This page will help you reinstall Windows and reformat your hard disk in the process. You may need to do this for any one of the following reasons:
You have a virus that can't be removed with current anti-virus tools (or you just want to be absolutely sure it's gone)
Your PC has become sluggish or unstable
You current installation of Windows is "hosed" or you are not able to start Windows at all, but there is nothing wrong with the PC's hardware
These instructions assume that you will be installing Windows NT, 2000 or XP and that you will be using a standard Windows CD (from Microsoft). If your PC came with some type of "Recovery CD", consult the documentation that came with it or contact the PC's manufacturer. OIT cannot support the use of such CDs. We will also assume that your PC is capable of booting from one of its CD-ROM drives.
Step 1: Back up your files
This may or may not be possible. If you are unable to launch Windows, for example, you will not be able to run any backup tools or manually copy files. There are other things you can do in this situation, but that is beyond the scope of this page.
First, consider the files that you need to keep. All you really need to make copies of are the files that are unique to you or irreplaceable. For example, you will want to have copies of any Word documents you have written, school projects, e-mail (if you keep it stored on your local computer, rather than on the server), MP3s, pictures, etc. You do not need to back up applications like Microsoft Office or WinAmp because these can be reinstalled later from CD or downloaded again from a web site.
Some things might be trickier to back up. For example, if you keep e-mail on your computer and want to back it up, you will have to discover what files your e-mail application stores its messages in and then back those up. For any program such as this that stores files in a not-too-obvious place, consult the software's manufacturer to see what needs to be backed up.
You can use any method that's available to you to back up your files. You can use an actual back up program, or you can manually copy the files. Either way, you will need to get the files to a location other than the drive where you plan to install Windows. Some examples:
Another hard drive installed in the PC or connected to it via USB or FireWire
One or more CDs or DVDs
Another computer, via the network
Zip disks, Jaz disks, SuperDrive, etc.
Step 2: Disconnect from all networks
At the time of this writing, every version of Windows is vulnerable to remote attackers in it's "out-of-the-box" state. An unpatched Windows computer will probably not even last 30 minutes on the Internet before it is compromised. Before you even begin to install such an insecure version of Windows, make sure it can't connect to any other computers.
If you are on campus and your computer is infected with a virus or worm, this step may have already been involuntarily completed for you by OIT. You should still take steps to disconnect on your end just to be certain, though.
Unplug the PCs network cable and remove any wireless network adapters if you are near a wireless access point that allows automatic connections without any configuration by the user. If the wireless adapter is built-in, you are most likely using a laptop. Take the PC somewhere out of range of the wireless network. Georgia Tech's LAWN requires you to enter an SSID and a WEP key. As long as you don't enter this information, you will not be able to connect and should be safe.
Step 3: Install Windows
Insert your Windows CD.
Reboot the computer. It should either boot from the CD automatically or ask if you would like to boot from the CD. If it does not do either, you may need to change some boot settings in your BIOS. Consult your PC or motherboard's manufacturer if you need help with this step.
Windows Setup will begin.
When asked if you want to set up or repair, hit Enter to set up Windows.
Read the license agreement and hit F8 if you agree.
If the setup program detects an existing installation of Windows and asks if you want to repair it, hit Esc to skip the repair.
The setup program will ask you where to install Windows. Highlight the existing "C: Partition1" partition and hit D to delete it. Hit L to confirm.
Next, hit Enter to install Windows on the "Unpartitioned Space".
Format the space as NTFS and continue the installation.
Later in the setup process, when you are asked for a password for the Administrator account (or any other account) do not leave it blank.
Step 4: Patch the system/Reconnect to the network
The first thing you should do when you are able to start Windows and log in is install updates from Microsoft. The easiest way to install Windows patches is to download them, but in order to do that, you need to be connected to a network. If you paid attention to Step 2, you know that it is not safe to connect your PC to a network right now, so what to do? There are a couple of ways to get connected without exposing yourself to too much risk of compromise from other systems on the network.
Option 1 (Windows XP only): Enable Windows' built-in firewall
Click the Start button and open the Control Panel
Open "Network and Internet Connections"
Open "Network Connections" (icon on the bottom-right)
Right-click the Local Area Connection and choose Properties
Go to the Advanced tab
Check the box next to "Protect my computer and network..."
Click OK
Connect your PC to the local network and configure it as needed
NOTE: XP's built-in firewall is not active immediately when the computer is starting up. If you need to reboot for any reason before all patches are installed, you should disconnect from the network again until the boot process is complete.
Once you have a working connection, start Internet Explorer. Go to the Tools menu and choose Windows Update. Install all of the Critical Updates.
Option 2: Hardware
If you have access to a "DSL router" or similar device, connect the PC to the Internet through that. (NOTE: This does not mean the DSL modem itself, but an additional device. Some common ones are from LinkSys, NetGear and D-Link.) If you aren't certain that you have access to one of these devices, please skip this option.
These devices aren't technically considered firewalls, but because of the way they work, a handy side effect is that any computer behind such a device is difficult (if not impossible) to connect to from the Internet. You will still be vulnerable to attack from other computers behind the same router, but this most likely just includes the other computers or game consoles in your house. If you are not sure if they are safe, unplug everything from the router before connecting the newly formatted PC.
Once you have a working connection, start Internet Explorer. Go to the Tools menu and choose Windows Update. Install all of the Critical Updates.
Option 3: No network
If you are not able to protect your computer as described in Options 1 or 2, do not connect it to the Internet to download updates. In a race between the update process and the attacks on your system, you will probably lose every time.
In this case, you will need to go to another PC to download the updates and put them on a CD, Zip disk, USB flash drive, etc. Microsoft makes the updates available from their Download Center. Look for "Windows (Security & Updates)" on the menu to the left.
Once all of the security updates have been installed on the PC, you can connect it to the Internet, but you may still be open to vulnerabilities that haven't yet been discovered and repaired by Microsoft. You might want to consider using some type of protection in the future (such as a router, firewall, or desktop firewall software).
Step 5: Restore your files and programs
If you began the reformat/reinstall process because of a virus infection, we strongly recommend installing anti-virus software before copying your old files back to the PC. If one or more of them is infected, you run the risk of activating the virus and having to start all over again. You can download VirusScan from OIT Software Distribution.
Once Windows is installed and patched, you can start copying all of your old files back to the appropriate locations on your disk (probably the same folder they were copied from originally in Step 1). You can also start installing all of your applications.