General system problems

Hey Team Photoshop.

I've been coming to this forum for quite some time now and have just signed up, so i kinda know some of you, but you don't know me. :D

Anyway, my problem is that my pc has been having a lot of general problems lately, like corupt .dll files, the dreaded blue screen of death, freezing. etc...

I hate have haveing to waste money getting someone around to fix it for me and was wondering if any of you know of any good books, or sites that can help with this sort of thing....just general O/S troubleshooting sort of stuff.

Lastly, is it worth learing a programming language/s to get to know operating systems better, so i can fix these problems my self?

My system is running Windows ME :D, has 256mb ram, 1.4GHz P4, if that helps.

Thanks in advance.

Windows ME is known to have tons of problems... Have you formatted your computer and re-installed windows lately? I do that about every 3 months. It makes a huge difference. If you can, I would suggest upgrading to XP. It is much more stable, reliable, faster, easier to use, etc.

Learning a programming language will not necessarily help you fix problems like that. Mainly because even if you knew how to program, it wouldn't do you much good because you can't edit the windows code. All you can do is tweak the settings that are already there. So no, don't try to learn a language just to fix your computer.

As for books/sites... You could always try www.microsoft.com. They have a pretty large Knowledge Base. And then there are hundreds of books... hundreds of windows books... pc repair books... etc.

Thanks a lot for the super fast reply deker!

I've heard a lot of good thinks about Windows XP, if it does what you say then i think i might just get it. Is there much difference besides the cost between the home and professional edtions?

Finally, when reformatting and re-installing windows i presume there's a way to keep all the other stuff on my hard drive. Do i just have to partition my hard drive?

Thanks

Also if you have a windows disk (not restore disk from your pc vendor) you can just reinstall windows and you won't lose your programs. That basically just puts a nice clean version of windows on for you. Still not as good as reformating but at least you don't lose your software...

And I'd suggest upgrading to XP if your machine is not that old...

I only have a restore disk, Windows ME came fully installed on my computer. Is it still possible to reformat and re-install windows if i don't have the proper windows disk?

if you reformat, you'll have to have a windows install disk. otherwise you'll just have an empty hard drive. And that would be bad.

There is a difference in the price of Home and Pro version of XP, though I don't know how big. Probably a couple hundred dollars.

If you reformat your computer, it will be completely erased, so you will want to back up all of your files before you do it. That includes My Documents stuff, favorites, email, art files, whatever you have that you don't want to lose. And of course the install disks for all of your programs.

There are better ways to do this in the future, by using special back up software, partitioning your hard drives, and some other things, but since this is a factory install, I would just back up your data, wipe it clean, and install XP.

Thanks a lot for all the help deker, it was really worth the time to sign up to team photoshop!

I've found some great info on the microsoft website so far, XP sounds well worth the money.

Backing up all my files sounds like a bit of a hastle, when all i'm re-installing is a OS thats not all that good. XP definitely sounds like the way to go.

Thanks again deker and Pank!

If you want a good buy on XP I suggest you try http://www.googlegear.com The only catch is that you have to buy a piece of hardware e.g. a cable. I just ordered the Home edition of XP plus a new CD-ROM since mine doesn't open anymore, today. Can't wait so I can take the plunge and reformat.

Thats a great site, thanks for that hunkorama. $93 is a good price also. I'll just buy one of their $0.99 audio cables as a peice of hardware :D

-EDIT-
It's no good to me, they only deliver to people living in the USA. Thanks anyway.

If you have a restore disk windows will be on it. What will happen is it will reset your computer to how it was when you bought it. Meaning you will lose any software that you have installed. Sucks, but is effective. And yes... If it is a true restore disk Windows will be on it. Double check with your vendor if you want but everyone I've ever had included the OS...