# Reformatting a Pre-Built PC



## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to be, if not, could you redirect me?

I purchased a Pre-built pc 3 months ago. It came w/Windows XP. All of a sudden when I started it up it would get to the WinXP logo and reboot - over and over - stuck in the loop. Finally stayed on and then: Warning window: No ATI graphics driver is installed, or the ATI driver is not functioning properly. Please install the ATI driver appropriate for your ATI hardware.

To make a long story short, I used the disk to reinstall - didn't work after 2-3 times. Then I opted to 'repair' Windows using the disk - couldn't get past Admin password - finally reformatted the HDrive, installed drivers, etc.

Bottom line = the whole thing is a mess: programs are crashing, pieces and parts seem to be missing from programs I try to install, I can't seem to install anything without running into an issue, including Office 2007.

Brought it into the computer store (still under warranty) but they charge $65 hr. to reinstall all the software. Now, I've reformatted the harddrives on my other "Best Buy" computers numerous times without using their restore disks, etc., and never run into these problems.

Why can't I do the same with this pre-built computer? The guy at the store pretty much told me to leave it to the techs (at $65 an hr.!) I have all the original software and ran Belarc so I have a description of all the parts.

What am I doing wrong? I know how to install software - is there a specific order in which to install the software on a prebuilt? I started with the operating system (XP), then the ATI driver until all the yellow marks in device manager disappeared. Do I also have to reinstall the motherboard components, and if so, before the OS?

Is there any site to direct me to that tells me about this stage - clearly - after everything is put into the case? Would appreciate any clarity anyone can share with me. Thank you in advance.


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## constantgamer24 (Dec 12, 2009)

what software do you want to reinstall? like MS word trial?
a lot of the time when you pay ppl to install an OS for you, you are just paying them to load it up with crap, and trials.


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## angelic00 (Dec 6, 2009)

Are you actually FORMATTING when you try to reinstall? Or are you just installing over the current copy?

You need to completely wipe out your harddrive and try again.

1). Insert your Windows disk into the optical disk drive.
2). Choose to boot to disk (Press ESC IMMEDIATELY after BIOS Screen/Brand Splash Screen goes away) and choose "CD-ROM"
3). Let Windows Load
4). Erase the partitions on your harddrives
5). Recreate the partitions
6). Format the partitions
7). Install Windows

If you still have problems, your harddrive could be corrupt. If you still have problems open your case (should have a thumb screw on the back for one of the side panels) and look to see if you have SATA or IDE

IDE Looks like a Blue line with numerous pins.
SATA Looks like a oversized HDMI plug.


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Constantgamer: Windows XP to start with. No packaged software - just XP. That is all I figured needed to be installed. Also Nero 7 for the CD/DVD burner. He indicated the software for the MB and the Graphics card also had to be reinstalled.


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Angel: I already reformatted the HD - wiping everything out BEFORE I reinstalled the OS in the primary partition (repartitioned making 3 partitions instead of the original 1 partition), and I followed all 7 steps in your post. These are SATA drives as I have adapters to use when hooking up some of the components on the back panel.

My pc is sitting in the PC Shop as we speak - 3 days before ready. It was the indication I needed to 'learn how to build" a pc in order to figure out how to do this right.

After I installed the OS - I checked device manager because I was still getting the warning that the graphics driver wasn't installed. There were other errors as well: ethernet controller, ATI SM Bus Controller, USB Device. Used the ATI disk to install the drivers. Also had to use the M3A Series Disk (MB) to finish getting the correct drivers.

I've installed 2wire for software access - that seems to be working fine
Installed AVAST - Home - it can't seem to finish installing - no matter how many times I reinstall or download the program.
FireFox keeps crashing - even after uninstall/reinstall.

Just very frustrating.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

PC Specs?
Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Ok - this is what I have from Belarc - before I reformatted the drive:

Operating System: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
Motherboard: ASUSTeK Computer INC. M3A78-T Rev 1.xx, Bus Clock: 200 megahertz, BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 0204 07/18/2008
Processor: 2.30 gigahertz AMD Phenom 9650 Quad-Core
512 kilobyte primary memory cache, 2048 kilobyte secondary memory cache
2048 kilobyte tertiary memory cache, 64-bit ready, Multi-core (4 total), Not hyper-threaded
Drives: 
ATAPI iHAS220 6 [CD-ROM drive] AND 3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]
Multi Flash Reader USB Device [Hard drive] -- drive 2
WDC WD3200AAKS-00B3A0 [Hard drive] (320.07 GB) -- drive 0, SMART Status: Healthy
MEMORY: 2048 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory, 

CONTROLLERS:
Standard floppy disk controller
AMD PCI IDE Controller
AMD SATA Controller(Native IDE Mode)
Primary IDE Channel [Controller] (2x)
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] (2x)
DISPLAY:	ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series [Display adapter]
MULTIMEDIA: ATI Function Driver for High Definition Audio - ATI AA01, Realtek High Definition Audio


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

I didnt see your power supply listed in there
Brand 
Model
watts/amps

You might have to open the case to get that info off the psu


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Well, I can't get that - my computer is in the shop as we speak. What I am trying to figure out is if reformatting the harddrive, installing the OS and drivers is different in a pre-built PC than it is in a computer purchased from, say, Best Buy or Sam's Club etc. I never had any problems reformatting the drives in those computers.

The computer I am having the problems/issues with, was built by Altex Computers. It isn't the normal HP or Dell or Gateway that comes with all the extra software. The software I got with this computer is: 

Windows XP Professional disk, M3A Series (motherboard)w/vista drivers, AMD 780G/790GX Chipset Support DVD Rev. 366.04, VisionTek: ATI Graphics Drivers, Nero 7 Essentials, WordPerfect Office X3, Britannica Desktop 2008, and McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009, and the Motherboard Book: M3A78-T. 

If I'm capable of reloading/formatting those other computers I had, why did I have all the problems trying to do the same thing with this computer? Previously I used the OS disk and everything came together - occasionally I had to find a driver out on the net, but I didn't have all the issues I had before I brought the computer in.

Do I have to do something different, like reinstall things for the MB before installing the OS, etc.? I know I can do this - I just don't know what questions I should be asking!

Believe me, I appreciate all your help even if there isn't a simple answer. Paying someone $65 to install software when I'm quite sure I can handle it - if I understand where I went wrong.


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Oh, and that is $65/hr - minimum of 2 hours, on a computer that is only 3 months in my possession!


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I hate to say this, but; any shop not willing to explain things in more depth is not customer orienatated! I run a shop myself and always go the extra mile to help self-builders and hobbiest ..............there are plenty of customers who dont want to know anything about such things; shops should make their money on these individuals 


always wipe the drive first with a dos bootable program like "killdisk" before you reinstall an OS

reformatting a hard drive does NOT wipe the old OS out .........it merely prepares a very small portion of the drive 

and to answer your question directly / NO your custom PC should be no diff than Dell gateway, HP etc etc etc in fact it should be easier!

I advise you to get your computer back from the shop and we can walk you thru this process properly as long as you are patient ......if you are in a hurry, then leave it at the shop


BTW: $130.00 to reinstall and OS is rather stiff IMHO our flat rate charge for that if no data needs to be saved and restored is $50.00 - $75.00 dependent on whether the customer can handle the updates afterwards or do we have to do that too ?


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

Thank you so much for your reply. They are also checking the hardware to be sure nothing failed. The PC is under warranty so I will let them keep it this time. As was explained, the software is NOT under warranty so they have to charge for the reinstall. 
I negotiated with them for $65 - instead of the $130 (2 hrs). I guess this is just another way for the shop to pull in some green!

But I will be back here if anything else happens - I knew I could do this myself! I just don't know how to check the hardware for failure, so maybe that is something I can learn through this site also. It won't be long and that warranty will be up.

I'll keep following this site for information and might learn a few more things along the way. Is this a good section for me to be in then, BUILDING?

Thank you so much - I appreciate the help you've given. You don't happen to be in San Antonio, do you????


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

More info on a normal reformat vs. a program like Killdisk:


The data on a hard drive can be broken into three levels of hierarchy.
1. MBR/Partition table - Stores the hard drive's "partition table", essentially what drives the drive is broken up into. Takes up maybe 512kb at most.

2. Filesystem - this is the operating system's system of storing and finding files. Folders and such. Much of the OS itself is stored in the filesystem.

3. Data - your files, programs, etc.


When you simply delete a partition, all that happens is the MBR is edited so that the partition is no longer stored, and the drive "loses track" of it. However, the filesystem and data are left intact. Certain programs can very easily pick up where the filesystem starts and figure out the partition in no time. 

When you reformat a partition, the partition is removed from the MBR, and a new one created in its place. A new filesystem is then written. This will usually overwrite some or all of the old filesystem, and sometimes some of the data. It's harder to reconstruct the partition and filesystem after this, but it is possible, and all of the data is still present; it's just harder to find. This is the minimum needed to install a new OS.

For true data erasure you need to use a program like Killdisk or DBAN or the Linux "$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/xxxx" command, or the hard drive mnfr's reinitialization procedure. What these programs do is completely destroy the data, either by flipping every bit to a zero, or by writing random 1s and 0s over the whole drive. This is not required when installing a new OS, but we do recommend it.

The military specification is to overwrite every bit with random data five times, then smash the drive. This is not necessary, and may prove detrimental to the OS reinstallation procedure.


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## Dblanchard1278 (Jun 18, 2009)

Either way that shop is making that money by taking two hours to install basic software.
But to answer your question on the order to install is first the os then install the motherboard drivers and then the video card drivers. After that it's up to you on what to install next.


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## melowout (Sep 18, 2008)

_The military specification is to overwrite every bit with random data five times, then smash the drive. This is not necessary, and may prove detrimental to the OS reinstallation procedure._ This must have been added to get a laugh outta me - IT DID!!

I checked out KillDisk and will be adding that program for 'starting from scratch.' That could explain why I was running into so many problems - a few potholes in the way. 

I also checked out the video on YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial. That looks like the quick and easy Backup Program I've been looking for!

Thanks to all your help, it looks like I'll have the perfect system in place for the next time I run into this problem! Thanks to everyone and I'll see you around the boards!

Have a safe holiday season everyone!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

melowout said:


> They are also checking the hardware to be sure nothing failed. The PC is under warranty so I will let them keep it this time. As was explained, the software is NOT under warranty so they have to charge for the reinstall.


Any software installed was, most likely, added to your original bill and you should have received the software disc. There is absolutely no reason to be charged again for the same software.
I would strongly suggest finding another source for your future PC needs.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Our shop offers a two year total parts and labor warranty with one free OS install from scratch .......if more is needed than that its safe to say its user error unless the reinstall is brought about by a hardware failure (hard drive death or motherboard death etc) 

once the free install has been used then its $50.00 - $75.00 for OS install / $50.00 OS install no data importing or saving / $75.00 with data saved to a back up source

I never mess with installing applications / programs thats all user stuff


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