There are multiple options such as reset save files, custom install, and clean install.
As Caledon Ken commented the clean install is the best option as it is the only one of the three with a new partition structure.
It requires the re-installation of drivers and applications.
This may take time but you'll have a clean system.
Then you can make backup images and have easier sailing in the future.
If you were able to run V2 it displays programs.
Nirisoft may have something:
https://www.nirsoft.net/
I just click start, start typing Control Panel, click control panel, then Programs. View is just like win 7
Maximize window, couple of screen grabs, print.
I'm so glad you are here.I was about to do something similar but it would have taken much more time and effort. I pulled up Programs and Features and selected small icons and used a snipping tool to grab them all. Now I will throw those two .jpeg files in Photoshop and combine them and then print that out so I can check off the programs as re-install them. Some of them require code keys and serial numbers so I will have to make a list of those as well. I am anticipating maybe a day or so of preparation for this task and then a decade to put it all back together.
I am going to make a list of steps to keep me in line during the process. Geez, I miss Windows 98. It was so easy to reinstall it without going through all of this.
Morning.
Oh licensed programs. Yes those are the ones to watch. Find keys and install files. Some older programs like Quickbooks 2012 are no longer on their site. Not saying you are using Quickbooks, just using it as an example.
Think I mentioned before, some need to be deactivated while you are still online. iTunes comes to mind, deauthorizing computer. Some let you deactivate from Online account, Norton.
Please don't let me talk you into a clean install. You have a working machine. I would do the clean install but that is me, I'm crazy, my mother had me tested.
"My mother had me tested"Good one and thanks for starting my morning with a laugh!
Thanks for letting me know about iTunes. I would not have ever known about deactivating it first. I have an iPad MIni 4 that I use for flying and monitoring my DJI Spark drone. That is all I use it for as it is the best device for the job.
I have been combing through my programs for keys and codes and making text files of what I could find. I found a free program last night which said that it would scan my HD and give me a list of installed programs and any keys that it found. It is a standalone program and it did give me a lot of information but it did not produce any keys or codes. So, again I am going through the list of installed programs to find all of them.
I think that a clean install is my best bet. I have not done one since I bought this laptop in 2012 so I think it is overdue. I just want to have all of my personal files backed up and gather the information I will need to get everything back in place once it is done.
My other concerns are my Opera browser and my email client, Mozilla Thunderbird. I don't want to lose those settings and setup and certainly not my contact list or the setup in Thunderbird. I'm not sure how to deal with those yet but I will figure it out eventually.
When I get a moment Thunderbird is easy.
You should be able to find where Opera stores bookmarks. I don't use Opera but I've seen / heard good things. Do they have option to sign in?
I go look up my stuff on Thunderbird.
Okay this is how I move / restore Thunderbird and Firefox.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_you..._-_Thunderbird
Basically you find your Profile Folder. You copy it. The whole folder.
When I copied back on new machine (or if you are just moving on existing machine) I placed the folder in my Documents folder so it is part of my data backups. Normally the profile is down the appdata path and can be missed in some backup scenarios.
Then when I want to start Thunderbird for the first time I right click start, click run, then type Thunderbird -p
This opens Profile manager and I follow the directions in article to point to the correct folder. When I clean installed this machine in November this is how I got Thunderbird running. All my stored mail and mail accounts were established.
I would read and if you have questions maybe I or another member can answer.
You said you have a copy of your Data and an AOMEI image. I think I would delete AOMEI image and do a Macrium image of the partitions necessary to start windows. This should grab your entire c:. To test you can browse the Macrium Image.
Handy if you need to find a file.
Note on Macrium, I set the defaults to always Verify backup after making backup. It doubles the processing time but as I see it no point in having a backup that is bad.
Thank you for the instructions on the Thunderbird backup. I can clearly see that I need to take my time in preparation for this clean install. I am trying to do too many things at once here at home and it is making this take longer than I expected but it's not like I need to be anywhere in particular. I ventured out to the local grocery store late last night while it was nearly empty. There were more employees than shoppers which was fine with me. But then I had to make a second run just a little while ago to pick up some things that the grocery store did not have. I'm so glad that I live in a very small town right now. Less people, less possibility of exposure to anything nasty out there.
Thanks again for the advice and help.
Rick
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