My Comp is slow and annoying.....

[Unregistered]

My PC is slow and very annoying to deal with. It already has Windows XP, but is there a way to wipe out all the memory and start over? I have the Windows XP Home Edition Disk, and I have used it to repair a laptop that I own. Can I use this desk and install Windows XP again to start fresh and fast again?

[amccabe]

Does your desktop have Windows XP Home (vs Professional)?

If so, you should have a product key on a sticker on the computer's case. That product key is how you authenticate the Windows install. After you install, you will also need the drivers for the computer (which you can download).

If the slow computer has Windows XP Pro (or another older version of Windows), you will need to get that specific install disk. The product key will only work with the exact version of windows.

[Unregistered]

I have the Home Edition. When you say on the computers case, do you mean on the computer or on the box it came in?

I also have a Windows XP Home Edition box that has a product key. I purchased it seperately, and it includes the install CD. Can I just use that when I reinstall?

Also, I have a hardware piece that plugs in through the USB port that requires an ASIO driver that I dont have. Can I download and install that? And when you say download your drivers, what exactly do you mean? And where can I download these?

Thank you so much for all your help.

[amccabe]

I have a Dell laptop. When I clean installed it a few months ago, I went to Dell's website. You can register there and they keep your computer's info on file. But even if I didn't do that, I can go there and just look up my computer's model and click the link to download drivers on the support page.

I have also clean installed Gateway and a few other makes - they are all the same. You go to the manufacturer's site, go to Support/Downloads, look up the model, then download the driver for each hardware device.

I have also built several computers and for those I have to go to a different website for each piece of hardware that needs a driver. Your other usb device will very likely have a support page where you can download its driver for Windows XP.

I was talking about the Product Key sticker on the outside of the computer tower - not on the box that the computer came in. I would use the computer's original product key if it came with XP Home - you are less likely to trigger the Authentication alarm (unless you have never installed the copy of XP Home on a computer).