Clean Install Resources

ZDNet Dictionary Definition

Clean Install: A completely new installation of an operating system or application. To clean install an OS, the hard disk is formatted and completely erased. To clean install an application,...; Full Clean Install Definition >>

ZDNet Resources

Fixing Windows Vista, one machine at a time: If the "Vista sucks" movement has a public face, it's the Sony Vaio. No one knows that better than my new friend Jeremy Toeman. In May 2007, this 15-year Windows veteran replaced his old, beloved, XP-powered Vaio with a newer Vaio that came with Windows Vista Business installed. Practically overnight,...; Tags: Sony Corp., Sony Vaio, Clean Install, Installation, Driver, Microsoft Windows Vista, Machine, Recovery Partition, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott; Blog posts 2008-04-21
The Vista license "loophole" that isn't: Software licensing is often hard to understand. But that's no excuse for so-called Windows experts to deliberately publish sensational stories that turn the facts upside-down. I'm talking about the fuss that Scott Dunn and Brian Livingston kicked up in yesterday's version of the Windows Secrets newsletter, in...; Tags: License Agreement, Clean Install, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp., Edition, Scott Dunn, Nothing, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Operating Systems, Software, Ed Bott; Blog posts 2008-04-04
I got bitten by the Apple Leopard blue screen problem: I got bitten by the Apple Leopard blue screen problemWhere are all the Mac fanbois lambasting Apple for this?No surprise...they'll somehow spin this into a non-issue and somehow different because it's Apple.Clean install is the only way to upgradeI hate to say it, but that is the only thing that...; Tags: Desktops, Operating systems, Apple Macintosh, Apple Inc., clean install; Discussion threads 2007-10-27
Latest OpenSUSE a mixed bag for educators: Latest OpenSUSE a mixed bag for educatorsOld wisdom...Upgrading is always a bad idea, for any operating system under the sun. At worst you encounter strange problems, at best you always have some debris left on your system. A clean install is therefore always preferable.I always say: if you want a...; Tags: BIOS, RAID, OPEN SOURCE, clean install, Upgrading, educator, Novell OpenSuse, mixed bag; Discussion threads 2007-10-08
Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade key: Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade keyIs it pirating if...So Technically you can build a PC from scratch with no OS then buy the Vista upgrade to install the evaluation version then upgrade said version? Technically isn't that still pirating as you don't have a license for...; Tags: Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), security, OEM, Microsoft Windows Vista, Vista Hands-On, Microsoft Windows, clean install; Discussion threads 2007-02-15

Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade key: Ive been reading the breathless reports from other websites this week about the "Vista upgrade loophole." Most of it is typical echo-chamber stuff, and most of the reports Ive read so far have gotten the basic facts wrong. The Setup feature theyre describing isnt a loophole at all. Its a...; Tags: Tips, Windows Vista; Blog posts 2007-02-15
Vista Hands On #2: A no-fuss, nondestructive clean install: Vista Hands On #2: A no-fuss, nondestructive clean installWelcome to Mac OS 9I can't believe Windows users have never been able to do this. We Mac users have been taking this feature for granted for decades.I'll stick with reformatting thank youOne of the things installing a new OS gives...; Tags: Operating systems, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Microsoft Windows 2000, Desktops, Microsoft Windows, operating system, Microsoft Windows Vista, hard drive, clean install; Discussion threads 2007-02-14
News to know: Microsoft security; Sun's rapid patch; Vista clean install: Notable headlines:Hacker, Microsoft duke it out over Vista design flaw. What the UAC hole is really about. Sun rushes out patch for Solaris Telnet exploit.Patch Day coverage:Microsoft’s Patch Day: Is there a better way?MS Patch Tuesday: 12 bulletins, 6 critical, 20 vulnerabilities. No Vista fixes in Microsofts dirty dozen. Vista...; Tags: General; Blog posts 2007-02-14
Vista Hands On #2: A no-fuss, nondestructive clean install: Thanks to the radically revised Setup program in Windows Vista, Windows users can safely discard one of the basic tenets that have governed installation decisions since the beginning of the Windows era. Thats right - you can now safely point Windows Setup to a partition on which Windows is already...; Tags: Uncategorized; Blog posts 2007-02-13
More on Windows Vista and crapware: More on Windows Vista and crapwareCrapwareCrapware? Wipe that smirk off your face Ed! Shame on you!OK, so it is.I recently purchased an HP Pavilion dv2000z with, of course, Windows Media Center XP installed. It of course came up with more than half of the desktop filled with...; Tags: Linux, Operating systems, OPEN SOURCE, Desktops, Microsoft Windows XP, New PC, Microsoft Windows Vista, crapware, clean install, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows, disk, KDE, ATI Technologies Inc.; Discussion threads 2007-01-11
Sound muting and other Vista 5728 changes of note: Sound muting and other Vista 5728 changes of note2 ???Bill Gates is going to Rid the WORLD of poverty, and MY IE DOESN'T WORK, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR HELP.Gates made ALL his money, selling INCOMPLETE SOFTWARE, AND THEN CHARGING TO GET IT FIXED.Why do they ALWAYS...; Tags: Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Corporate communications, clean install, Vista 5728, RC1, Microsoft Windows Vista; Discussion threads 2006-09-24

Additional Resources

iPhone gas application roundup: On 18 June 2008 I published my iPhone app wishlist and I'm happy that most of my most requested applications have been released (Thank you Texas Hold'Em!). Two my most request applications dealt with fuel, specifically a fuel economy tracker and a cheap gas finder. Several iterations...; Tags: Apple iPhone, Vehicle, MPG, AccuFuel, Gas Finder, Roi/Tco, GPS, 3G, Handhelds, Finance, Managerial Accounting, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Cellular Phones, Hardware, Jason D. O\'Grady; Blog posts 2008-07-25
21 months later, Vista is still more secure than XP: 21 months later, Vista is still more secure than XPMy takeI don't count security patches, but I regularly have to clean malware from our XP machines but have yet to find anything on our Vista systems.RE: 21 months later, Vista is still more secure than XPFile this in the "no...; Tags: Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), SECURITY, Patches, Microsoft Windows Vista, secure, Microsoft Windows XP, VISTA IS; Discussion threads 2008-07-25
Foxconn snubs Linux users: Foxconn snubs Linux usersWho needs Foxconn anyway.There are plenty of good MB makers that do support Linux.It's a good idea to look at hardware compatibility at the distro's website anyway. I use Asus. But I have had to update the BIOS on every Asus MB I've bought to get...; Tags: Operating systems, UNIX, OPEN SOURCE, Foxconn, Linux, BIOS, ASUS, operating system; Discussion threads 2008-07-25
Microsoft joins 'patch DNS now' chant; Apple patch missing: Microsoft joins 'patch DNS now' chant; Apple patch missingI couldn't make this stuff up if I triedSeriously, I'm not that creative.[url=http://talkback.zdnet.com/5208-12691-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=48138&messageID=898138] Apple fan explains why Apple isn't responsible for PWN2OWN vulnerability [/url][i]A Perl exploit isn't an Apple bug, anymore than the Flash exploit on the Vista machine was a Microsoft...; Tags: Apple Mac OS X, Domain names, Apple Mac OS, Operating systems, DNS, Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc.; Discussion threads 2008-07-25
A Friday Active Directory puzzler: We just purchased a new server for our district's central office. Nothing super-special, just a Windows Server 2003 for compatibility with a payroll and HRM application install with lots of storage and a moderately speedy quad-core Xeon. The existing server is out of space, out of resources, recently...; Tags: Domain, User Profile, Servers, Hardware, Christopher Dawson; Blog posts 2008-07-25
Heap-based buffer overflow reported in RealNetworks RealPlayer: Update 07/25/2008: Aaron Portnoy of TippingPoint's security research group was kind enough to point out that I'm actually not affected by this, since I've installed the newest version of RealPlayer. From Aaron's email: Notice the Secunia advisory states it affects RealPlayer 10.5... the latest is 11.x, which now uses...; Tags: Vulnerability, RealNetworks Inc., Buffer-overflow, RealNetworks RealPlayer, Secunia Research, Vendor, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Nathan McFeters; Blog posts 2008-07-25
Microsoft finalizes Windows XP for OLPC laptops: Microsoft finalizes Windows XP for OLPC laptopsjust thinknow instead of being stuck in a little puddle they can go out there and swim in the ocean of windows applications like the rest of us - a zillion kids just smiledlinuxhelp.net:~# apt-get install mozilla-firefoxReading Package Lists... DoneBuilding Dependency Tree... DoneThe following...; Tags: Operating systems, Vista-64, Microsoft Windows XP, One Laptop Per Child project, Microsoft Corp., OLPC Laptop, Microsoft Windows; Discussion threads 2008-07-25
Users gravitating to lower-priced Office SKUs: Users gravitating to lower-priced Office SKUsIt's not surprising.The increased cost of the premium Office doesn't provide much that corporations need. Also, as linked, Vista Home Basic is not viable either, so they must, if they go Vista, get the premium product.I do think a clarification is needed. [B]He...; Tags: Elop, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2007; Discussion threads 2008-07-24
Ready for real Indian medicine?: With political sovereignty over quality-killing issues such as medical malpractice and a "clean-sheet" approach, Medical Onshoring could provide certain services (e.g., cardio-vascular, artificial knees) at prices at least 15% less than local hospitals. by Dana Blankenhorn; Tags: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hospital, North Dakota, Healthcare, Dana Blankenhorn; Blog posts 2008-07-24