How often do you format your Windows box?
- Thread starter Ken2012
- Start date
Depends. Some weeks not at all, some weeks 3-4 times. 
Yep. I don't mess with a working box.
Only when it needs it, which is basically never since I know WTF I'm doing 
Last time was around four years ago. Though it technically wasn't formatting, I just removed it entirely and moved to Linux
Before that I formated roughly 1-2 times per year. As I was constantly doing all sorts weird things with my PC it sometimes happened that I screw something up. Often it was easier to just reinstall the OS to fix the problem. With Linux I haven't formatted more often than I get new and faster HDDs. Even then I mostly simply copy the OS to new drive.
Before that I formated roughly 1-2 times per year. As I was constantly doing all sorts weird things with my PC it sometimes happened that I screw something up. Often it was easier to just reinstall the OS to fix the problem. With Linux I haven't formatted more often than I get new and faster HDDs. Even then I mostly simply copy the OS to new drive.
Bingo. XP used to love a little bit of a cleanout every now and then, but my Vista install has been chugging for a while now, hopefully it's "free and clear"!
I generally re-build the HDD in only two instances - I bought a new HDD (maybe every 3 years).
A new OS launches - every 4 years but I will usually combine it with a HDD upgrade.
So about once every 3-4 years. As others have stated, why mess with it if it works? With all the stuff I have on my PC, a re-built is a complete nightmare.
A new OS launches - every 4 years but I will usually combine it with a HDD upgrade.
So about once every 3-4 years. As others have stated, why mess with it if it works? With all the stuff I have on my PC, a re-built is a complete nightmare.
About ten years ago in the days of Win95/98 days (dial up for me, too) I would probably re-format every quarter or so, once. I also had pretty shitty hardware which required constant tinkering and driver updating, which ocasionally went wrong (Thank you VIA!)
The one good thing that came out of all this was intimate knowledge (by my standards) of Windows and certain hardware components and most importantly what to and not to do with a Windows box and how to do a proper backup, to use seperate partions of different sort of stuff etc.pp..
Today I rarely even think about it anymore. Win2000/XP have been relatively hassle-free business in general and I use hardware that has better longevity and vendor support than any pre-built boxes I owned.
Speaking of which, last re-format was actually a completely new install when I went Q6600 this summer. Before that I ran the same XP installation for 3 years, without a hitch.
My Vista32 laptop I plan on using till it falls apart without ever touching the recovery DVD again. Used it once right after I bought it only to discover that it installed all the crap I didn't want and was quite a pain to get it into a usable state again.
The one good thing that came out of all this was intimate knowledge (by my standards) of Windows and certain hardware components and most importantly what to and not to do with a Windows box and how to do a proper backup, to use seperate partions of different sort of stuff etc.pp..
Today I rarely even think about it anymore. Win2000/XP have been relatively hassle-free business in general and I use hardware that has better longevity and vendor support than any pre-built boxes I owned.
Speaking of which, last re-format was actually a completely new install when I went Q6600 this summer. Before that I ran the same XP installation for 3 years, without a hitch.
My Vista32 laptop I plan on using till it falls apart without ever touching the recovery DVD again. Used it once right after I bought it only to discover that it installed all the crap I didn't want and was quite a pain to get it into a usable state again.
About every six months, though that was with XP where such things would literally give you a large return to speed. With Vista who knows really, but so far it's been great. I also like to start fresh, a clean slate instead of uninstalling things is really much easier and quicker for me. I keep all critical data on a HD separate from the OS.
Never.
I've carried the same install of Windows XP through 4 years without having to reformat or reinstall. During that time, I've upgraded the CPU, Motherboard, Video Card, Sound Card, TV Tuners, and even hard-drives. The Motherboard / Video Card upgrade was multiple times and even as drastic as going from AMD Barton Socket-A to AMD X2 Socket 939 and then to Intel P965 LGA775 and from ATI 8500 to 9800 to X1800 to X1900 and then to Nvidia 8800 GTX. Even when I upgraded hard-drives I imaged the old drive onto the new using Ghost / Tru Image or equiv software.
The only time I reformatted was to change OS from XP to Vista or when on my second system I was truly experimenting with various install options like nLite or the various versions of Vista (Business, Home premium, 32bit, 64bit).
I've carried the same install of Windows XP through 4 years without having to reformat or reinstall. During that time, I've upgraded the CPU, Motherboard, Video Card, Sound Card, TV Tuners, and even hard-drives. The Motherboard / Video Card upgrade was multiple times and even as drastic as going from AMD Barton Socket-A to AMD X2 Socket 939 and then to Intel P965 LGA775 and from ATI 8500 to 9800 to X1800 to X1900 and then to Nvidia 8800 GTX. Even when I upgraded hard-drives I imaged the old drive onto the new using Ghost / Tru Image or equiv software.
The only time I reformatted was to change OS from XP to Vista or when on my second system I was truly experimenting with various install options like nLite or the various versions of Vista (Business, Home premium, 32bit, 64bit).
You guys just never wake up and think, "I think I'll trash my install today and spend the day reinstalling it! "?
Really? I'm the only one?
"? Really? I'm the only one?
The last time I formatted was over a year ago. Taht was becuase I wanted to tweak XP with nLite and shrink the footprint. I got it down to a 150 MB CD image with SP2 and all updates! Was fast as heck!
Now I built my desktop and it went online one new years day with another tweaked build of XP but 64 bit. Enjoying every moment of it. Other than a catastrophic crash or a virus I dont intend to reformat. Or maybe if vLite comes through and all of Vista and SP1 fits in a CD then I will have to reformat and put that on my machine.
Now I built my desktop and it went online one new years day with another tweaked build of XP but 64 bit. Enjoying every moment of it. Other than a catastrophic crash or a virus I dont intend to reformat. Or maybe if vLite comes through and all of Vista and SP1 fits in a CD then I will have to reformat and put that on my machine.
I didn't choose to trash it, I was repairing it.Nope.
Digi, you're also the only one to wake up and think "I think I'll trash my hardware today with a set of channel-locks and spend the day patching it with electrical tape!".
(And it was scotch tape, I was out of electrical tape even...
)Seriously I only reinstall when I have to, but with some of the stupid shit I decide to try occasionally that can be a lot...at least more than most I figure.
You guys just never wake up and think, "I think I'll trash my install today and spend the day reinstalling it!
Really? I'm the only one?
No, I am with you. It depends on the machine though. My work laptop stays installed for almost a full year before I blast it clean. My home desktops get reinstalled more often because I mess with their hardware a lot more.
Someone who can't go over a year without incurring slowdowns do not know how to properly maintain a system.
As long as you keep your registry clean and to a reasonable size and hard-drive defragged you wont see that behavior in XP. Those are the only items that can cause slow-downs.
As long as you keep your registry clean and to a reasonable size and hard-drive defragged you wont see that behavior in XP. Those are the only items that can cause slow-downs.
Probably true but it comes down to if it takes more time to take care of it or to spend some time to make a full reinstall.
Similar threads
