Desperate For Windows Help

[RKeaton]

GUYS

I hope someone can help me because it's getting serious here. My PC has been pretty crippled for a good couple of weeks now. It wasn't that big a deal but now I need it running strong immediately. I am a photographer and I have a big shoot to edit in Photoshop which my computer can barely open. I need to fix this thing today if I can.

I was advised to do a "clean install" of Windows XP but my computer did not come with the disc itself. It's an HP and all the software was pre-installed.

I had a computer-saavy friend come over with a copy of Windows and a list of 25-digit product keys but he was unable to get any of them to work.

Now that I'm desperate I'm willing to buy a new copy of Windows (Vista, maybe?) and use that for my 'clean install' or whatever you guys call it. BUT I don't want to go spend that money unless I can be fairly sure that will fix it.

My computer is only about a year and a half old. Fast processor (Athlon 4200+), 2 gigs of RAM, 250 GB hard drive that is now mostly empty as I moved all my files to an external drive. From what I can tell the problem is with the OS itself, something corrupted by a virus or some such thing. But it runs EXTREMELY slow in every way - startup, opening browser windows, opening files or programs like PS.

SO, in your collective opinion would you agree that it sounds like something a "clean install" of Windows would fix? And if so should I just run down to my local computer store and buy a copy off the shelf? I just don't know if I have other options or if that would even fix it. Since I know very little about PCs I was hoping you could help.

I will be waiting for your responses so thanks a lot in advance.

 

[spywarebanisher]

well i would do a clean install. why dont u pirate it?

 

[blackjack]

De frag your computer run you anti virus and spy ware software to see if you have any malaware, check your recycle bin to make sure you have emptied it and not left a ton of crap in there, try this program http://www.ccleaner.com/download/, do you have a lot of hard drive space free

 

[RKeaton]

i have defragged and run anti virus programs many times (adaware, spybot search and destroy, pc doctor and others).

since moving over 160 GB of photos to an external drive I now have tons of free space on my C drive.

as for pirating, i have no qualms about that but wouldn't know how. plus that's what my friend was basically trying to do yesterday but it wouldn't accept any of the product keys he had, and he had a bunch.

that's why i'm willing to go legal and buy the software, IF that will actually fix the damn thing.

 

[blackjack]

If you do a clean install it should definitely fix it, so just buy XP and reinstall, once XP is on bare it will run like a charm, just put back on the essentials AV &FIREWALL install your updates from MS then put photo shop back on and you should be good to go,

 

[RKeaton]

thanks, blackjack....what is AV?

and you would recommend sticking with XP instead of changing to Vista?

 

[blackjack]

Anti-virus mate, have you done a clean install before?

 

[blackjack]

Is this a PC bought from the shop? if it is you may have a recovery partition on your PC as it did not come with a XP CD

 

[RKeaton]

no I haven't. ALSO, what is the difference between buying the Upgrade and the full deal, other than the price being double. Will just buying the upgrade fix this crap?

Thank you

 

[RKeaton]

you know what I think you're right, it may have a recovery partition. shame i don't know what that is or how to use it.