Using your copy of Windows on more than one Computer?
My neighbor, Ernie, has a family of six, and he added a third computer to his home last week. The two computers he already owns use the Windows XP operating system. The computer he just bought came with Windows Vista installed. After Ernie tried Vista for a few days, and after talking with a few friends, he decided that he wanted to remove Vista from his old computer and replace it with the older Windows XP that his family was accustomed to using.
Ernie’s question to me was this: “Can I remove the pre-installed Vista from my new computer and replace it with a copy of Windows XP that I already own?”
How to Remove Microsoft Vista and replace it with Windows XP
You should read these instructions completely and not attempt to do this unless you’re completely comfortable with all the steps I describe. If you have any iimportant data on the computer containing Microsoft Vista, make sure you have a back up copy of it.
You may want to remove Microsoft Vista and Replace it with Windows XP because all the other computers in your location already have XP on them and you don’t want to learn Vista. Or you may want to remove Microsoft Vista because you are experiencing program incompatibilities or you just don’t want to learn how to use a new operating system.
Lately, I’ve instructed and assisted some of my friends with removing Microsoft Vista from new computers and replacing it with copies of Microsoft XP instead. I’ve written the instructions below:
(I’ve written an article about how to get free MP3
BEFORE STARTING:
* Have a BACKUP of your current hard drive, in case anything goes wrong and you have to restore the old installation
* Have the CORRECT DRIVERS on a disc — For example, if you’re installing windows XP, be sure to have all the correct sound, video, and port drivers specifically written for Windows XP and this computer . Different drivers from different laptops and different operating systems are mostly NOT compatible.
* HAVE A VALID REGISTRATION KEY for WINDOWS — Microsoft will not let you upgrade your operating system with necessary patches until you VALIDATE your copy of Windows XP – by phone or online. If you try to update or format your system with a shared or borrowed copy of Windows XP, your result may be a crippled or non-working copy of Windows XP on your computer. You’ll need that 20 character number from your Windows Certificate of Authenticity. A certificate of Authenticity looks like the image below:
TO BEGIN:
1 ) Put the installation CD of XP or Windows 2000 into the CD drive and start the computer. Your computer should display “Press a key to start from CD”. You must boot from the CD because you’ll need to format the C: drive partition where Windows is installed on the hard drive.
If your computer is displaying a blue screen with white text, then you can proceed to step #2.
Your computer’s “Boot Order” tells the computer which device to check first when starting the computer. If your computer did not boot from the CD, you’ll need to power on your computer and press either the F2 or F10 or Del key — depending on your computer — to display your computer’s BIOS menu. In the Bios Menu, find the menu that allows you to change the “boot order” and make a change so that the computer will boot from the CD first, instead of the hard drive.
2 ) A blue screen with white text will be displayed. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement. The Windows XP Setup program will search for existing Windows installations and “repair or install fresh copy” will appear if a Windows installation currently exists on your machine. Press [Esc] (don’t repair).
3 ) A list of your computer’s disc partitions will be displayed. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to choose your main install partition. Note that your system partition must be a primary partition (usually the first partition that appears in the list), not a logical partition.
4 ) Once you have selected your main partition, press ENTER. “You already have a system installed” will be displayed if you already have Windows installed on this partition.
5 ) Press C to continue. From the options displayed, select “Format the partition using the NTFS file system” then press Enter. Windows XP can also run on FAT32, but the NTFS file system is recommended because it is more stable. You will receive a warning about formatting the drive unless the drive is brand-new -Press “F” to confirm you know that you will be formatting the drive. The disc formatting may take a while depending on the capacity of your hard drive.
6 ) The Windows XP install should begin automatically after the formatting is complete. If not, restart the computer with the Windows XP CD in the drive and follow the instructions for installing Windows XP. This can take 35 minutes or more depending on the speed of your computer.
7 ) Once Windows XP has been installed, connect the computer to the Internet, start the Internet Explorer browser, and visit http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate to download and install the latest security patches and updates for your operating system. This could take up to an hour depending on the age and version of your freshly installed copy of Windows XP. When I did this last week, there were 79 security patches for the version of Windows XP that I installed.
8 ) Install the sound, video, modem, and other drivers that are specific to your computer and your operating system — as mentioned in the very first step. Follow the instructions as provided by your computer manufacturer. You may be told to restart your computer between installing some drivers according to your manufacturer’s directions.
9 ) Restart your computer, then select “Start > Help and Support” Click any update links you see to install the latest patches and drivers from Microsoft and from your computer manufacturer.
That’s it. Good luck!
UPDATE: “No Hard Disk” error displayed on XP install (SATA drive versus ATA/IDE drive)
The two most most popular types of hard drives in personal computers are ATA (also known as IDE hard drive) and SATA hard drives. Many newer computers have SATA hard drives installed, but your computer may have either an (older design) ATA/IDE hard drive or a (newer design) SATA hard drive installed.
After removing Vista, when you reboot your computer, a “No Hard Disk” error may be displayed if your computer has a SATA drive installed. To fix the “No Hard Disk” error, you may need configure your computer’s BIOS settings so that it can recognize the SATA drive installed in you computer. Reconfiguring your BIOS is typically not required if your computer has an ATA/IDE hard drives installed.
Step 1: Activate your computer’s BIOS menu. The first or second screen your computer displays on status may display which key (or keys) you must press to activate your computer’s BIOS menu. You can also look in the index of your computer’s manual for “BIOS” or you can try passing the [Del] or [F1] key when text is first displayed after powering on your computer.
Step 2: BIOS menus vary by computer, but there are seldom more than a few menu categories. Review the “Main” and “Advanced” menu categories to locate your hard drive setting. When you locate the hard drive setting, be sure to note the original drive setting in the bios so that you can restore the original drive setting if your new configuration doesn’t work.
Step 3: Change the drive setting to “IDE,” then save the BIOS settings (usually by pressing the [F10] function key then restart your computer.
If changing your BIOS hard drive setting to IDE doesn’t work, return to step one and restore the original hard drive setting
UPDATE: “Setupdd.sys could not be loaded” error message
According to the Microsoft Support website, a “Setupdd.sys could not be loaded” error message may be displayed “if your computer contains a hardware component that is either damaged or is incompatible with Windows XP.” Some users have reported that this error is displayed if the computer doesn’t have enough RAM memory, or if one of the the RAM memory modules is damaged.
Microsoft provides troubleshooting and resolution for the Setupdd.sys error at the link below:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330181
Pencil
| Summary: Low grade school pencils of the shiny yellow kind come in #1,2,2-1/2,3,and 4, the numbers representing the hardness and weight of the graphite. The lower the number the softer and heavier the graphite. |
Unlike today, where parents have to foot the bill for all of their kids school supplies, when I was in elementary school pencils were shiny and yellow with a black oval number “2” stamped on them below the eraser. Occasionally, a student – one who usually had a difficult time grasping both the concepts of his new writing style and the pencil – would be given a number “3.” None of us, including the offending student, knew why this was. We just knew that it made him “different.” (Usually just one more nail in his casket labeled “different.”)
I never really gave it much thought after that, but then I found myself recently, picking up the random items littering what just might someday become a nice little work corner of my basement, and lo and behold I found a slightly beat-upon, but still shiny pencil. Imagine my surprise when I turned it around and found it was a “2-1/2!” A “2-1/2?” I’d never heard of such a thing. Was this a rarity? Was it like the Holy Grail? And, most importantly, could I sell it on eBay? More investigation was needed.
I began my search online and found out that low grade school pencils of the shiny yellow kind come in #1,2,2-1/2,3,and 4, the numbers representing the hardness and weight of the graphite. The lower the number the softer and heavier the graphite. The softer the graphite the darker the line it leaves behind. So the reason that kids who had difficulties learning their new skills would get harder pencils was that they’d become so deliberate with their writing that they’d press down to hard and make a big old smeary mess on the paper. The harder and lighter graphite kept the writing where it belonged.
But, like everything else in the world, there’s more to it than you think.
First of all, these are low-grade pencils we’re talking about here. When DaVinci was sketching, I guarantee you he didn’t do it with a bright yellow #2. On top of that, we’re about the only country in the world that grades pencils this way and we only do it for cheap pencils topped with little pink erasers that you buy by the dozen. When you start looking at higher quality art pencils, or any pencils anywhere else in the world the grading system is different altogether. Different, and perhaps a little confusing. At least, at first.
High quality pencils used by artists, architects, and the like, have a far wider range of graphite textures and weights to choose from. From what I could find, it would seem that the range of artist quality pencils (excluding the truly random or esoteric) extends from 9B to 10H. How’s that for a curve ball?
But it’s all very simple. “B” stands for “black” and “H” stands for “hard.” So 9B is uses a very soft, heavy graphite – much softer even, than the softest pencils we used in elementary school. 10H describes a graphite that is comprised of a good deal of filler which makes it very hard and light leaving only the faintest line behind.
Now, in between there’s a lot more than just the three or four numbers we had with the school pencils. The range of art pencils are 9B, 8B, 7B, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, and 8H.
But wait! You say. You distinctly noticed an “HB.” And what’s this “F” crap? Well you may notice, if you look at enough #2 pencils that they will sometimes have “HB” on them, and , indeed, HB art pencils and #2 school pencils is about as close as you’re going to get in comparing the proverbial apples to oranges. And the “F”? Well, it’s rating of questionable origin. It’s been called “firm,” “fine,” “fine-point,” and I’m sure a few other things, but it’s the best I can do.
Suntan Lotion SPF
| Summary: SPF Suntan Lotion: What do the SPF numbers mean on the suntan lotion bottles? |
Sunscreen Protection Factor (SPF), Sunburn
Remember when you used to go to the beach, slather on a layer of baby oil, and recline with your foil reflector? Now, when you look in the mirror you might see the wreckage, with the fine lines and hyper-pigmentation caused by years and years of basically frying yourself under the sun. Or maybe you’re one of the millions of truly unlucky Americans for whom this behavior resulted in skin cancer (of which one American dies of skin cancer every hour). Whatever the reason, most people have come to realize the importance of sunscreen to preserve their youthful appearance and lower their risk of skin cancer. But there are a few things you should know before you hit the beach – such as the beach may not be the only place you should be using sunscreen.
When purchasing a sunscreen, make sure to look at its Sun Protection Factor, or SPF. The way to determine the right SPF for you is to take the amount of time you usually can stay in the sun and multiply that by 10. For instance, if you can usually stay in the sun for 15 minutes until you start to burn and you buy a sunscreen with an SPF of 20, you can then stay in the sun for five hours. But that’s only if you remember to reapply it after swimming or working up a sweat playing volleyball or going for a run. And even if it says that it’s “waterproof and sweat proof” most doctors will tell you that you still need to put more on as nothing out there, regardless of the claims on the bottle, will really stand up to salt water, chlorine, or a good sweat.
When a lot of people purchase sunscreen, they err on the side of caution and purchase one of the higher SPFs, which can go as high as 60. Others, especially those who still think of a bit of a tan is “attractive” or even “healthy,” will totally underestimate the SPF they really need. But there are ways to take the guess work out of all the numbers. At www.howstuffworks.com one can purchase a reusable credit card sized UV monitor so the proper SPF can be used (it can also be used to actually test the sunscreen for potency and accuracy by smearing some on the card, to test sunglasses, or anything else that emits UV rays)
Earth’s Age: How old is the Earth?
| Summary: The age of Earth has been estimated by analyzing how long it takes for the radioactive elements of uranium to decay into lead. How old is the sun and how long will it last? |
Well, the universe itself is thought to have had its beginnings with the Big Bang which occurred anywhere from six to fifteen billion years ago. The Big Bang was a gigantic explosion which catapulted enormous amounts of matter rocketing through space. Eventually the matter was pulled by gravity into the beginnings of present day galaxies and solar systems. Many believe the formation of the earth began at least 4.5 billion years ago, that’s 4,500 million years. This age has been estimated by analyzing how long it takes for the radioactive elements of uranium to decay into lead. The fossil record also backs up this estimate of our planet’s age.
And just how much is a million? Well, if you start counting now and count one number every second for eight hours a day seven days a week in just over a month you may have counted to a million.
Earth rocks as old as 3.6 to 3.9 billion years old have been discovered around Greenland and the Northwest Territories of Canada. The first animal life on earth is relatively new. It occurred only at the end of the Precambrian Period a little over 500 million years ago.
And how old is the sun?
The sun is also believed to be about four and a half billion years old which means it is about middle-aged as most scientists believe it will burn out in another 5 billion years. How does a star that is about 900,000 miles across (that’s more than 100 times the width of the earth) burn out?
Wait, wait, you say the sun is a star?
That’s right, the sun is a star just like the little twinkly ones we wish on at night. It’s just a lot closer to earth, so close in fact that we can feel the warmth of its enormous heat. At its center the sun has a temperature of more than 10 million degrees. The sun’s surface, the part we see, is about 5,800 degrees but the outer reaches of its atmosphere heat back up toward two million degrees. And, oh yes, in another 5 billion years or so it is expected that the sun will begin to expand by about 100 times turning it into what is scientifically knows as a red giant. At that time the sun will have burned up all of its helium and will collapse in on itself and become just a white dwarf.
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