# I was just given a Dell Dimension 4300 - what to do with it?



## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

My friend just gave me a Dell Dimension 4300.  He said it's loaded with 'viruses' and that I could just have it.  I gladly accepted.  He was certainly right about the viruses, however.  The thing couldn't even boot up.  May have been because it was running awful Windows ME though.  Anyway, the computer I currently own is a Dell Dimension L800r.  I've had it for a while now, but I've added and upgraded it a bunch.  


I just tried re-formatting the hard drive on my friend's computer and re-installing windows.  Throughout the whole process I recieved a bunch of errors, but then why I hit 'retry' it worked alright.  (Which scares me.)  Now it can't successfully install Windows without an error coming up.  The new one is "strike f1 to retry boot, f2 for system utility" on a black screen, just popped up in the middle of the installation.  I'm assuming the hard drive is just bad.  Or could it be something else?  That leads me to my question...


I think what I want to do is take parts from one of the computers and upgrade the other as best as possible.  The logical thing to do would transfer parts from my old computer to my friends obviously newer Dell Dimension.  However, I'm skeptical about what's in working condition.  Although I'm fairly sure it's just the hard drive?  Also, I have 2 hard drives in my current PC.  How easy would it be to just transfer them to the other machine?  If I just take them out, and plug them in the 4300 will it just boot up normally?  Or what will I have to do?  Same goes for the USB 2.0 hubs, ethernet hub, RAM, etc. that I would take out of my current computer and transfer to the newer 4300.  Is this an easy task?  How would I go about doing it?  Or would you recommend me do the opposite, and just use parts from the newer one to transfer to my current PC?  How would I compare the specs?  Since I can't even install windows on the newer one's hard drive, how can I retrieve the specs?  How do I look them up on my current system too?  


Thanks to all who respond in advance, I really appreciate it.


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

I take it that these are desktop computers?  I think with your friend's old computer, I would try zeroing out the boot sector on the drive, as you may have a boot virus on it.  Then re-partition and re-format the drive, and then try re-installing the operating system.  You could also slave the hard drive, of your friend's, and run a virus scan on it, from your computer, maybe you could rid the hard drive of viruses that way, but re-formatting and re-installing, in this case, would be your best bet.  

Look on the net, and see if you can download disk utilities for the brand of hard drive that your friend has, and see if it has a zero utility.

The problem that you would face, by just putting your hard drive in your friend's old computer, or vice versa, is the matter of drivers, for the motherboard, video, sound, and every other item that is not the same between the two computers, more of a hassle than it is worth.


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

Try this site to download drivers for the dell 4300, however, these drivers are for WinME:  http://support.dell.com/support/dow...&s=dhs&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_4300&os=WME&osl=EN


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

If I reformat and re-install, will that rid of the viruses?  Because I thought that's what I already tried to do....


I have a Windows XP disc, I stuck it in, went into setup and edited the boot order so it'd boot from the disc.  It then brought me to a setup where I (think) I deleted the previous partition, and then let Windows XP create a new one.  Then Windows XP started to install itself, but with some errors along the way.  I tried doing the 'repair install' when I had to shut it off and on again, and it's running...without any errors so far.  It's almost done too.  What do you think?  


Is there another way I should be re-formatting an re-installing?  


If I do indeed fix this drive, I'd like to transfer at least one of the hard drives from my current system, because it's the one with all of my music on it.  I use it as an extra anyway right now, it's not the main one....is this possible?


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

hmmm...after I did the 'repair' install it seemed to go through the whole process this time without any errors.  i'm at the Windows XP desktop now...


hmmmm, not sure what to think now...


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

ahh!  i spoke to soon.  a message just poped up saying "The system has recovered from a serious error.  A log has been made about this error."  


what does this mean?  do you think it actually fixed itself somehow?


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

Is this XP disk a new disk, or has it been installed on another computer?

XP can only be installed on one computer, or it needs to be re-registered with micro$oft, which most likely they won't do.


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

Yes, you can install a second hard drive, in this computer, as a slave.


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

it's a new xp disc


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## Vampiric Rouge (Oct 7, 2005)

tmcksmith said:
			
		

> I'd like to transfer at least one of the hard drives from my current system, because it's the one with all of my music on it.  I use it as an extra anyway right now, it's not the main one....is this possible?



If it's not the drive with the other computer's windows on it you can. If it has the windows from the other computer on it and it trys to boot it you may run in to problems.


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

okay...by what i explained to you, do you think i got rid of the potential viruses?  what do you think about that system message i got the first time it booted up?


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

I am thinking that the hard drive is bad, or has a boot virus.  Reformatting, at times, may not rid a hard drive of boot viruses, that is why I would try and zero out the drive, to be sure no virus is on there.  Have you tried to download the hard drive utilities for that brand of hard drive?


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

It's hard to guess as to what the problem might be.  I think you would be better off zeroing out the drive and then install XP.  Make sure you select XP to format in NTFS, instead of FAT32.


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

it's a Maxtor drive...do I need to find out more specific details about it in order to 'zero it out'?  i'm not quite sure how to go about doing that at this point...


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

Try this site for info: http://www.geocities.com/thestarman3/asm/mbr/WIPE.html


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

thanks for the all the input thus far.  if i can get a "Knoppix" disc from work, will that work to zero out the drive?  I think I remember doing that on systems at work this summer...

Thanks.


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## Curt (Oct 7, 2005)

just_a_nobody said:
			
		

> Is this XP disk a new disk, or has it been installed on another computer?
> 
> XP can only be installed on one computer, or it needs to be re-registered with micro$oft, which most likely they won't do.




Unless you use the phone method for activating windows. I have activated Windows using the same disc numerous times. They don't check any records, they use the honor system and ask you if you have used the CD before, you tell them no and then they rattle off some numbers to you and you type them in and BOOM, you have activated Windows for the 10th time


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## just_a_nobody (Oct 7, 2005)

tmcksmith said:
			
		

> thanks for the all the input thus far.  if i can get a "Knoppix" disc from work, will that work to zero out the drive?  I think I remember doing that on systems at work this summer...



Use that boot and nuke that was talked about in that article that I put up on my last post.  I have used this program, and it does work well.  Just be sure to read the directions, on that site, so you understand.  You will download it to a floppy, so you will need a floppy disk.

Here is the download site:  http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=61951&release_id=344542


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## tmcksmith (Oct 7, 2005)

I just ran the boot & nuke on the computer.  Everything seemed to be going well but then out of nowhere a bunch of black text displayed on the blue screen (where it was running) and a bunch of numbers/letters came up.  At the bottom it says "Kernel Panic, Aiee, killing interupt handler!" and below that says ""in interupt handler - not synching".   and its just sitting there


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## tmcksmith (Oct 11, 2005)

bump


i even tried making a new disk

it keeps doing the same thing

sometimes it says DBAN is finished, but right above it it says something about a separation fault and i'm pretty positive the scan never actually fills up to 100%


do you think this hard drive is just bad?


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## Praetor (Oct 13, 2005)

> throughout the whole process i recieved a bunch of errors, but then why i hit 'retry' it worked alright.


sounds like memory issues... does it pass *Memtest86*?



> Now it can't successfully install Windows without an error coming up. The new one is "strike f1 to retry boot, f2 for system utility" on a black screen, just popped up in the middle of the installation. I'm assuming the hard drive is just bad. Or could it be something else? That leads me to my question...


Have you reset the CMOS on the board yet? 



> Although I'm fairly sure it's just the hard drive? Also, I have 2 hard drives in my current PC. How easy would it be to just transfer them to the other machine? If I just take them out, and plug them in the 4300 will it just boot up normally?


It might boot normally: you might have to reinstall the OS



> how can I retrieve the specs? How do I look them up on my current system too?


You can look for labels and markings on the parts themselves or goto Dell's website (or google) and look up the model number



> If I reformat and re-install, will that rid of the viruses? Because I thought that's what I already tried to do....


For the most part ... yes. Naturally it does depend on the type of virus it had



> Is there another way I should be re-formatting an re-installing?


Have a look *here*



> hmmm...after I did the 'repair' install it seemed to go through the whole process this time without any errors. i'm at the Windows XP desktop now...





> what does this mean? do you think it actually fixed itself somehow?


It means you should probably format the system and reinstall the OS rather than trying to repair whats there



> okay...by what i explained to you, do you think i got rid of the potential viruses?


You can never be truely sure but odds are you're ok.



> what do you think about that system message i got the first time it booted up?


It probably is a strong indiciator for a reinstall instead of a repair



> do you think this hard drive is just bad?


Quite possible, you can do some testing via *MaxBlast* (or at least i think u can)


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