computer slow how to restore with no recovery disc

[maggot]

hi my pc is around 2 years old, getting rather slow,i need to reset it , but i have winavi copy to dvd and some other downloaded programs,all with serials i have printed off when i bought the apps, but i have now lost!!!
to save paying out for these apps again and messing around with my installed codecs i want to store these on an external hard drive and reset the pc to factory settings but i have no recovery disc
any ides how to store the apps and reset the pc i would be gratefull
thanx in advance

[Lucifers_Ghost]

There are a few things you can try before you go with "last resort" and reinstall.

1. Remove/uninstall any unneeded programs that you dont use.
2. Run a cleaner to remove leftover files from installations and such
3. Run a virus check.
4. Run SEVERAL anti spyware checks. This is important. Dont run just one program. Run several. Popular ones are: Ad-Aware and Spybot. I have those two and the Microsoft one. Spybot and the MS one have real time protection. Havent gotten any spyware in .. er, well, a long time.
5. Run a defrag. Depending on the size of the drive, it may take awhile so consider letting it run overnight.

These steps should show a little increase in performance if dont properly.
If all this fails, then you may have to do a clean install.

As for the lost serial numbers .. the companies you bought these off of probably keep a transaction record for the purchase. If you call them with you CC number or whatever other information, they should be able to give you a new serial number.

As for not having a recovery disk .. you could always buy a copy of windows xp. A recovery cd or having a legal copy of xp are the only ways to set your computer back to "factory defaults" .. AFAIK.

[INFRATOM]

your computer should be as fast as the first day! the difference is if HD is full and doesn't have enough space to page, too many programs running at the same time and don't have enough RAM. On top of all reasons is your computer full of spyware and viruses. First thing to do is go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com its free clean your computer. These 3 I mentioned are the major ones off course there are other reasons. If you know your cd key you can do clean install of windows, a restore disc will include your original drivers and hardware you had on the original build, you have to ask the manufacturer for that.

[normcar]

I was having problems with my computer. I uninstalled drivers, and reinstalled and updated any updated drivers I could find. I also got a registry backup/clean program. I was haveing to reboot my computer often because of freeze ups. It now works great. I would also do as Lucifers_Ghost says and run several ad cleanup programs. I would also delete as many programs from your startup as possible. XP experts will have to help with that one, as I use Win2000. This will help speed up your startup, and free up system resources. When my computer starts up, I have about 12 Process running (Windoss Task Manager Process tab).

I would also check Windows Task Manager on the Performance tab. Look at the Peak memory usage to see if it exceeds your system memory. More memory will help if you consitantly see the peak at more memory than you have. Always run memtest or another memory tester when you get new memory.

Also take time out to use compressed air to blow dust out of your system fans and from around the CPU. This will help keep your system cool and safe.

If you have the system install disk, and have lost the windows key, there are programs to recover keys from windows and other programs.

[JerryB]

hi my pc is around 2 years old, getting rather slow,i need to reset it , but i have winavi copy to dvd and some other downloaded programs,all with serials i have printed off when i bought the apps, but i have now lost!!!
to save paying out for these apps again and messing around with my installed codecs i want to store these on an external hard drive and reset the pc to factory settings but i have no recovery disc
any ides how to store the apps and reset the pc i would be gratefull
thanx in advance

hi,
reinstalling windows is generally a last resort type thing and if you do routine general maintenance you be surprise how much speed you can regain.... and if you keep your machine lean and mean even when it get old it will still retain that speed.... like whenit was new

Definitely do the the things that lucifer mentioned.... I will just add coupleof things...
1. when you unintall programs..... using add/remove... that just remove key entires from the registry go in and also manualy delete the related main file folders of the program you uninstalled..... also purge your internet cache,,, and
DEFRAG!!!!! ... be surprised how much that help and cures a lot of issues.....
2. definitely disable alll needless programs that startup at windows boot... you need to go into msconfig.exe>startup tab.... here alink that will give you guidelines on what you can disable programs from starting up at boot!!
http://castlecops.com/StartupList.html

http://www.devcar.com/computers/startups%20-%20full%20list.htm

if you want to go further... go into your services.msc but be more carefull....
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
http://majorgeeks.com/page.php?id=12

doing this this will regain you some precious ram and also regain some speed and many case this can be significant..!! oh one more thing your system will generally be more stable..