My brother gave me his old Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop without any restore CD. There is some sort of virus on it because when I turn it on, the computer will load to the icon screen and just think forever. The hour glass keeps flipping. I want to erase everything up until the computer was shipped to my brother new. I read on the internet that you can do a PC Restore by Symantec but I do not have that on this laptop I do not think. Can someone help out a poor student?
You can't do a restore without the restore CD. In order to use PC Restore by Symantec you have to have a valid image of the Operating System to restore from, which you apparently do not have. If you want to wipe it out and start from scratch you will need to have an Operating System disc from which to install an OS. It would be preferable that you get an Operating System CD that matches that for which you have a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) which should be Located on the bottom of the laptopm. You should be able to get a restore CD from Dell for a nominal fee.
I have the Windows XP CD that is real. He got it from his University. I cannot get it to run though. THis virus took over everything it seems like.
"I have the Windows XP CD that is real. He got it from his University". Be aware that you may get it installed but if the build doesn't match the COA on the bottom you'll never get it registered. "I cannot get it to run though." Do you know how to install an OS? (not trying to be rude here but it seems like you need a lot of help. You need to BOOT from the XP CD for starters. I highly recomment you spend the time and the (relatively small amount of) money and get the proper recovery discs from Dell if you want to save a lot of time and trouble. If you still want to try to reinstall XP: 1. Open the CD tray 2. Shut the computer off 3. Put the XP CD into the CD tray and close the tray 4. Power on the computer 5. Watch for a message that says "press any key to boot from CD" NOTE: DELETING THE EXISTING PARTITION WILL ERASE ALL DATA AND PROGRAMS FROM THE DRIVE. IF THIS IS NOT YOUR INTENTION. STOP HERE. IF THIS IS YOUR INTENTION, CONTINUE. 6. Follow the instructions for a FULL install, deleting the existing partitions and creating a new partition for Windows XP. That will get you started.
