15th March 2000

As mentioned in previous issues, reinstalling Windows has become a bi-annual routine for some of us. With every installation, I've learned something new. Shaun had to do the deed this past weekend; in fact, he had to do it twice in a row. Why? He forgot to unplug his USB devices before starting. Yeah, if you've got non-essential USB peripherals, be sure they're not plugged in when you're running setup outside the Windows environment. Obviously, USB keyboards and mice don't count in this instance. USB scanners, modems, printers, hubs, webcams, et al should not be attached to your system during initial hardware detection stages. Install those once your OS is up and running; you'll encounter less 'weird' hardware contentions this way.