What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

i think i need a new laptop, IT people's advice needed please

I advise against Dan doing a recovery. If its running fine now, leave it be.

You can run a suite of malware removal tools if you want, but running just one is never enough, I have to use 3 or 4 different programs at work to ensure a system is clean.
 
Dan, I see you have a HP laptop.. So the process is as follows if you want to go the wipe and restart approach. Make sure you have backed up anything you want to keep, keep in mind not everything will be in your my documents folder, there will probably be pictures, music etc in folders and also probably some on the desktop of the computer also. Once you are sure you have everything you want backed up then open this thread on your ipad (or another computer etc) so you can follow the instructions while going through the process. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP OF ANY DATA YOU NEED

  • Click Start and type RECOVERY in the search field. Select Recovery Manager from the list when it shows up. Allow the action to continue, if prompted. HP Recovery Manager opens.
  • Click Advanced options , System recovery , and then click Next . The PC will restart and reopen the recovery manager.
    Alternately, if Advanced options is disabled, click Next , and then System Recovery . The PC will restart.
  • When the PC restarts, select the System recovery option and click Next .
  • If prompted to use the Microsoft System Restore program, click No , and then click Next .
  • When prompted to Recover without backing up your files , please STOP before clicking Next .
    WARNING: This is the final opportunity to change your mind about recovering the PC and deleting all the files and programs. Once you click Next , the restore process cannot be stopped
  • If you are satisfied that you want to begin the recover process, click Next . The PC immediately begins formatting the hard drive and destroying all data and will eventually come up as if its fresh out of the box (stains will still be there though :eek: )
 
mark9 said:
I'm also needing a new laptop - my Dell Vostro is literally falling to pieces. I'm sick of Windows so was thinking about getting a Macbook. Is it worth the huge jump in price for one of these?
Click to expand...

I have a macbook pro and find it very good (i have had a few macs through the years) keep in mind that stuff that runs on your current laptop wont necessarily run easily on the mac. If all you use your pc for is surfing the net, email and maybe a bit of word processing etc then you will be fine. If you have some games etc that you play on your pc laptop they wont run natively on the OSX platform, although there are ways and means but nothing is completly straightforward. You can use VMware on the mac and run a virtual pc instance on the mac allowing pc programs to be run as a window on your OSX mac. There is also parallels which lets you boot your mac into either OSX or Windows at start up, this affectively gives you two seperate laptop but you can only use one at a time either Windows or OSX, there is a shared resource area so you can copy stuff from one area to another. You will need to dedicate an area of your hard drive for windows and another for OSX.

Hope that all makes sense and isnt too of putting, OSX is a great OS just bear with it the first few weeks until you get how it works.

Cheers
Ian
 
Carl Spiby said:
I advise against Dan doing a recovery. If its running fine now, leave it be.

You can run a suite of malware removal tools if you want, but running just one is never enough, I have to use 3 or 4 different programs at work to ensure a system is clean.
Click to expand...

It's not fine, the thread wouldn't exist. There's way too much worrying going on in here.
 
dave said:
there is stuff like Utorrent
Click to expand...

Utorrent is intentional. I use it for all my downloads from TPB and Kickass torrents and any other free torrent sites. I admit it. I download films and TV stuff on the internet on a daily basis.

This is getting interesting, I love it when i don't understand something but then I hear both sides of an intelligent debate about it. It's fascinating.
 
Well, you will find it pretty difficult to pull a virus in from a video file, but standard adware shipped with that software isn't great. You may have been tempted at some point to shop for a Russian wife in a link or something.

Your current windows install has run it's course and the only way to get it back again PROPERLY is to reinstall windows.
 
BigIan said:
I have a macbook pro and find it very good (i have had a few macs through the years) keep in mind that stuff that runs on your current laptop wont necessarily run easily on the mac. If all you use your pc for is surfing the net, email and maybe a bit of word processing etc then you will be fine. If you have some games etc that you play on your pc laptop they wont run natively on the OSX platform, although there are ways and means but nothing is completly straightforward. You can use VMware on the mac and run a virtual pc instance on the mac allowing pc programs to be run as a window on your OSX mac. There is also parallels which lets you boot your mac into either OSX or Windows at start up, this affectively gives you two seperate laptop but you can only use one at a time either Windows or OSX, there is a shared resource area so you can copy stuff from one area to another. You will need to dedicate an area of your hard drive for windows and another for OSX.

Hope that all makes sense and isnt too of putting, OSX is a great OS just bear with it the first few weeks until you get how it works.

Cheers
Ian
Click to expand...

OK thanks, I don't play any games on it, just surfing the net and would like to use it for some word processing. I'm happy to move away from Microsoft as I find Windows 8 is a total PITA, XP was much easier to use. Also, I really like the idea of a Retina display for watching films etc.

Sorry for jumping in on this thread Dan but I think I'm in the same position, I just want to surf the net not bothered about all the techie stuff if I can avoid it!
 
mark9 said:
I'm also needing a new laptop - my Dell Vostro is literally falling to pieces. I'm sick of Windows so was thinking about getting a Macbook. Is it worth the huge jump in price for one of these?
Click to expand...

The hardware is great, the software is tough going if you are used to windwos. I ended up putting windows on my Macbook Air
 
mark9 said:
I'm also needing a new laptop - my Dell Vostro is literally falling to pieces. I'm sick of Windows so was thinking about getting a Macbook. Is it worth the huge jump in price for one of these?
Click to expand...
Ask Phil at PH.
He thinks they are the best thing since Vimto.
Expensive but worth the money.
 
mark9 said:
OK thanks, I don't play any games on it, just surfing the net and would like to use it for some word processing. I'm happy to move away from Microsoft as I find Windows 8 is a total PITA, XP was much easier to use. Also, I really like the idea of a Retina display for watching films etc.

Sorry for jumping in on this thread Dan but I think I'm in the same position, I just want to surf the net not bothered about all the techie stuff if I can avoid it!
Click to expand...

Why do you need a laptop or desktop for this usage? What's wrong with a bare minimum android tab? Granted the word processing isn't too great with on screen keys but you can always use a wireless keyboard and plug it to your nearest TV or monitor if you need a bigger screen. Unless you're wanting to use proper applications like photoshop, making music, designing games, playing PC/Mac games etc, then for your use you really have no need for one.
 
dave said:
Why do you need a laptop or desktop for this usage? What's wrong with a bare minimum android tab? Granted the word processing isn't too great with on screen keys but you can always use a wireless keyboard and plug it to your nearest TV or monitor if you need a bigger screen. Unless you're wanting to use proper applications like photoshop, making music, designing games, playing PC/Mac games etc, then for your use you really have no need for one.
Click to expand...
I have an Ipad but tend to use my laptop a lot more - I find it a lot easier typing and can't be doing with the hassle of plugging other stuff in, not ideal when you want to just pick it up and use straight away, which I usually do. I guess I'm just lazy...
 
I use a MacBook Pro as my main machine. I have Parallels running that hosts Win8.1 so I can run Windows apps inside my Mac environment as though they were native to the Mac.
I use any windows versions supplied by clients and found Mac OS easy to learn but with the power of a Unix machine.
My Wife never got use to it so it is not for everyone.
Graphic intensive widows games will suffer in VMware or parallels. Go play pinball for fun.
Installed most OS's and used them but I have only once flattened a windows build and rebuilt it. My last XP image was with me for years.
It does seem overkill and Dan/others will get back to the same problem in a few months. Plus risk losing some photos they forgot. Better to manage the issue, cull programs not required and stop installing every piece of crap software that promises miracles and delivers little.
 
Well you'd best get round his house to open it up and clean the heatsink & outlet fan.
 
dave said:
Well you'd best get round his house to open it up and clean the heatsink & outlet fan.
Click to expand...

Vacuum cleaner on the fan :D Works wonders! Guy in work did it with a garden leaf sucker, and it sucked the fan so hard it broke lol
 
Hah, that's one way of doing it! If poor little Henry the Hoover can''t do it, ship in some overkill. :rofl:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom