Replacing my cpu and fixing my computer HD.

[ulisesgaribay]

Ok so i just recently purchased a laptop from gateway and it works great. I needed it because i was having troubles installing a disk to my older desktop PC.

The deal is that my PC does not work. I am pretty sure i have a virus, so instead of just sending it to get fixed i wanted to know if i could remove the Hard Drive and install a totally new Hard Drive and then install the windows xp operating software that came with it.

My desktop is an HP Pavilion a1230n and i have a 3700+ AMD Athlon 64- Processor and ATI Radeon 200 Xpress Graphics.

I would also like to know if i could remove my processor and place an even faster or more powerful one instead, same thing with the graphics card.

Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks you guys.

 

[o1die]

You can install windows xp with a non hp windows cd. You'll need to use the coa sticker number on the computer case to reactivate windows. I used a dell oem windows cd; they sell for around $16 at a few software venders, listed at pricewatch. Socket 939 cpus are scarce, especially the faster ones. They're so expensive that you may not want to invest in one; better to change to am2 and buy some cheap ddr2. I also recommend you dust out the inside of your pc with some canned air. I use "perfect duster" which is sold at Fry's electronics. It contains a solvent that evaporates quickly and removes any crud off the fans. Use it on the power supply fan and cpu heatsink fan about once a year. Do not wipe anything inside the case; static discharge can ruin some components. Invest $4-5 in the canned air product. It's worth it. For a faster graphics card, I would change out the power supply. A good 450-500w unit will run you about $50 after rebate; antec, corsair, enermax, seasonic, and pc power and cooling are all good. Antec has the most rebates.