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Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Out of interest, I decided to reinstall Windows from scratch on a new PC
from Dell (I bought 4). I don't know what Dell do to their PCs when they
send them out, but the new install seems several times faster when loading
programmes than the original Dell install that sits next to it.

I think I'll just roll my sleeves up and do the same for the others - even
the one I have already configured and loaded with data and programmes. Very
disappointed with Dell on this :-(((

Geoff
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

The first thing I do when receiving a new Dell is to run it for a day and be
sure that all looks stable and no hardware problems surface. The 2nd day I
format and clean install the OS. There is a lot of adware and clutter on a
factory set up system. I love how you specify no AOL but get it anyway. But
it is not an illusion, the system flat out runs faster and is more
responsive with a clean install.

Regards,
John O.

"GB" <NotMyEmailAddress@Anywhere.InTheUniverse> wrote in message
news:409c18cc$1@news1.homechoice.co.uk...
> Out of interest, I decided to reinstall Windows from scratch on a new PC
> from Dell (I bought 4). I don't know what Dell do to their PCs when they
> send them out, but the new install seems several times faster when loading
> programmes than the original Dell install that sits next to it.
>
> I think I'll just roll my sleeves up and do the same for the others - even
> the one I have already configured and loaded with data and programmes.
Very
> disappointed with Dell on this :-(((
>
> Geoff
>
>
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"GB" <NotMyEmailAddress@Anywhere.InTheUniverse> wrote in message news:<409c18cc$1@news1.homechoice.co.uk>...
> Out of interest, I decided to reinstall Windows from scratch on a new PC
> from Dell (I bought 4). I don't know what Dell do to their PCs when they
> send them out, but the new install seems several times faster when loading
> programmes than the original Dell install that sits next to it.
>
> I think I'll just roll my sleeves up and do the same for the others - even
> the one I have already configured and loaded with data and programmes. Very
> disappointed with Dell on this :-(((
>
> Geoff

Be greatful you can even do this. Most pc manufacturers
only give you a restore cd (not oem windows cd) that take the
computer back to the bloated state. At least with Dell you have
a choice.

Dave
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

John and Pat wrote:
>
> The first thing I do when receiving a new Dell is to run it for a day and be
> sure that all looks stable and no hardware problems surface. The 2nd day I
> format and clean install the OS. There is a lot of adware and clutter on a
> factory set up system. I love how you specify no AOL but get it anyway. But
> it is not an illusion, the system flat out runs faster and is more
> responsive with a clean install.

One thing that I always do, before doing a clean OS installation,
is install all those "questionable" programs that might cause
future problems.

If they don't cause conflicts or problems, I reinstall them with
the clean OS installation. If they do, they're gone.

Larry
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I have yet to come across anything in a factory install from Dell that I
think might cause present or future problems, so I guess that's a matter of
opinion.

Rocky

"Lawrence Glasser" <lglasser@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:409C2DA8.C98FEAB9@spamcop.net...
> John and Pat wrote:
> >
> > The first thing I do when receiving a new Dell is to run it for a day
and be
> > sure that all looks stable and no hardware problems surface. The 2nd day
I
> > format and clean install the OS. There is a lot of adware and clutter on
a
> > factory set up system. I love how you specify no AOL but get it anyway.
But
> > it is not an illusion, the system flat out runs faster and is more
> > responsive with a clean install.
>
> One thing that I always do, before doing a clean OS installation,
> is install all those "questionable" programs that might cause
> future problems.
>
> If they don't cause conflicts or problems, I reinstall them with
> the clean OS installation. If they do, they're gone.
>
> Larry
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Rocket J. Squirrel" wrote:
>
> I have yet to come across anything in a factory install from Dell that I
> think might cause present or future problems, so I guess that's a matter of
> opinion.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear...

Those "questionable" programs are all third-party.

Larry
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

No, you were clear. I'm the one who wasn't clear.

In my experience, Dell computers are very fast right out of the box. I
actually had an occasion to do a clean reinstall of all my software, when
Dell replaced my failing hard drive. I did not notice any increase in speed
over the factory install. But small differences in speed are often a matter
of perception.

When I and members of my family have ordered Dell Dimensions, we have been
able to choose the software that was installed. I have not encountered any
extra marketing 'fluff' that Dell put on without my asking. Admittedly, much
of the software are OEM versions, but they are perfectly usable and none
were 'crippled' versions that are designed to induce you to upgrade. I later
upgraded some of those OEM versions to full versions, but that was my
choice.

But other people seem to think that the computers they ordered, to their
specifications, are loaded with extra software that they don't want. So I
guess it's a matter of opinion.

As long as I'm on the subject of 'opinions' I'll opine that if any software
is full of 'fluff' that would be Windows XP. I noticed a significant (to me)
increase in performance once I turned off indexing, changed to the classic
theme, etc.

Rocky

"Lawrence Glasser" <lglasser@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:409C31F0.4963FD19@spamcop.net...
> "Rocket J. Squirrel" wrote:
> >
> > I have yet to come across anything in a factory install from Dell that I
> > think might cause present or future problems, so I guess that's a matter
of
> > opinion.
>
> Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear...
>
> Those "questionable" programs are all third-party.
>
> Larry
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

if the hardware is identical then clone the original drive to each of the
others, save yourself a bunch of time over building from scratch, and ensure
consistency. you can download a free utility that creates a bootable floppy
to do this. westerndigital has it, but you have to pick it from among the
windows versions... then take the hard disk out of one of the other machine
along with its data cable and install it into the secondary controller slot
of the rebuilt pc (so it is the primary drive on the second controller as
copying across controllers is faster than if the two hard disks were on the
same controller, and because you will not have to even think about adjusting
any jumpers). then run the utility and set up the second disk to be like a
replacement of the first... once complete return the second disk to the
original machine. you won't even have to reactivate windows. takes about
an hour to clone a 10gb image. that's less time than installing all the
updates to windows xp on one machine alone...

get datalifeguard for *dos* from western digital here
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools
works with the 80gb seagate drives that came in my most recent 30 dimension
4600... which were all cloned this way after creating the master software
build.

"GB" <NotMyEmailAddress@Anywhere.InTheUniverse> wrote in message
news:409c18cc$1@news1.homechoice.co.uk...
> Out of interest, I decided to reinstall Windows from scratch on a new PC
> from Dell (I bought 4). I don't know what Dell do to their PCs when they
> send them out, but the new install seems several times faster when loading
> programmes than the original Dell install that sits next to it.
>
> I think I'll just roll my sleeves up and do the same for the others - even
> the one I have already configured and loaded with data and programmes.
Very
> disappointed with Dell on this :-(((
>
> Geoff
>
>
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"David" <davids165@juno.com> wrote in message
news:4feda6e.0405071759.71755ec0@posting.google.com...
> "GB" <NotMyEmailAddress@Anywhere.InTheUniverse> wrote in message
news:<409c18cc$1@news1.homechoice.co.uk>...
> > Out of interest, I decided to reinstall Windows from scratch on a new PC
> > from Dell (I bought 4). I don't know what Dell do to their PCs when they
> > send them out, but the new install seems several times faster when
loading
> > programmes than the original Dell install that sits next to it.
> >
> > I think I'll just roll my sleeves up and do the same for the others -
even
> > the one I have already configured and loaded with data and programmes.
Very
> > disappointed with Dell on this :-(((
> >
> > Geoff
>
> Be greatful you can even do this. Most pc manufacturers
> only give you a restore cd (not oem windows cd) that take the
> computer back to the bloated state. At least with Dell you have
> a choice.
>
> Dave


Absolutely. Had an HP 1.6GHz AMD with 256mb the other day (original factory
image) that ran like an absolute dog when compared to even a 1GHz/256mb
system using a clean install.
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:lXWmc.17614$vz5.1028@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...
> if the hardware is identical then clone the original drive
<snip>
>
> get datalifeguard for *dos* from western digital here
> http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools

Thanks, this looks brilliant to me. I was thinking of buying Norton's Ghost,
but this is much cheaper (free). Minor problem is that I will need to make a
bootable CD, as none of these machines have floppy disk drives.
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Rocket J. Squirrel" <rocky@bullwinkle.com> wrote:

>As long as I'm on the subject of 'opinions' I'll opine that if any software
>is full of 'fluff' that would be Windows XP. I noticed a significant (to me)
>increase in performance once I turned off indexing, changed to the classic
>theme, etc.

Rocky, you're probably right about the indexing, I've turned that
off on every drive but C:. However, IMHO you're off on the
"classic versus XP" theme thing, speedwise. Coming to XP from
98SE [home] and Win2K [at work, but simultaneously with /their/
changeover to XP], I, too, was wery, wery, wary of the XP
"theme". [On a non-Dell XP computer I used at a client's office,
I absolutely /hated/ that default "clouds" wallpaper, which is
neither here nor there, except that I had to get it off my chest.
;->] But, I went back and forth between the two for a while,
before finding that the XP interface turned out to be more useful
to me. Even in the Control Panel, wonder of wonders. Point is,
while I /was/ switching back and forth between the two "themes",
I found that neither was noticeably faster or slower than the
other, in and of itself.
--
OJ III
[Email sent to Yahoo address is burned before reading.
Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast.]
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Christopher Muto" <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:lXWmc.17614$vz5.1028@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...
> if the hardware is identical then clone the original drive to each of the
> others, save yourself a bunch of time over building from scratch, and
ensure
> consistency. you can download a free utility that creates a bootable
floppy
> to do this. westerndigital has it, but you have to pick it from among the
> windows versions... then take the hard disk out of one of the other
machine
> along with its data cable and install it into the secondary controller
slot
> of the rebuilt pc (so it is the primary drive on the second controller as
> copying across controllers is faster than if the two hard disks were on
the
> same controller, and because you will not have to even think about
adjusting
> any jumpers). then run the utility and set up the second disk to be like
a
> replacement of the first... once complete return the second disk to the
> original machine. you won't even have to reactivate windows. takes about
> an hour to clone a 10gb image. that's less time than installing all the
> updates to windows xp on one machine alone...
>
> get datalifeguard for *dos* from western digital here
> http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools
> works with the 80gb seagate drives that came in my most recent 30
dimension
> 4600... which were all cloned this way after creating the master software
> build.


Just a word to say thanks for the tip. This worked really well at
transferring everything from one drive to the other.

For the benefit of anyone interested:-
1. I did have a slight problem because Windows hung whilst booting on the
newly imaged disk. I fixed this using the 'Fix MBR' mode of the WD utility.
2. I used WinImage (30 day free trial version) to make a bootable CD image
from the bootable floppy I downloaded from WD.

Well pleased!

Geoff
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I don't use the 'classic' Start menu, just the 'Windows Classic' theme.
Maybe I just want to believe the classic theme is faster because,
personally, that Luna design makes me think I'm back in first grade.

Rocky

"Ogden Johnson III" <oj3usmc@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hlaq90tmud60h1kl25sarh3rjhjvcvjbkl@4ax.com...
> "Rocket J. Squirrel" <rocky@bullwinkle.com> wrote:
>
> >As long as I'm on the subject of 'opinions' I'll opine that if any
software
> >is full of 'fluff' that would be Windows XP. I noticed a significant (to
me)
> >increase in performance once I turned off indexing, changed to the
classic
> >theme, etc.
>
> Rocky, you're probably right about the indexing, I've turned that
> off on every drive but C:. However, IMHO you're off on the
> "classic versus XP" theme thing, speedwise. Coming to XP from
> 98SE [home] and Win2K [at work, but simultaneously with /their/
> changeover to XP], I, too, was wery, wery, wary of the XP
> "theme". [On a non-Dell XP computer I used at a client's office,
> I absolutely /hated/ that default "clouds" wallpaper, which is
> neither here nor there, except that I had to get it off my chest.
> ;->] But, I went back and forth between the two for a while,
> before finding that the XP interface turned out to be more useful
> to me. Even in the Control Panel, wonder of wonders. Point is,
> while I /was/ switching back and forth between the two "themes",
> I found that neither was noticeably faster or slower than the
> other, in and of itself.
> --
> OJ III
> [Email sent to Yahoo address is burned before reading.
> Lower and crunch the sig and you'll net me at comcast.]
 
Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

http://www.nu2.nu/bootablecd/

"GB" <NotMyEmailAddress@Anywhere.InTheUniverse> wrote in message
news:409cc604@news1.homechoice.co.uk...
>
> Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
> news:lXWmc.17614$vz5.1028@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...
> > if the hardware is identical then clone the original drive
> <snip>
> >
> > get datalifeguard for *dos* from western digital here
> > http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools
>
> Thanks, this looks brilliant to me. I was thinking of buying Norton's
Ghost,
> but this is much cheaper (free). Minor problem is that I will need to make
a
> bootable CD, as none of these machines have floppy disk drives.
>
>
 
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