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How often do you format?

TheBuzzer

TheBuzzer

HACK THE WORLD!
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
Messages
13,024
Just wondering how often do you format your computer. I barely format nowadays. My next format will most likely be when I get windows 7.
 
6 months on average, except on my laptop. My laptop is the "always has to be working" pc in my house.
 
I format whenever my Windows install breaks, so not very often. The last time I re-installed Windows Vista on this machine was when my hard drive broke, and that was at least a good 8 months ago.
 
I format every 3 days. It keeps my system running in top condition so it never misses a beat. There's some exceptions. If nVidia releases a new driver before the 3 day mark, I reformat. If Microsoft releases a new service pack for any software, I reformat. If I change the background or color scheme, reformat is in order. This also applies for every 11 files I create on my hard disks; gotta reformat. I get so excited watching progress bars and installing drivers and my software over and over again!

/actually, I do it only when needed
 
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Every 6 months or major hardware change/service pack, i use acronis true image on a regular basis.
 
yep 6 months sounds about right here too. I think I am due for one now...let me see...


I installed on 11/23/08, so yep, I am due.
 
I try to go at least a year between formats, but something inevitably breaks and I end up formatting more often. Especially with these Windows 7 Betas, RCs and the like.
 
On my primary system:
With Vista only for large hardware changes, the OS breaks, or HD failure. Though for HD or OS failure I usually just restore an image.
With Xp, same as above or every 4-6 months I would restore a base image to freshen it up whether it needed it or not.
With Win 98, I actually had a 1Gb partition with the contents of the Win98SE CD and the installers for my commonly used apps and drivers to speed up reinstalls as well as get rid of the idiotic "insertWin98 CD now" message that would pop up every other thing you installed during initial setup. Win98 was restored from image or reinstalled nearly monthly on my main system.
For Win 3.x I only ever reinstalled it and DOS over HD failures. I never managed to actually break it.

I have had Win 98 installs last over a year, and an Xp install lasted over 3 years on my wife's PC.
 
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My main computer gets reformatted when I build a new main computer, which is every 18 to 24 months. That computer has everything I need on it, so it needs to always be available. My two or three other computers that I'm playing with might get formatted every 6 months (or sooner with the Win 7 betas) because they just have games on them, so it doesn't take too long to reformat one with some new setup.
 
I built my current system back in July of last year and haven't done a clean install since. Vista has been running great.

Windows 7 arrives in October of course so I'll be doing a fresh install then.
 
With my last computer I went like 3 years on 1 XP install. On this computer I have reinstalled several times just because sometimes it's easier to do that then to try to fix things you break :)
 
rflcptr said:
I format every 3 days. It keeps my system running in top condition so it never misses a beat. There's some exceptions. If nVidia releases a new driver before the 3 day mark, I reformat. If Microsoft releases a new service pack for any software, I reformat. If I change the background or color scheme, reformat is in order. This also applies for every 11 files I create on my hard disks; gotta reformat. I get so excited watching progress bars and installing drivers and my software over and over again!

/actually, I do it only when needed
Click to expand...

I thought you were serious at first. I was about to say you need your head checked lol.

I format once a year maybe.
 
About every 6 months for me. I get bored with whatever OS I'm using and play with something else. It's kind of a hobby.
 
Never. Generally the initial installation lasts the lifetime of the system.

I do image the system every 3-4 months, but I can't remember the last time I needed to restore a backed up image. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago...?
 
Only when needed. I did it a lot in the Win95/98 days, but with XP/Vista hardly ever.
 
dear god you ppl reinstall that much

hrm let me see :>

Install Date: 2/29/2008 9:16:11 PM

Still works great too. Doing the whole reinstall thing for me is always a self inflicted wound unless I have a drive fail, which is what happened last time :(.
 
Every time I get a new windows 7 build I reformat. Often times just once a month but more now since Windows 7 builds
 
I don't. I tend to just build new computers which I am holding off right now for a reason to do so.

I really need to research building a HTPC/DVR so I am set when the new fall shows start back up.
 
cough cough never.. :p still using the original xp install/partition from 4 years ago on this system.. i just do a non destruction system repair once a year to clean out all the useless and unused system files that have been added over the course of the year..
 
rflcptr said:
I format every 3 days. It keeps my system running in top condition so it never misses a beat. There's some exceptions. If nVidia releases a new driver before the 3 day mark, I reformat. If Microsoft releases a new service pack for any software, I reformat. If I change the background or color scheme, reformat is in order. This also applies for every 11 files I create on my hard disks; gotta reformat. I get so excited watching progress bars and installing drivers and my software over and over again!

/actually, I do it only when needed
Click to expand...

Lool. Isn't there a medical term for people like you?
 
If I go more than 3 weeks without a clean install I'd think the world was coming to an end, been doing that for oh... since even before Windows 95 came out, go figure.

Longest single installation of an OS on my own hardware? 3 months 24 days ~14 hours, give or take a bit, XP Pro x64 about 2 years ago, but that was a big huge rarity for me.

Once Windows 7 is officially RTM, I've already got two copies lined up through attending two upcoming conferences, might get another one or two once Microsoft lines up more events, and there's always the release day stuff too; they may have something here in Vegas happening and I could potentially snag another copy or two.

After that, I do plan to build a nice i7 box with 24GB of RAM in it and that's going to be my primary machine for the next 2 years or so, with one installation of Windows 7 x64, and most of that RAM assigned to RAMdisk duties for testing out entire installations of any OS I care to throw at it.
 
I'd say I reformat and clean install once a year. Depends on the machine, the OS, and what has been done to it. I've got a FreeNAS box that's been running 24/7 for 3 years. No reformat, rather, on the fly OS firmware updates that just require a reboot.
 
I go as long as I can..... many many years. My Win XP install before Vista was 3 yrs old. This Vista install is over a year old.
 
I know a guy that's still running his original Windows XP installation - the install date on his machine (pulled up from systeminfo at a Command Prompt) shows Oct 29 2001. I shudder to think someone else has such an installation and how bad it probably runs, but he's consistently stating "it runs fine, no problems" and I just don't believe it. :)

Tried to offer him a free upgrade a few years ago, new mobo/more powerful CPU, more RAM, better video card, etc, but he said no thanks... I'll never figure it out myself.
 
When I was on XP i'd reformat every few months. On Vista and 7 once a year maybe. If something wonky is going on or i'm bored.

I will also do it if I get a new motherboard or of course a new version of windows.
 
With XP I found myself formatting/reinstalling every 90 days or so. Since Vista, I've only formatted when Service Packs were released.

Now on my test machines, I'm with Joe Average... every few weeks.
 
My main gaming rig...I'm going on over 4 years I think...XPp. And it runs like a champ....still quite fast even compared to some of todays rigs...it's a first generation Core 2 Duo when they first came out. Rock stable. She runs 24x7x365

I often redo my primary laptop about every 2 years....frequently get a new laptop or just upgrade the OS to something, or get a new hard drive and redo a dual boot Winders/*nix setup.

Other laptops....same installation til they die and get tossed or turn into some *nix router for someone.

Office computer..every couple of years. Also runs 24x7x365...never turned off.

Back in the Win9X days and aggresive installing/uninstalling various software and games, I'd format and reinstall twice or three times a year or so. But since 2K came out..just haven't had the need. One you get experienced with computers and know how to keep yours healthy/in good shape..and what not to do, it'll run like a champ. And you can use all that free time to do things like...enjoy real life.
 
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