How often do you reformat? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Stompy · 08-19-2004, 08:30 AM

I very seldom go over 6 months without reformatting, but my work machine hasn't been done in about 2 years (!!!). You can tell... it runs HORRIBLY, but I can't ever seem to find the time to back everything up and clean it out (soon though, hopefully).

Of course, I'm talking about Windows, the OS that "ages". You'd think that they would've at least fixed windows to the point where you still wouldn't have to do this so often, but I guess that's MS for ya.

But what exactly causes this? By the "aging" I'm referring to the inevitable sluggishness of a system which generally occurs for no apparent reason other than date of install. You could have little to no apps starting up at boot, HD 40% free and completely defragged, and of course, no viruses or ad/spyware.. the thing will just run like the CPU/RAM is half of what it actually is!

But you reformat, install... and everything is golden once again!

Do Linux desktop users experience the same thing, or is it pretty much a windows-only thing?

neekap · 08-19-2004, 08:38 AM

I think its just the uninstalling, installing, reinstalling of software that causes it. I could probably load up a machine with 98 and use it regularly for years with no problems providing I don't install ANY software on it. But then who wants to use Notepad and play solitaire for the rest of their lives?

I have a habit of doing it at least once a year. Gives me a chance to squeeze an extra year out of Norton Antivirus w/out paying for a renewal.

For awhile when I was trying a lot of crazy things, reinstalling was a every 3-4 week type of thing, so I've become a seasoned pro at it, but I've been avoiding it this time around because I don't want to compile a list of software/settings I need to put back after the reload. When I do get to that point, I'll load SP2 on first just to say "I did it." :-P

tropple · 08-19-2004, 08:43 AM

As far as I can tell it is the constant bloat in the registry and disk fragmentation. You can defrag your disk (and the MFT) with a third-party utility (MS's tool is so-so, not the best, though) and if you can find a reliable method to clean the registry (good luck), it's possible to get back much of the performance.

Redlemon · 08-19-2004, 08:56 AM

There's a page by Verity Stob that I had a while ago, but it seems to be behind a password now. I found this summary elsewhere:

Quote:

Cruft Force 0. Virgin.
Description: The "Connect to the Internet" shortcut is still on the desktop, and the "How to use Windows" dialog appears at logon. Menu animations and the various event-based sound effects — even the dreaded Microsoft Sound — seem cheerful and amusing.

Cruft Force 1. New.
Description: User has taken time to rename cutesy desktop icons incorporating the first person singular possessive pronoun [Ed. Note: for example, My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places].

Cruft Force 2. Comfortable.
Description: User has now got around to resetting Explorer so that "web content in folders" is suppressed. Something has made a C:\TEMP directory in the proper place unasked, for which mercy the user guiltily feels grateful.

Cruft Force 3. Lived-in.
Description: One time in seven when the user starts Word or other Office 2000 app, instead of running, it pretends it is installing itself for the first time and starts a setup program.

Cruft Force 4. Middle-aged.
Description: Amount of time from screen showing "real" Windows background to the logon box appearing is >30 seconds. Sometimes cannot "browse" other machines on LAN. Get first real BSOD [Blue Screen Of Death]. An extra disk of huge capacity has been installed. CD-ROM moves from drive F: to drive [:

Cruft Force 5. Worn out.
Description: Some time after bootup, always get a dialog "A service has failed to start - BLT300." What is BLT300? Nobody knows. Although one can manually remove/disable this service, it always reappears two or three reboots later. If one double-clicks a document icon, Word takes 4 minutes 30 seconds to start up. But it still works fine if started as a program.

Cruft Force 6. Limping.
Description: "Web content in folders" Explorer setting switches itself back on unbidden. "Setup" programs start crashing while unpacking their own decompression DLLs.

Cruft Force 7. Wounded.
Description: No longer able to logon using original account as the system freezes, so must logon as "Verity2" or similar.

Cruft Force 8. Decrepit.
Description: A virus checker is installed at the insistence of IT. This actually improves performance, apparently violating Newton's laws. Blue Screens Of Death are served daily. The SETI screen saver, like ET himself, encounters difficulty calling home and despairing during an overnight run creates 312 copies of its icon in an (impressively expanded) system tray that fills half the screen. Successful connections to the LAN are very rare.

Cruft Force 9. Putrefaction.
Description: Can only see the 32-GB D:\ partition — the one which has all the source code on it — at every third boot. Starting Control Panel shows rolling torch animation. The applet icons never appear.

Cruft Force 10. Expiry.
Description: Machine only runs in Safe mode at 16-color 800×600, and even then for about a minute and a half before BSODing. Attempts to start an app are rewarded with a dialog "No font list found." Ordinary dodges, such as reformatting the hard disk(s) and starting again, are ineffective. Cruft has soaked into the very fabric of the machine, and it should be disposed of safely at a government-approved facility. There it will be encased in cruft-resistant glass and buried in a residential district.

aa1037 · 08-19-2004, 09:31 AM

haha redlemon, that is great

rubicon · 08-19-2004, 09:35 AM

I reformat Windows every 12-18 months. The time length has grown with XP compared with earlier versions. I agree with everyone - it's the install/uninstall/registry that gives the problems.

I wonder if this sort of thing impacts Linux or Mac OS?

Cynthetiq · 08-19-2004, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubicon

I reformat Windows every 12-18 months. The time length has grown with XP compared with earlier versions. I agree with everyone - it's the install/uninstall/registry that gives the problems.

I wonder if this sort of thing impacts Linux or Mac OS?

speaking from the OLD Mac OS, we had to reimage them as well on a regular basis to keep top performance.

Lasereth · 08-19-2004, 10:08 AM

Yeah, it's definitely the installation and uninstallation of programs that slows down Windows. I usually format every six months to a year depending on how bad my PC fucks up.

-Lasereth

redarrow · 08-19-2004, 10:44 AM

Usually when I get into a Linux hype and try to do a dual-boot of Red Hat 9 and WinXP,
which fails miserably causing my hard drive to lose all data due to a reformat of WinXP
which PISSES ME OFF I FUCKING HATE LINUX

alpha · 08-19-2004, 11:03 AM

I format when there's something badly wrong that I can't fix. So only when I have to.

rukkyg · 08-19-2004, 11:18 AM

I haven't formatted my server (Linux, my own distro) since.... ever. Never formatted it. And that computer used to run windows XP and before that 98 SE. That thing's a trooper. Call him Shady. Been running Linux since Fall of '02 almost non-stop. I turned it off this summer to save on electricity (living on my own instead of at home).

SiN · 08-19-2004, 11:30 AM

Every hmm, 4-6 months I suppose. Running XP Pro, and I try to be relatively cautious about un/in-stalling lots of progs..I'm pretty comfortable with the software I know and love....but still, it just 'feels good' to format every so often.
Plus, it forces me to organise my files a bit.

My bf's made a nice dvd-rw for the installation, mostly automates things, the OS and as many progs as it can do in that fashion.
Makes things easier...but it's a pain in the ass to initially make it.

//edit - to clarify...it's not a ghost, it's an automated/unattended install.

Cynthetiq · 08-19-2004, 11:37 AM

I used to reGhost my machine all the time... if you'd like to call that a reformat.

ickma · 08-19-2004, 11:37 AM

Can anyone explain how I can reformat but back up my entire computer so it's like the way I left it? Its taken me three years without a format to get my computer the way I like it but it IS running slower then normal. I'd like to format but not lose all my hard work. Can this be done or am I asking for the best of both worlds?

rukkyg · 08-19-2004, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ickma

Can anyone explain how I can reformat but back up my entire computer so it's like the way I left it? Its taken me three years without a format to get my computer the way I like it but it IS running slower then normal. I'd like to format but not lose all my hard work. Can this be done or am I asking for the best of both worlds?

No it can't. Windows Xp has the backup settings and files transfer. That works pretty well. Just pretend that it's your old computer and then after you format, it's your new computer.

sailor · 08-19-2004, 12:14 PM

With XP, about every 6 months or so.

kutulu · 08-19-2004, 01:10 PM

I had no idea that people reformatted so often. It seems like such a pain in the ass. I've never reformatted a computer. I had my first computer for about 4 years, got rid of it when it was waaay outdated. My second computer died, but that was because of mechanical problems with the HD, not reg or fragmentation issues. The disk just stopped spinning and wouldn't work on my new one either. I had that for 4 years also. I just built a computer this year and it's also run great. Either the performance never declined or it was so slow and steady that I never noticed. I'm not that careful either but I've never had a virus either. Maybe I'm just super lucky.

I've been with my employer for three years. We are a small company and my boss also is like our basic "IT" guy also in addition to his normal tasks. We also have a company contracted for any issues beyond his knowledge. In the time I've worked there, not a single computer has ever been reformatted. The only new computers we have bought were only bought because the office was broken into and half of our computers were stolen. All of our actual work is stored on the server (backed up every day) so the computers are just boxes that run the programs. Therefore, I've only used my C: drive for storing mp3's. Maybe that makes a difference.

My friend was telling me how he reformats every six months, I thought it was just him being himself because he's a little paranoid and a bit of a hypocondriac (sp).

Smackre · 08-19-2004, 01:51 PM

i format mine about ever 6 months. which is right around the time i fuk sumtim up and it no longer works. Im realy love my Pc right after i format. Cuz it removes any stupid spyware / virus / popup problems i have. Which is normaly why i format. Cuz it seems like i can neva get spyware programs to remove the virus. Like right now. Ever time i open IE 6.0 it redirects me to a stupid search thing. I use Ad-aware SE and it finds the spyware ever time. And it removes it. then next time i open IE 6.0 it comes bak. Ive tried all kinds of other spyware programs and cant get ride of it. Prolly in the next month or 2 i will reformat. For now illl just use firefox. But i realy dont like firefox.

zero2 · 08-19-2004, 05:12 PM

I do a reformat quite often. Often times I do it because, my computer runs slower, and I really hate the defrag process. Sometimes I might face a problem, and instead of killing myself looking for the solution I just reformat.

heyal256 · 08-19-2004, 05:41 PM

I used to reformat every year on win 9x, but now that i'm on 2000, I haven't reinstalled recently (1-1/2 years), although I am really lazy and really should reformat soon just for the freshly installed OS feel

.

neekap · 08-19-2004, 07:39 PM

I haven't had the patience to learn linux yet, but I'm talking with a friend who's a linux freak and we're talking about how it's funny how Windows users just kind of accept the fact that reloading Windows is just a normal part of using it. This whole thread confirms it

Latch · 08-20-2004, 12:28 AM

When I used to use Windows.. once every 6 months.

Now, in Linux-land.. Never. No need.

SecretMethod70 · 08-20-2004, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redarrow

Usually when I get into a Linux hype and try to do a dual-boot of Red Hat 9 and WinXP,
which fails miserably causing my hard drive to lose all data due to a reformat of WinXP
which PISSES ME OFF I FUCKING HATE LINUX

Not that I don't understand you pain, but that's user error dude, not Linux. This forums a great source if you ever need future help.

Anyway, I reformat my Windows installation about every 4-6 months because I feel I need it. At the same time I reformat and reinstall Linux, not because I feel I need to but because I like the idea of starting fresh every now and then.

gal · 08-20-2004, 02:57 AM

I've never done that on win2000. Well, once a year I buy a new hd anyway and install windows on that.

Fallon · 08-20-2004, 04:40 AM

For my mom's 98 computer, we had to reinstall it I'd say every 6 months. We haven't done it yet, but you can tell it's begging for it. As for my Linux comp, I'd reformat almost every other month, but that was because I kept on trying new distro's until I hit Slackware which I've stayed with for about 6-8 months now and I intend on keeping that comp with that till it dies.

Prince · 08-20-2004, 05:15 AM

Every 3 or so months. I've to try different operating systems, and switch again. It's like a sickness.

bltzkriegmcanon · 08-20-2004, 05:33 AM

I reformat about once every 6-12 months, and I would've reformatted my girlfriend's shit HP about a year ago (she's had it for almost 2 years now and is still running HP's original build) but she won't fucking let me install XP Pro because it's "illegal and not the OS that was on there in the first place and I might *break* something." I hate that attitude. Who's fucking Tech Support around here huh? (<- rhetorical question referring to myself)

bendsley · 08-20-2004, 05:37 AM

My linux machines at home I don't think have been reformatted in the last 2-3 years. They run fine, and one of them has an uptime of ~700days. Gotta love linux.

neekap · 08-20-2004, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bltzkriegmcanon

I reformat about once every 6-12 months, and I would've reformatted my girlfriend's shit HP about a year ago (she's had it for almost 2 years now and is still running HP's original build) but she won't fucking let me install XP Pro because it's "illegal and not the OS that was on there in the first place and I might *break* something." I hate that attitude. Who's fucking Tech Support around here huh? (<- rhetorical question referring to myself)

Oh my god, people with morals still exist? Doing on-site support I constantly find myself selling Norton AntiVirus since a surprising number of people still run without anti-virus software. And yes, you can get away with putting Norton 2003 on several PC's. I explain to my clients I'm not the software police and I don't care what happens when I leave, but they constantly pester me to install the one copy on all of their PC's.

mikec · 08-20-2004, 11:34 AM

I haven't reformatted a couple of my xp machines in over 2 years.

They still run top notch. Diskkeeper automatic defrags, and an occassional disk cleanup are the only maintenance I need.

Don't install 50000 programs, and don't click YES on IE popups, and you'd be surprised at how well windows will run.

People blame windows for the problems....and though some of you may be offended, the truth is that 1/2 the time it's malicious programs, and the other 1/2 of the time it's user error.

kutulu · 08-20-2004, 11:38 AM

I don't get what is going so wrong on a computer that you need to reformat. Mabye I just adjust well.

Stompy · 08-20-2004, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikec

I haven't reformatted a couple of my xp machines in over 2 years.

They still run top notch. Diskkeeper automatic defrags, and an occassional disk cleanup are the only maintenance I need.

Don't install 50000 programs, and don't click YES on IE popups, and you'd be surprised at how well windows will run.

People blame windows for the problems....and though some of you may be offended, the truth is that 1/2 the time it's malicious programs, and the other 1/2 of the time it's user error.

Not true.

I've had the same apps installed since the day I formatted this, minus a few games here and there to preserve HD space.

I'm a security freak, so it's very RARE that my computer gets spyware/adware or any virus on it. Actually, it's been about 3 years since I've had a virus and aside from tracking cookies, a bit more than a year since I've had spy/adware.

I have seriously only a few apps I have installed:

Visual Studio
SQL Server
Firefox
Thunderbird
Games (usually FFXI, Warcraft 3, Diablo II)
VMWare
Winamp
AdAware

Aside from that... nothing. Well, not counting the small "utility" apps like winzip, quicktime, etc.. I've kept the SAME apps on my computer since I've installed and it still craps out after 6 months or so.

One thing I do differently is ... the use of windows defragger. I'm gonna start using a 3rd party one that people say works better, because that might be the issue.

I know a lot of people are tempted to say user error, but trust me, my system is LOCKED down and clean. I keep the registry clean and all that as well, so it really is a mystery how a system just ends up crappin out.

Servers are a different story. My Win2k3 server hasn't been formatted in about 1.5 years. Even then, it wasn't askin for it. I just wanted win2k3 instead of win2k.

Friends of mine are the same way.. totally security & system conscious. Never install crappy misc. apps or anything, and always reformat!

[edit]

A good example is my work computer, the one that hasn't been reformatted in almost 2 years (XP Pro). There's NOTHING that starts up aside from IIS, Sql Server, Norton, and ... that's actually it. Those are the only 3 apps I have loading (and, of course, the misc windows services). It takes about 3 minutes after I LOG IN for me to be able to use it. I don't know what takes it so long to start up... nothing is running! Also, there aren't any network paths being reestablished or anything, so it's definitely not that. Trust me, I've checked every nook and cranny when it comes to system performance and what runs during start up... nothing is there!

There's seriously no reason for it. I guarantee you that when I reformat and install the SAME apps, the system will run 100% better. And trust me, of all things, my work computer is used STRICTLY for work, so that means less crap than I have on my home pc (no games, etc)

tropple · 08-20-2004, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ickma

Can anyone explain how I can reformat but back up my entire computer so it's like the way I left it? Its taken me three years without a format to get my computer the way I like it but it IS running slower then normal. I'd like to format but not lose all my hard work. Can this be done or am I asking for the best of both worlds?

If you search around, there's a utility you can get that strips out all of the pertinient user settings and save them. I don't rememebr everything that it said it saved, but I remember thinking at the time that it would have been handy to use the last time I ended up with a crapped out system.

heyal256 · 08-20-2004, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

I don't get what is going so wrong on a computer that you need to reformat. Mabye I just adjust well.

If you tend to install and uninstall a lot of programs (games, programs you want to try out and then find out you don't like, etc) you will notice what is referred to as "windows rot", basically various files get updated because program x needs version y of a system dll or system progrram. When you go to uninstall the program that updated the system file, it leaves the newer version. Combine this multiple times with any normal system updates (service packs, bug fixes, security patches) and then updates needed to play games (updated drivers, direct x, etc) and you get a lot of crap that is just sitting around and bloating windows, which causwes the system to be slower/unstable.
This is usually why there was a basic rule of reformatting/reinstalling your OS at least once a year. win2k/winxp are more immune to this "windows rot" so the slowdowns/instabilities aren't as noticeable or there.

viper11885 · 08-20-2004, 06:07 PM

With one main computer and one laptop, it usually averages to around 3 months for one format on either computer. Sometimes things get messed up when updating, like with the new Service Pack 2. Had to do a format to get rid of the error messages during installation. Was probably a problem from before.

It is really nice doing a format though. Everything is extremely fast and you get to start off a clean slate.

TurbineSlut · 08-23-2004, 12:29 AM

As a Linux desktop user for the last 4 years, I can attest to never having to reformat. I installed Debian about 1.5 years ago (last time I formatted my Linux OS HD) and didn't even have to reformat to upgrade the distribution to a new version (yay for apt-get). My file server/firewall/internet gateway runs Linux as well, and has an uptime of some 120 days. In my experience, these installations have never becomes slower or cruftier or displaying weird errors... it does seem to be unique to Windows.

redarrow: Maybe you should get a friend who's got his RH/WinXP installation to work to help you out. I'm guessing that its resizing your Windows XP partition thats screwing things up. This is indeed a part which can go wrong... Maybe you should get a cheap second hand HD with about 10GB to install RH Linux on... that way you won't have to touch your Windows XP partition. Or try out the Knoppix LiveCD... to see if Linux is worth it for you.

BigGov · 08-23-2004, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

I don't get what is going so wrong on a computer that you need to reformat. Mabye I just adjust well.

Computer hard drives suffer from "bit rot" where (if I remember right) radiation from the sun can change a certain number of 1's to 0's and vice-versa, which makes the system sluggish, prone to errors, etc.

TurbineSlut · 08-23-2004, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigGov

Computer hard drives suffer from "bit rot" where (if I remember right) radiation from the sun can change a certain number of 1's to 0's and vice-versa, which makes the system sluggish, prone to errors, etc.

Well, not really...

Bit rot in memory modules happens from alpha particles emmitted from thorium found in trace amounts in chips, which is left there from the manufacturing process (see jargon file entry on 'cosmic rays'). But circuits are built with checksums and such to compensate for this. Bit rot on CDs happens as the carrier material (the plastic layer) degrades. Bit rot on hard drives happens for various reasons. See this informative page.

Bit rot on your hard drive could lead to errors in programs as described in some of the levels of cruft listed in an earlier post. Bit rot will not, however, make a computer slower. As to why Windows becomes slower over time, I have no idea. I've some some cursory googling, but haven't come up with any definite answers.

Stompy · 08-23-2004, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigGov

Computer hard drives suffer from "bit rot" where (if I remember right) radiation from the sun can change a certain number of 1's to 0's and vice-versa, which makes the system sluggish, prone to errors, etc.

Eh? Wouldn't that require your HD to be in the sunlight?

neekap · 08-23-2004, 03:50 PM

That's why they manufacture hard drives 3,000 feet below the surface of the Earth to ensure none of the radiation gets to it. Sometimes if you get too much radiation the 1's will change to 2's.

08-19-2004, 08:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Stompy Banned from being Banned Location: Donkey	How often do you reformat? I very seldom go over 6 months without reformatting, but my work machine hasn't been done in about 2 years (!!!). You can tell... it runs HORRIBLY, but I can't ever seem to find the time to back everything up and clean it out (soon though, hopefully). Of course, I'm talking about Windows, the OS that "ages". You'd think that they would've at least fixed windows to the point where you still wouldn't have to do this so often, but I guess that's MS for ya. But what exactly causes this? By the "aging" I'm referring to the inevitable sluggishness of a system which generally occurs for no apparent reason other than date of install. You could have little to no apps starting up at boot, HD 40% free and completely defragged, and of course, no viruses or ad/spyware.. the thing will just run like the CPU/RAM is half of what it actually is! But you reformat, install... and everything is golden once again! Do Linux desktop users experience the same thing, or is it pretty much a windows-only thing? __________________ I love lamp.

08-19-2004, 08:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
tropple Junkie	As far as I can tell it is the constant bloat in the registry and disk fragmentation. You can defrag your disk (and the MFT) with a third-party utility (MS's tool is so-so, not the best, though) and if you can find a reliable method to clean the registry (good luck), it's possible to get back much of the performance. __________________ +++++++++++Boom!

08-19-2004, 09:35 AM	#6 (permalink)
rubicon Stop. Think. Question. Location: Redondo Beach, CA	I reformat Windows every 12-18 months. The time length has grown with XP compared with earlier versions. I agree with everyone - it's the install/uninstall/registry that gives the problems. I wonder if this sort of thing impacts Linux or Mac OS? __________________ How you do anything is how you do everything.

08-19-2004, 10:08 AM	#8 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Yeah, it's definitely the installation and uninstallation of programs that slows down Windows. I usually format every six months to a year depending on how bad my PC fucks up. -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

08-19-2004, 11:30 AM	#12 (permalink)
SiN strangelove Location: ...more here than there...	Every hmm, 4-6 months I suppose. Running XP Pro, and I try to be relatively cautious about un/in-stalling lots of progs..I'm pretty comfortable with the software I know and love....but still, it just 'feels good' to format every so often. Plus, it forces me to organise my files a bit. My bf's made a nice dvd-rw for the installation, mostly automates things, the OS and as many progs as it can do in that fashion. Makes things easier...but it's a pain in the ass to initially make it. //edit - to clarify...it's not a ghost, it's an automated/unattended install. __________________ - + - ° GiRLie GeeK ° - + - ° 01110010011011110110111101110100001000000110110101100101 Therell be days/When Ill stray/I may appear to be/Constantly out of reach/I give in to sin/Because I like to practise what I preach Last edited by SiN; 08-19-2004 at 01:53 PM..

08-19-2004, 08:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
neekap Tilted Location: Central OH	I think its just the uninstalling, installing, reinstalling of software that causes it. I could probably load up a machine with 98 and use it regularly for years with no problems providing I don't install ANY software on it. But then who wants to use Notepad and play solitaire for the rest of their lives? I have a habit of doing it at least once a year. Gives me a chance to squeeze an extra year out of Norton Antivirus w/out paying for a renewal. For awhile when I was trying a lot of crazy things, reinstalling was a every 3-4 week type of thing, so I've become a seasoned pro at it, but I've been avoiding it this time around because I don't want to compile a list of software/settings I need to put back after the reload. When I do get to that point, I'll load SP2 on first just to say "I did it." :-P

08-19-2004, 09:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
aa1037 Insane Location: New York	haha redlemon, that is great

08-19-2004, 10:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
redarrow Banned Location: i gotta go	Usually when I get into a Linux hype and try to do a dual-boot of Red Hat 9 and WinXP, which fails miserably causing my hard drive to lose all data due to a reformat of WinXP which PISSES ME OFF I FUCKING HATE LINUX

08-19-2004, 11:03 AM	#10 (permalink)
alpha Insane Location: Finland	I format when there's something badly wrong that I can't fix. So only when I have to.

08-19-2004, 11:18 AM	#11 (permalink)
rukkyg Loser Location: RPI, Troy, NY	I haven't formatted my server (Linux, my own distro) since.... ever. Never formatted it. And that computer used to run windows XP and before that 98 SE. That thing's a trooper. Call him Shady. Been running Linux since Fall of '02 almost non-stop. I turned it off this summer to save on electricity (living on my own instead of at home).

08-19-2004, 11:37 AM	#13 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	I used to reGhost my machine all the time... if you'd like to call that a reformat. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

08-19-2004, 11:37 AM	#14 (permalink)
ickma Insane Location: Toronto	Can anyone explain how I can reformat but back up my entire computer so it's like the way I left it? Its taken me three years without a format to get my computer the way I like it but it IS running slower then normal. I'd like to format but not lose all my hard work. Can this be done or am I asking for the best of both worlds?

08-19-2004, 12:14 PM	#16 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	With XP, about every 6 months or so. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

08-19-2004, 01:10 PM	#17 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	I had no idea that people reformatted so often. It seems like such a pain in the ass. I've never reformatted a computer. I had my first computer for about 4 years, got rid of it when it was waaay outdated. My second computer died, but that was because of mechanical problems with the HD, not reg or fragmentation issues. The disk just stopped spinning and wouldn't work on my new one either. I had that for 4 years also. I just built a computer this year and it's also run great. Either the performance never declined or it was so slow and steady that I never noticed. I'm not that careful either but I've never had a virus either. Maybe I'm just super lucky. I've been with my employer for three years. We are a small company and my boss also is like our basic "IT" guy also in addition to his normal tasks. We also have a company contracted for any issues beyond his knowledge. In the time I've worked there, not a single computer has ever been reformatted. The only new computers we have bought were only bought because the office was broken into and half of our computers were stolen. All of our actual work is stored on the server (backed up every day) so the computers are just boxes that run the programs. Therefore, I've only used my C: drive for storing mp3's. Maybe that makes a difference. My friend was telling me how he reformats every six months, I thought it was just him being himself because he's a little paranoid and a bit of a hypocondriac (sp).

08-19-2004, 01:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
Smackre Addict	i format mine about ever 6 months. which is right around the time i fuk sumtim up and it no longer works. Im realy love my Pc right after i format. Cuz it removes any stupid spyware / virus / popup problems i have. Which is normaly why i format. Cuz it seems like i can neva get spyware programs to remove the virus. Like right now. Ever time i open IE 6.0 it redirects me to a stupid search thing. I use Ad-aware SE and it finds the spyware ever time. And it removes it. then next time i open IE 6.0 it comes bak. Ive tried all kinds of other spyware programs and cant get ride of it. Prolly in the next month or 2 i will reformat. For now illl just use firefox. But i realy dont like firefox. __________________ Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.60 GHz/2MB Cache/533MHz FSB) 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen XGA+ Display 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz 2 Dimm 256MB NVIDA® GeForce™ Go 6800 Last edited by Smackre; 08-19-2004 at 01:58 PM..

08-19-2004, 05:12 PM	#19 (permalink)
zero2 Junkie	I do a reformat quite often. Often times I do it because, my computer runs slower, and I really hate the defrag process. Sometimes I might face a problem, and instead of killing myself looking for the solution I just reformat.

08-19-2004, 05:41 PM	#20 (permalink)
heyal256 Not so great lurker Location: NY	I used to reformat every year on win 9x, but now that i'm on 2000, I haven't reinstalled recently (1-1/2 years), although I am really lazy and really should reformat soon just for the freshly installed OS feel .

08-19-2004, 07:39 PM	#21 (permalink)
neekap Tilted Location: Central OH	I haven't had the patience to learn linux yet, but I'm talking with a friend who's a linux freak and we're talking about how it's funny how Windows users just kind of accept the fact that reloading Windows is just a normal part of using it. This whole thread confirms it

08-20-2004, 12:28 AM	#22 (permalink)
Latch In Your Dreams Location: City of Lights	When I used to use Windows.. once every 6 months. Now, in Linux-land.. Never. No need.

08-20-2004, 02:57 AM	#24 (permalink)
gal Insane	I've never done that on win2000. Well, once a year I buy a new hd anyway and install windows on that.

08-20-2004, 04:40 AM	#25 (permalink)
Fallon Junkie Location: RI	For my mom's 98 computer, we had to reinstall it I'd say every 6 months. We haven't done it yet, but you can tell it's begging for it. As for my Linux comp, I'd reformat almost every other month, but that was because I kept on trying new distro's until I hit Slackware which I've stayed with for about 6-8 months now and I intend on keeping that comp with that till it dies.

08-20-2004, 05:15 AM	#26 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Every 3 or so months. I've to try different operating systems, and switch again. It's like a sickness. __________________ Who is John Galt?

08-20-2004, 05:33 AM	#27 (permalink)
bltzkriegmcanon Holy Knight of The Alliance Location: Stormwind, The Eastern Kingdoms, Azeroth	I reformat about once every 6-12 months, and I would've reformatted my girlfriend's shit HP about a year ago (she's had it for almost 2 years now and is still running HP's original build) but she won't fucking let me install XP Pro because it's "illegal and not the OS that was on there in the first place and I might break something." I hate that attitude. Who's fucking Tech Support around here huh? (<- rhetorical question referring to myself) __________________ What do you say to one last showdown? - Ocelot, Metal Gear Solid 3 The password is "Who are the Patriots?" and "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo." Gotcha. - The Colonel and Snake, Metal Gear Solid 3

08-20-2004, 05:37 AM	#28 (permalink)
bendsley Professional Loafer Location: texas	My linux machines at home I don't think have been reformatted in the last 2-3 years. They run fine, and one of them has an uptime of ~700days. Gotta love linux. __________________ "You hear the one about the fella who died, went to the pearly gates? St. Peter let him in. Sees a guy in a suit making a closing argument. Says, "Who's that?" St. Peter says, "Oh, that's God. Thinks he's Denny Crane."

08-20-2004, 11:34 AM	#30 (permalink)
mikec I flopped the nutz... Location: Stratford, CT	I haven't reformatted a couple of my xp machines in over 2 years. They still run top notch. Diskkeeper automatic defrags, and an occassional disk cleanup are the only maintenance I need. Don't install 50000 programs, and don't click YES on IE popups, and you'd be surprised at how well windows will run. People blame windows for the problems....and though some of you may be offended, the truth is that 1/2 the time it's malicious programs, and the other 1/2 of the time it's user error. __________________ Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

08-20-2004, 11:38 AM	#31 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	I don't get what is going so wrong on a computer that you need to reformat. Mabye I just adjust well.

08-20-2004, 06:07 PM	#35 (permalink)
viper11885 Insane	With one main computer and one laptop, it usually averages to around 3 months for one format on either computer. Sometimes things get messed up when updating, like with the new Service Pack 2. Had to do a format to get rid of the error messages during installation. Was probably a problem from before. It is really nice doing a format though. Everything is extremely fast and you get to start off a clean slate.

08-23-2004, 12:29 AM	#36 (permalink)
TurbineSlut Tilted Location: Netherlands	As a Linux desktop user for the last 4 years, I can attest to never having to reformat. I installed Debian about 1.5 years ago (last time I formatted my Linux OS HD) and didn't even have to reformat to upgrade the distribution to a new version (yay for apt-get). My file server/firewall/internet gateway runs Linux as well, and has an uptime of some 120 days. In my experience, these installations have never becomes slower or cruftier or displaying weird errors... it does seem to be unique to Windows. redarrow: Maybe you should get a friend who's got his RH/WinXP installation to work to help you out. I'm guessing that its resizing your Windows XP partition thats screwing things up. This is indeed a part which can go wrong... Maybe you should get a cheap second hand HD with about 10GB to install RH Linux on... that way you won't have to touch your Windows XP partition. Or try out the Knoppix LiveCD... to see if Linux is worth it for you. Last edited by TurbineSlut; 08-23-2004 at 12:40 AM.. Reason: edited advice to red arrow

08-23-2004, 03:50 PM	#40 (permalink)
neekap Tilted Location: Central OH	That's why they manufacture hard drives 3,000 feet below the surface of the Earth to ensure none of the radiation gets to it. Sometimes if you get too much radiation the 1's will change to 2's.