I want all you guys to give me an opinion: Please read very carefully:<br /><br />I was told by a gentleman that he can do this is three hours. Am I missing something? Can you please tell me how long approximately it would take you to do this installation COMPLETELY as per below at the persons residence:<br /><br />1. The computer has had a new hard drive fitted and is waiting for someone to install the works.<br /><br />2. Installing Windows XP pro, first by formatting the hard drive not using quick format but using the full format.<br /><br />3. Once XP is fully installed and rebooted, install the motherboard drivers, reboot the computer again, install video card drivers, sound card drivers, SCSI card drivers and the rest. Reboot the computer.<br /><br />4. Install Microsoft Office and waiting to be registered.<br /><br />5. Install firewall programs.<br /><br />6. Install Nortons Anti-virus.<br /><br />7. Install Ad-aware and any other trojan hunting program.<br /><br />8. Install other programs like Adobe shop, paint shop pro etc.<br /><br />Now the fun starts, you set up your internet connection and you are connected to a SLOW DIAL UP PROVIDER that is downloading an average of 2.8KB per second. I want you to remember this.<br /><br />9. As soon as you connect onto the internet, you must do a live update for your Nortons anti-virus. Thats around 18 MB at 2.8KB a second. How long will that take???<br /><br />10. You know have to do your Windows XP critical updates, around 32 MB on a new installation. Now how long would it take 32 MB to be downloaded at 2.8KB a second? <br /><br />11. Update your engine for Ad-aware and trojan hunter programs, a few MB there.<br /><br />12. Now the gentleman wanted to run the latest Netscape 7.2. Thats around 26 MB for a full download over the net as the discs are stale. 26 MB times 2.8 KB a second.<br /><br />13. We wont talk about the updates for the personal firewalls and all the other small programs you stick into a computer like Nero/Pioneer etc.<br /><br />By the time you get to the end of this, do you think all the above would take more than 3 hours as I said around 10 (REMEMBER THIS IS A DIAL UP CONNECTION) but I was told I was wrong. What is your opinion on this? <br /> <br />Phil <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/default/confused.gif" />

Phil<br />It is physically impossible to do the above in three hours. You can install XP on a new drive using quick format, do a full install + install the other programmes in around 2 to 3 hrs but as you have explained that is only the start of it. Only an IDIOT would connect to the internet without doing first a LIVE UPDATE on their virus checker first and at 18mb with a 2.8kb d/load you will be able to do your shopping between that. As for XP critical updates around 32 mb (sugar) You will be able to go to the pictures and see the Titanic and come back and it still will be downloading at that speed.<br />And for the rest of the downloads its the same, SLOW!!!.<br />And this is if the connection doesn't drop out.<br />get your calculator out but for a guess I would say 9 to 10 hours if everything goes to plan.<br />Fred

I do that stuff everyday at work and yes it would be a bit tight in the time line. Mind you if you do this type of stuff everyday and you have it all down systematically it might be doable at cable speeds, but at dialup I don't think so. If they had all the updates and drives on CD's yes, dialup nah..<br /><br />Mind you it totally depends on the system and all the extras and if the drivers are part of the XP driver list.<br /><br />I do have one little problem with the installation of Netscape. I don't know if I would do that. I would go with Firefox and Thunderbird with all the new security patches a great extensions.<br /><br />I just re-did my system about 4 weeks ago and I had everything installed in 3.5 hours, that includes all my satellite tracking software, and my radio software. If all the software is easily available, it might be able to be done in that time via hispeed, but it would be tight and assuming nothing goes wrong. Murphey loves computers and dialup connections, so....<br /><br /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/default/smile.gif" /><br /> <br /> <small>[ 17. October 2004, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: David Bate ]</small>

Just as well it was a friend, it took just over 4 hrs to do the XP critical updates and it dropped out twice. I pity anyone that has to re-install and update all on a slow connection, I have ISDN (DOWNLOAD AROUND 1 MEG A MINUTE) When I crashed my computer thanks to SP2 it took me around 40 minutes to do the critical updates alone but still took me around 6 hrs with no problems to put all my stuff on, PGP is a little trick and takes some time to set up, and the ISDN connection is a problem sometimes to set up, It never recognises the USB port you want it to use.<br /> <br /> <small>[ 17. October 2004, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: P Debono ]</small>

For me dial up is dead and buried, I would never spend that much time doing someones computer even if they were a good friend. It would take 9 hours + and thats if you didn't have any problems.

For the above done exactly the way you have said <br />8 to 10 hrs depending on drop outs.<br />Steve

Phil<br />Funny you say this, because I know have XP home plus lots of new programmes now , It took so far 7 hrs and we are not finished, My cousin works at a computer shop and he also said never again on Dial up. <br />Mind you we had to abort some of the XP critical updates so we are not finished yet, My cousin said impossible to do what you say in 3 hrs over the net via a slow dial up, the person that told you that could do it this way and at 3 hrs must be boasting, <br />George

I have recently installed xp media center on a 1.1gig amd . total time so far ....about 1 week. what a F*cking nightmare.<br />I know i could re-install it (in a diff machine) now in about an hour or two using Ghost. sure.. it throws a hissy fit over the drivers etc. but as long as you use some utility like sandra to find out what your hardware is b4 you start then you can have the diff drivers there ready to go. i have my win98se opsys ghosted onto a spare hdd as well, I have a teenager who installs any crap she finds on the net, so some sort of quick solution was needed. Crashes and reinstalls are easy using this method. <br />but on the subject of xp media center, i have to say "why bother at all?"<br />as usual Micro$ucks took a perfectly reasonable idea and completly cocked it up. <br /><br />that's my 2cents worth.... if you would like a refund , please use the refund wizard in your Xp system folder <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/default/grin.gif" />

Yes its a problem these days the average nurd on dial up does not understand how long it takes to do this shit at his house on dialup at around 2.8k per second. never again for me. the last time I actually got PILES because I was sitting for so long.<br />Phil

Did that guy that told you that he can do all the above in 3 hrs ever get back to you?

HAAAAA! he got back to me and he told me I virtually was a Idiot!. I love these people thats think they're Legends.

Not another legend! he probably a legend in his own mind

A complete reinstall of all my software and settings takes me about 6 hours - that's without going online; I have everything saved on CDs: Windows patches, updates, etc.<br /><br />I'm on a dialup connection and have learned a lot of patience over the years. Downloading big files takes a long time but I do other work or play a game while I'm waiting.