How often do you format?

[thorin]

Originally posted by: grant2

Originally posted by: thorinHeh ok that whole thing takes like an extra 2 seconds once it's part of your routine .... but you'll spend an hour or two (or more) every few months (or every two or whatever you do) to format and reinstall your sys ...... it's your choice but personally (and I think alot will agree) I think it's sad

Your "2 seconds" hyberbole is meaningless.

In your opinion ... but since you don't do it then you're hardly in a position to comment.

And you have no idea how often, if ever, I format.

Ya I covered that

It's too bad you're sad

Thanks

but "personally" computers are inanimate objects and I enjoy treating them however my whims dictate!

I didn't see (read) anyone say it was out of your control..... but ummmmmm whatever...... <yawn>

Thorin

 

[Chobits]

With Win2k...never.

Actually I've done it twice in the past year b/c of a Bad Mobo...


With Win98se..CONSTANTLY....Like maybe twice a month! It got so bad I literally have my old Windows98se CD-Key Memorized.

 

[Schadenfroh]

i format for fun sometimes

 

[GrumpyMan]

I format when I screw up my computer which is............uh.......never.

 

[neilm]

Only format when I'm installing a new OS

 

[Antoneo]

I use Win2k or WinXP for my computers and have them locked down using the Gobal Policy Editor. This way, stray programs can't be installed (so far.. I think), and my brothers won't wander through the registry and the like. NTFS security features has been immensely useful in limiting access to programs and important files. So far, reformats has been once a year or whenever new hardware is introduced. Not bad at all compared to the days of Win95/98.

 

[Macro2]

Thorin. Thanks for the MSCONFIG.

BTW, most of the time I just build a new computer about the time I need to reformat anyway.

 

[Regs]

Every six months or whenever my OS seems to be bogged down.

 

[Maggotry]

Originally posted by: neilm
Only format when I'm installing a new OS

LOL! That cracked me up, man!

Thorin has basically covered everything I usually do. It's funny to read a lot of people's "tech support" help on this forum. It almost always involves a format. Some folks format everytime they change a piece of hardware.

New video card: format!
More RAM: format!
New mouse: format!
New print cartridge: format!

Squidman's comments about cookies trashing the computer? Bwahahahaha!

 

[squidman]

:Q Geeks scrae the $#!+ outta me! no hard feelings, thorin, but when i read your replies, and that "geek code block" - for some reason i get freaked out.

 

[BFG10K]

I only format if I buy a new motherboard or if I upgrade to a newer version of Windows.

Too many people put too much CRAP on their system that they don't understand, and no one does any cleanup/maintenance these days.

I think the biggest problem is that whenever people have problems the first thing they think of is doing a reformat when in reality it should be the last thing that comes into their mind. A reformat is a poor substitute for genuine troubleshooting.

 

I used to never format, back in the days of windows 3.1-98, then one day my hard drive died and after installing the replacement I was like, damn thats fast. Granted the new HDD might have been faster (they were both 7200rpm) and at that time I didn't always bother unistalling programs because I thought that deleting the main folder was good enough but now its engrained in my mind that reformatting=SPEED. Even though I have found it not to be the case on my computer in recent years, I try to format every year never the less. Plus it gives me an excuse to backup my important files and delete all the crap I keep telling myself I should keep just in case.

 

[peter7921]

Twice per day, sometimes three times a day if i'm not busy.

He He just kidding, but seriously folks doesn't anybody have fun with there computers anymore? I will install anything, i will install things that i know will probably cause havoc. I mean i like to experiment, and have fun with my PC. I do keep a ghost of my machine handy though

 

[Chaotic42]

Well, as I've learned how to not break things, I keep formatting less and less. I do, however, move my partitions around quite a bit. I believe I last resintalled Windows in November. I'm going to reinstall it when I get my SCSI stuff to work (and my new motherboard).

Debian, haven't reinstalled in a while. I just copy it and move it around. I have files in my home directory from like 1998.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Sid59
reinstall = once.

ghost = whenver i need to.

only a fool doesn't use ghost.

ghost your 5~gb or so partition you've made for o/s. do it right after you install basic appz/office appz, full ms updates service packs. the file will probably fit on one cd, 2 max. with hd's so big these days just keep it on another partition. when your system hoses itself, you can restore to that state in a few minutes. no format necessary! saves about 90% of the work of restoring your system.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Where is the option for 'Never'?

 

[Sunner]

Once in a while.

I have craploads of programs on my box at work, but I use them all, though some very rarely.
Windows just can't handle that in the long run, my box is starting to get a bit old now, and a reinstall is needed pretty soon, but I've kept it for like...1½-2 years.

Keeping Windows clean if you use lots of programs is just too big a PITA to be worth it IMO, it's just easier to reformat once in a while, though once every 6 months certainly seems excessive these days, seeing as the NT based OS's are far better at avoiding bitrot than the 9x family.

 

[mooseAndSquirrel]

Once a year on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It gives me something to do that doesn't involve leaving my house.

And there sure are a lot of MS OS fans here. Either that or people who don't use a lot of progams. I for one find that the registry always turns into a mess over time. I miss INI files! If simple text control files are good enough for Unix ...

But, whenever I build a new system I first ghost it when Windows + service packs + all driver updates are done. I then ghost it again when I have my major applications loaded. So reformatting and reloading is a very straight-forward process. I use SecondCopy to copy my data files to a Linux/Samba share.

I love the new car smell and that minty fresh feeling!

 

[Agent004]

Every time when M$'s bug fixes does more harm than good.

Looking at the posts, I am surprised at how many people saying they don't understand why other people have to format, nor how they clog up their system.

 

[ozone13]

I format every couple of months....not because I have to, but because I want to. I know the inner workings of a computer (I am a networking engineer), but prefer the "fresh" feel of a computer. What I do is build my base os, install my apps, updates, etc, ghost it, then every couple months take 10 minutes of my time and "revert" to that image. Update that image with all the latest patches and such, ghost it again, and that new ghost becomes my "base". Roughly two months later, I revert to that new "base", repeat.

It has nothing to do with "not knowing crap", but everything to do with personal preference.

 

[Jeff7]

Every three months or more, I guess. As often as it needs it I guess.

 

[thorin]

Originally posted by: squidman
:Q Geeks scrae the $#!+ outta me! no hard feelings, thorin, but when i read your replies, and that "geek code block" - for some reason i get freaked out.

Heh dude yer funny

Thorin

 

[bocamojo]

Back in the days of Win 95, you had to do a fresh install every few months or so, if you wanted your system to run optimally. I guess it was due to the way the code was written, but it seemed to degrade over time. However, with Win XP Pro, you don't have this issue. The main problem is managing your system, to keep it free and clean from clutter, such as old programs, cookies, temp files, orphaned .dll's, etc. I would suggest installing a good uninstaller, and perhaps doing some images of the system using a tool like Norton Ghost every few months. This way, you can always go back to a previous state, rather than a full reload, which can be very time consuming. Also, find a tool that cleans out temp files, orphaned .dll's, and internet history, etc. Also a regcleaner program. Additionally, using partitions is a good way to keep files associated with a program seperate from the core windows installation, and to keep your C: drive free of clutter. You should also place all your personal files, music, downloads, etc. in this location as well. In other words, don't install everything on the C: drive. Use a D: or E: drive for installing all your programs and maintaining your personal files, if you can. The other benefit of this strategy is that if you do have to reinstall, you can just reformat C: and install the OS again, and all your important files will still be there on the other partition. The only refreshing that I do on my system is to defrag once a month, and also to uninstall my old video drivers, and install the new set of video drivers, when they come out.

 

[randomlinh]

well, i get bored sometimes. and it's a habbit from the old win95 days

 

[JackBurton]

Man, I don't know what the hell you guys are doing with your PCs. I'm running XP Pro on my machine with an 80GB drive (one big 80GB partition) and I have an ass load of apps installed (only 15GB free) and XP runs great. Just like the day I installed it, which was a long ass time ago (at least a year). I format ONCE per machine. When I install the OS and all the basic apps (very basic apps), I upload the image to my server. But I'd only use that image if something crazy happened to my PC, like a hard drive failure.