New years are great for fresh starts, including your once-trusty computer that now runs like a wounded snail. Rather than spend a lot of time cleaning up a dirty operating system, sometimes the best solution is to start over from scratch.
It sounds scarier than it is.
There are many legitimate reasons for doing a clean reinstall of your operating system, which for our purposes here will be Windows XP. There could be damage to system files that cannot be repaired or a faulty hard drive forcing you to start over. There also could be viral infestations so bad that only a hard drive reformat and Windows reinstall would fix it.
With planning, you can get through this with few hassles. Be aware that you will need to reinstall all applications and if some of them don’t allow you to save configuration settings, they will need to be re-entered. It’s a minor inconvenience, considering the benefits.
The first step in a complete Windows reinstall is to take inventory of your hardware and software requirements. Because you’re starting from scratch, you’ll need to reinstall a significant amount of software, so make sure you have it on hand before you do anything.
You’ll need to have the original Windows disc, as well as the discs that came with any special hardware. In particular, look for a disc that came with your motherboard, containing special drivers for onboard video, sound, network adapters and other important chipset features. If you don’t have this disc, make sure you download it from the manufacturer’s Web site beforehand.
Assuming you keep the installation discs from other hardware devices attached to your system — keyboard, mouse, webcam, printer, scanner, etc. — dig those out as well. If you’re missing any of these peripherals, no worries; you can always download the latest drivers online. In…