Re-installing Xp.

[Kratosaurion7]

So I've had my computer for about 2 years and I never re-installed my OS so I thought about starting over with a fresh installation of Windows Xp. But I have a few questions first.

For a start I have three hard drives, one removable. So that leave two inside the computer when I will re-install Xp. What will happen? Will the installation just wipe all the Data I have on both disks or just the one I have my OS installed on(both disks are a separate partition by the way). I know that It would be better to just clean both drives, but they both have about 250gigs worth of data each and that would be a pain to put on a set of DvD. And I don't want to buy another hard drive to put the backup copy on it. And If I make DO make a backup of everything won't it just bring back the crap when I extract the backup back on the hard drive? I mean, im sure whats clogging my system ressources is in my main hard drive, so I thought I could leave the second right there and not touch it.

Next is that I'm re-installing with the CD the company gave me, its labeled System Recovery DVDRom. Im guessing it will just reset my OS to factory default, is that the right thing to do?

Any answers are greatly appreciated.

 

[Kratosaurion7]

Bump

 

[A True Folder]

One physical drive partitioned into two partitions is it?

Was that how it arrived from the manufacturer?

If it is two physical drives just unplug the second drive if you're worried about formatting the wrong one.

Back up your files manually not the whole drive with drive imaging software and just import them when you've finished installing

 

[hdloademan1]

First off.
What is wrong with the Xp that you have already on your drive?
Second:
You will have to activate windows after you re install wich sometimes will not work if you have changed the manifacures settings of changer hardware, Etc.
Third:
It will only wipe that data if you tell it to you can either format the drive that the existing installation is on or you can install windows on that drive under a differnet folder.

 

[dude_se]

First off.
What is wrong with the Xp that you have already on your drive?
Second:
You will have to activate windows after you re install wich sometimes will not work if you have changed the manifacures settings of changer hardware, Etc.
Third:
It will only wipe that data if you tell it to you can either format the drive that the existing installation is on or you can install windows on that drive under a differnet folder.

after 2 years your pc can become full of crap/generally be running slower. im sure most people on here format every 2 years or less. i know i do.

 

[hdloademan1]

after 2 years your pc can become full of crap/generally be running slower. im sure most people on here format every 2 years or less. i know i do.

Yeah. I do too i thought of that after i had already posted