1. Contact Dell and see if they can provide you with one without charge or for a nominal fee. If not, there are alternatives. 2. PM me with your email address if you'd like me to send instructions for a fresh install... it's in Word.doc.
Effectively, yes. You CAN do a fresh install on the "existing partition"... in that case, you would not re-format. But deleting old partitions and establishing new ones only takes a few seconds. I prefer to make a new partition rather than use the existing one.
Gotchya and thanks. Now, by the looks of the word doc, should I be getting a new hard drive also for best results? Sort of like changing the tires AND the oil.
Getting a new hard drive won't necessarily improve anything, but having a backup is always a good idea. It also gives you the opportunity to keep your original drive intact just in case you have some problem with the fresh install. At least you can remount your old drive and be in business until you can troubleshoot the problem.
k. One more quick question then I'll let you go. What's gonna happen to all my apps? Spent a lot of time getting my porn collection juuust right. Seriously though, I got all my trading software just way I like them... I'd hate to start from scratch. Again.
Yeah, well, that's a problem. You'll need to reinstall everything from scratch. So before you start, make backups of all important files.... a flash drive or external USB hard drive are the best. Unfortunately, you don't have a choice as to whether to reinstall or not... only a matter of when. WinXP degrades over time for most of us (from installing, uninstalling software, upgrades, defragging, adware and spyware removal, and such) and a fresh install is the best way to get rid of the accumulated schmutz and restore your rig to peak performance. Judicious use of cloning and imaging software like Acronis True Image can keep your required reinstalls down to once every couple of years as well as maintain backups and easy restoration between fresh installs.