windows will probably still be relying on generic display drivers, so now's the time to install the latest ones for your graphics card.

Once there are no question marks left against any devices in Device Manager, it's probably the best time to implement the various tweaks that customise how Windows looks and runs you can find my comprehensive guide to 'XP Tweaks For Music' in SOS September It's a good idea to now save an image file of this fresh install, just in case you need to revert to it later on.

Once Windows XP or Vista has been installed, you have 30 days in which to contact Microsoft, either over the Internet or via a Freephone number, to activate it using an Installation ID, which is uniquely generated for each installation from both the Product Key serial number supplied with it and various aspects of your hardware, such as the motherboard, processor, RAM, hard drive and so on.

From Windows XP onwards, you only get 30 days before you have to Activate your operating system, but there are various caveats, depending on which version you buy. The best time to activate Windows is when you've installed all your hardware devices including expansion cards , have all the latest drivers and OS tweaks in place and are happy that everything is running smoothly, but before you start installing all your applications.

When Windows has been activated, you should immediately make an image file of your Windows partition and put it somewhere safe. If anything major happens, you can then restore this image to return your PC to a 'vanilla' but already activated configuration. This image can also be used to create 'cloned' versions of Windows for a multi-boot setup. However, here we enter murky waters. The Software may not be used by more than one processor at any one time on any single Workstation Computer.

There have been many different interpretations of this wording over the years, but according to Microsoft's Legal Department it means that every single installation of XP requires its own license.

So, strictly speaking, any DAW builder who supplies you with a dual-boot system should therefore charge you for both instances of Windows XP. When setup is ready copy files, it will prompt you to reconnect the installation source your USB.

Select the drive then click New NOTE: If you have multiple partitions listed, select each one starting at the bottom , then click delete until there is only a single one unallocated drive displayed in the window.

Select the unallocated drive listed, click New, click Apply then OK This will split the drive into multiple partitions, select the Primary partition then click Next.

NOTE: The System Reserved partition is where recovery files are kept for diagnostics and repairing damaged Windows 10 files; or even reinstall Windows Wait while Windows installs When this phase of setup is complete, Windows will automatically restart then reboot into setup again.

Windows is detecting and installing your hardware. After this is complete, Windows will restart one last time. Out of Box Experience The Out of Box Experience page is where you get to configure detailed settings in Windows, which includes creating a user account, configure privacy, sync PC settings and install modern applications.

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP Potentially Unwanted Products. Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it. How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. Sumit Volunteer Moderator Volunteer Moderator. DaveM Independent Advisor. Hi Karime, you can reinstall Windows 10 at any time and it will not cost you anything!

Since you previously had Windows 10 installed and activated on that PC during the installation process skip the steps which ask for a product key and select the option 'I am Reinstalling Windows 10 on this PC', and activation will not be an issue, your PC will have a digital entitlement stored on the Microsoft Activation Servers Make sure you install the same Edition of Windows 10 Home, Pro.

Disable Secure Boot 2. Enable Legacy Boot 3. Back up any files you do not want to lose before proceeding with the restore process. If you have an OEM computer e. To erase your hard drive and reinstall Windows, follow the steps below for your version of Windows. If you're erasing everything and reinstalling Windows, an administrator login name or password isn't needed. If you don't see the Settings app in the Start menu, click the magnifying glass icon on the taskbar.

In the text field at the top of the search window, type settings and press Enter. Windows is reset, keeping your files intact or erasing everything, depending on the option you selected above in step 6. Your files or all files on the hard drive are removed, depending on the option you selected in step 6, and then Windows 8 is reinstalled. To restore a Windows 7 or Vista computer, you must have a set of restore discs for the computer or an original Windows 7 or Vista installation disc.

If you do not have a set of restore discs, contact the computer manufacturer to order a new set or restore discs. The Windows installation process starts by creating a new partition, formatting the partition, and installing Windows on the hard drive.