Wiping my PC?

[Pppgggr]

Hey, recently my PC has been going HORRIBLY slow(Because I'm stupid enough to download tons of stuff) and I have tried doing all the basics; such as deleting old programs from Program Files, clearing my browser cache, defragmenting, going through my PC and deleting anything with massive file sizes, stopped hosting my minecraft servers, and ran disk cleanup. As of now I've finally given up and simply want to wipe the thing and start anew. This would be a simple task if I wanted to wipe it and make my operating system XP, for I have a disk for that, but I have taken a liking to Windows 7. I would like to know how I would go about wiping my PC and still reinstating Windows 7. Is it freeware, is there a disk I need to buy, will the ASUS backup manager that I get every time I boot up make a disk, etc.? My PC's gotten to the point where I can barely load up Google.....

 

[Hybrid Trainer]

1. Did you ever try running a full virus check?
2. No Windows 7 isn't freeware
3. You'd need to buy a new Windows 7 installation disk or find somewhere to download it
4. No you can't restore Windows 7 from a backup (at least not legally as far as I know)
5. Check which type of Windows 7 you have before going out buying a new version (by type of windows 7 I mean is it home, office, premium, ect.)

If you still have questions feel free to ask.

 

[twocows]

If it's a laptop from Asus, you should be able to press some key (Google it and go with trial and error; it's different from laptop to laptop) when you start up to go into the Asus recovery manager or whatever it's called, that'll restore your computer to the way it was when you first got it. Back up your stuff on an external disk first. Also, be aware you'll need to reinstall any programs and go through a bunch of Windows update stuff.

 

[Archer]

Flip your computer over if it's a laptop or check the top/back/sides if it's a desktop and see if there's a Windows License sticker with a 25 digit key. If so, you're licensed for that version, so when you find a disc, you can use that license to activate Windows legally. If you want a different version to that which you're license for, you're going to need to buy it. It's a grey area, but OEM pricing is much cheaper than retail.

If you can do the factory reset as described by twocows, that's the best option, as you get all of the drivers preinstalled. Although you'll still need to ditch all of the crapware that Asus packages with it. Asus Liveupdate and the like. They don't tend to sell out and include other company's trials, but they have enough of their own rubbish to bog stuff down. Once done, make your recovery discs with their tool.

 

[Archenoth]

I highly recommend using CCleaner to clean out your system, it should pick up a lot of things that are left behind that slow down your computer and hopefully speed it up a fair amount.

If that fails and you want to wipe everything except for the OS, you can first acquire your Windows product key with something like Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder... And after you do that, back up all of your important files and run a nifty little thing included with Windows called "sysprep". It is located in C:\Windows\System32\sysprep. It will restore your computer to the state it was in immediately after Windows was installed. The upside of this is you won't have any of the crapware you had when you first got the computer, the downside is that you may need to find drivers for your system for it to fully function.

 

[SyngthaSuyeon]

First of all, did you check for viruses, trojans, rootkits and the like? Those will slow down your computer and keep it slow no matter what you do. If you don't have antivirus, at least download avast (the free version works just as well as the paid). Get SuperAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes as well.

Second, what browser are you using to download programs? IE is a security black-hole. Go with Firefox or Chrome and download the add-ons WOT, adblock, adblock + pop-ups, and a javascript blocker.

Third, if possible, buy or find a portable of Tune-up Utilities which will help you disable some start ups, get rid of programs, and turn the flashy aero, etc. off, delete temp files and junk, and optimize your PC. It even has a turbo feature where you can turn some services off until you restart (or permanently).

Fourth, download mz7 and tweak your settings so that foreground programs will respond better. This also comes with a game accelerator that turns off services until you say so, defrag, etc. and can optimize your PC according to your specific specs.

If all else fails, then do a complete wipe out and reinstall (just keep a list of your programs and where you got them from). No, Windows 7 is not free. You can download the ISO and burn it (or put in a USB and make the usb bootable), but make sure it's the right version. Not just Home, Premium, Ultimate. If your computer is made for running 32 bit, do not download 64. If you don't know, it's best to go with 32 (also called 86x). You do need a product key to make it genuine, but there are ways around this. A quick google search or youtube search will help you find the work around you need.

 

[ミズゴロウ]

Uninstall programs from the program manager in the control panel first - not the program files area. Second, install an antivirus software 'cause that might make things slow. Try AVG I guess. Also - get Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Also, theres a few programs out there that automatically find and delete duplicate files.
Windows 7 is not freeware - you can buy it for pretty cheap though. Windows 8 Consumer Beta you might want to try - it has most of the Windows 7 features and the basics of Windows 8. It only runs in 32 bit though, so if you have more than 4GB of RAM it won't utilize it all.

 

[Archer]

Uninstall programs from the program manager in the control panel first - not the program files area. Second, install an antivirus software 'cause that might make things slow. Try AVG I guess. Also - get Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Also, theres a few programs out there that automatically find and delete duplicate files.
Windows 7 is not freeware - you can buy it for pretty cheap though. Windows 8 Consumer Beta you might want to try - it has most of the Windows 7 features and the basics of Windows 8. It only runs in 32 bit though, so if you have more than 4GB of RAM it won't utilize it all.

You can definitely get a 64-bit version of Windows 8, but it's not a great idea. That's because the beta or RC will be out soon and you're out of date already. Just reinstall Windows 7.

The others are right about trying to clean up first, though. You can turn off all of the rubbish via msconfig. Google it for more info.