tailieunhanh - Laptops All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies- P13

Laptops All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies- P13: Okay, I’ll admit it: I’ve got a strange biography. I’ve been a writer all my life. My first semi-pro job was sports editor of my high school newspaper. (Go Commodores!) After college I was a political reporter for daily newspapers in Ohio and New York (I covered four national nominating conventions and two Presidential campaigns) and a correspondent for The Associated Press. And then, in 1983, I gave in to my inner geek and became the first Executive Editor of PC Magazine, back in the days when most people asked, “What is a PC?”. | 94 Activating and Registrating Reinstalling Windows on the same computer You can reinstall Windows on the same computer as many times as necessary. The activation process pairs the Windows product key with information Microsoft gathers about your laptop s hardware if you significantly change the system s hardware such as adding a new hard drive or more memory you may be asked to activate Windows again. Reformatting a hard disk drive erases your activation status. But of course you would have to reinstall Windows anyway. When all else fails which could mean your operating system is hopelessly corrupted or you ve installed a new internal hard disk drive you may have to recover the original Windows installation. Nearly all laptop manufacturers supply a disc with all that you need along with in-your-face warnings about the fact that all data files and settings on your drive are about to go to bit heaven. Stop read and think before pressing Yes or OK or What the Heck. In Figure 1-7 you can see an example of a not-subtle warning that Toshiba includes in its reinstallation process if you miss this little detail you re moving way too fast for this life. Figure 1-7 Reinstalling Windows from a recovery disc restores your machine to the way it came from the factory that means all added programs utilities and files are wiped out. You ve been warned Activating and Registrating 95 Be sure to follow all instructions displayed on the recovery disc. Reinstalling Windows from a recovery disc can take an hour or more depending on your machine s complexity and component speed. Don t interrupt the process doing so may cause file corruption. Always power the laptop from an AC adapter so you avoid running out of battery power mid-recovery. See Figure 1-8. Another possible cause of the need for reactivation a virus that corrupts your hard disk drive. Checking your Windows activation status You know your copy of Windows has been properly activated if it keeps working 31 days after you .