Wiping Out Everything on Dell XPS 8100 Desktop

[gregrocker]

Laptop hard drives are what's in most external drives, so you can buy an external case to put the drive into and connect it by USB. Most laptops don't have a second drive bay unless you remove the DVD drive. Then it's always powering a secondary drive you may not need that often. So an external is a better storage option in most cases.

To apply the image elsewhere you can use a more flexible imaging program to save the image like http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I which will let you recover the image to another partition or hard drive, then apply it to the wiped HD (Clean command you used) in the other PC from external drive using booted Win7 installer http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html, Then you must boot another disk to http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/292068-make-windows-7-bootable-after-motherboard-swap.html

 

[paulyjames]

I have the 320gb ssd hard drive now. How can you even connect it to a computer?

 

[gregrocker]

You'd need some way to mount it with an adapter in one of the drive bays, then a 2.5" SATA cable to plug it into the mobo.

I just told you how it would be best to use it, in a USB external drive case.

 

[paulyjames]

I found the dell windows 7 reinstallation cd for my dell xps 8100. Does this mean this actual copy is useless if i use it for another computer without an operating system or if someone else wanted to reinstall their computer with it... because im currently using it as i typed the 25 digit code earlier?


Thus can i just throw the cd away? Or could i say sell it on ebay or would that be useless b/c no one would be able to use it? It says operation system already installed on your computer reinstallation dvd windows 7 home premium 64 bit and also mentions for distribution only with a new dell pc.

 

[gregrocker]

You can't use the Dell Reinstallation DVD for another PC except as a Win7 installer as it will not activate. It may not even have SP1 so you're better off using the latest anyway.

Use the latest official installation media in http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html#post1839164 for the licensed version on each PC. If it has 3 or less GB of RAM then I would use 32 bit (X86) for best performance. otherwise I'd use 64 bit.

 

[paulyjames]

Hey. My asus laptop has 8gb. Also i dont have any computer with 3gb or less ram. And thus all computers i have are 64 bit.


But this cd is completely useless where i can just throw it away along with the driver cd right? Is there a reason why i see this cd being sold on ebay for like 5 dollars with buyers though?


Also that means the asus installation cd and driver cd that i use every single time to reinstall, thats going to be worthless just like the dell cd right? Thus if i list it on ebay, probably no one would want it?


Very interesting to learn all this stuff as i always thought you needed the reinstallation cd to reinstall windows. Even when my friend did it for me, he asked for the cd.

 

[gregrocker]

If the Reinstallation DVD has SP1 and its only one disk then it is likely just the OS, Activation, and maybe a logo. So you can use it if you want because with SP1 it should have everything. But if in doubt I would use the one you made since you now for sure its the latest.

 

[paulyjames]

Hey well im going to use the windows 7 iso file to do it. But the asus cd and the dell cd i have, is there any value to it such as selling it on ebay or its completely worthless? Thing is i always made sure i had the asus cds with me b/c if i ever had to resintall, i had thought i needed it. So now i know i dont need it anymore.

 

[AddRAM]

Don`t waste your time trying to sell it, I seriously doubt anyone would want it.

Just hold on to it.

 

[paulyjames]

Okay so im downloading some other programs on this desktop such as itunes, openoffice, winamp, vlc media player and the defragger on the desktop.


After i did this, i open up chrome and have that annoying trovi startup page. Does anyone here know which is the program that causes this? Where does trovi come from? Also whats the proper way to remove it? I always just go to my settings page and delete that as the startup page but im sure thats not deleting it correctly right? Thus in my asus laptop, i know i would have ads where it would show me sites that i been on other sites. Example like i check out a website.. then go on another site... then i would see advertisments from teh last site i was at.

Is trovi the cause of this? I tried to do system restore on desktop but even though it restored successfullly, still show trovi.

 

[gregrocker]

This can happen when you don't watch what that you are getting the download from the authors own site or a safe source like FileHippo, or watch every step to anything extra the freeware tries to slip in during install.

Go through Control Panel/Programs now to uninstall anything extra, then check Browser Add-Ons to disable all but flash and reader. Run Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware to clean up Any threats or leftovers.

Watch your Startups on msconfig Startup and Services tabs after Hiding MS Services

 

[paulyjames]

When i downloaded those things, some sites i used download.cnet whereas some of them i download directly from the site. I assume its from downloadcnet then?


So hippo is the safe site?


I did check to see programs for installing when installing each one. However winamp seemed to not sure exactly all the details so im thinking it might been that.


As for removing programs all i see now are


adobe flash drive 15 activex
adobe reader xi
bradcom netxtreme i netlink driver and management
google chrome
malware bytes
microsoft.net frameowkr 4.5.4
nvidia 3d vision driver 320.78
nvidia graphics drivers 320.78
nvidia update 1.14.17
panda devices agent
panda free antivirus



Before i installed winamp, adobe flash, vla player, itunes, openoffice... i didn't have all those programs.


Do you think its the microsoft.net.framework? What is the nvidia stuff? Is that it? I didnt have this earlier before installing these programs


I did the malwarebyte scan. I quarantine then deleted it but its still there with trovi.com when starting chrome...

 

[gregrocker]

Those look OK. whats Via player? Use authors site or FileHippo. Never CNET.

What's in your AddOns? Do not skip any steps I gave you.

SAS report??

Try System Restore to before you installed those.

 

[paulyjames]

Actually i did system restore earlier and it seemed to remove both winamp and VLA player. VLA player is a media player.


Yes i used cnet for most of them.


SAS report?


I did 2 system restores earlier. One didn't work. 2nd one worked and removed winamp, vla player. Also believed he removed adobe flash as well...


So what can i do now? Very frustrated at the moment.

 

[paulyjames]

Im not sure what you mean by add ons? You mean chrome and the extensions? If so google docs 0.7 and 0.8 is all there is.


startup only has panda antivirus checked...

 

[gregrocker]

Yes right, called Extensions in Chrome

Check IE.

 

[paulyjames]

When opening IE, it shows msn.com.

 

[paulyjames]

What can i do now? I done another system restore back 1 day ago. It worked but i still have the trovi at startup on chrome.


Would just changing the site on settings do anything? It doesn't seem to be the proper way to remove it. It seems like if you just click delete a program on the desktop yet you didn't click uninstall.


What can i do now? The thing is im not sure what caused this. I mean, it could have been itunes right? Because i downloaded itunes directly from itunes so if itunes had trovi... then theres nothing i can do about it.


Very frustrating b/c now i kind of want to just do the reinstall windows 7 yet again because of this unless theres a way to fix this issue and remove trovi the right way. Also making sure i won't download from cnet ever again. I never knew about it has bloatware on it.

 

[gregrocker]

Remove Trovi from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

 

[paulyjames]

I seen that site along with few others. Theres no program like that to remove...