How often should I reformat?

N

NeoNemesis

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 10, 2004
Messages
2,466
Its gotten to the point where, through constant registry playing and whatnot, my comp is starting to act up really badly so I am reformatting. For future reference how often should this be done?
 
I don't have a set schedule, I just do it when I notice that my machine isn't responding as well as it used to. With Win2k this usually ends up being every 9-10 months or so...
 
I guess I'm pretty much at that point then. It's been 9 months since I got my computer.
 
It's good to create an image of your hard drive after your format with all your necessary programs installed. So if you ever need to format again, it'll only take you 15min to reimage your hard drive. Makes formatting so much more convenient and you can do it more often when needed.

I usually format when I notice things getting slow. Other than that, I try not to format too often. However, it usually ends up being an average of 1 in 6 months.
 
If you properly maintain your instalL you shouldn't have to re-install so much....

Do NOT perform any of the so called "tweaks" on the net such as LargeSystemCache, disabling the page file, disabling PreFetch etc... These only cause problems. Do not disable a bunch of services. Despite what the infamous BlackViper says there are VERY few services that can be disabled without affecting important parts of the OS or causing a dependency issue. Disabling the wrong ones will lead to stability and performance problems.

Every so often clean out the "C:\documents and settings\username\local settings\temp" directory. Also clean out "C:\windows\temp\" And then remove any IE plugins you dont use (assuming you use IE) in "C:\windows\downloaded program files" In this folder switch to the Detail view. Any object showing with status Unknown or Damaged should be removed. (this also fixes the famous IE saves as .BMP only bug)

Do NOT defrag every week. You DO NOT need to do it that much. At most maybe once a month. Anymore and you are just wasting your time. Cleaning out temp directories usually gets rid of most fragmented files Therefore defrag is not needed that often, if at all.

If you are worried about a few KB of disk space go into the Program Files directory and delete folders of programs you no longer have.

And if you want to reduce the registry size by a few bytes open RegEdit and go to HKEY_Current_User\Software\ as well as HKEY_Local_Machine\Software and remove keys to programs you no longer have. I don't recommend running any so called Registry Cleaner programs. They don't always work perfect. Occansionally they may remove a entry they shoudn't have....

When you uninstall a program and it asks if you want to remove unused shared components ALWAYS pick YES. If you pick NO those useless files will be left behind.

Visit WindowsUpdate often, download ALL critical patches. Always keep the latest Service Pack installed.

Don't install software that carries SpyWare. If unsure download SpyBot, run it everytime you install a new app. Keep SpyBot up to date!

Keep your drivers up to date!

My current XP install was according to PSInfo installed on 3/11/2003. Its over a year old. It runs just like it did when first installed. No slowdowns or stability problems. It has been through MANY installs/uninstalls, hardware changes, driver updates, etc...
 
The more experienced you get with knowing what's bad and what's good for the system, then you shouldn't have to format that much at all. Just maintain the system like as stated in stevewm's treatise on Windows maintenance and you'll find that performance with Win XP and the like will be pretty much the same for a while.

My other comp is still as zippy over a year later after a clean install of Windows XP.

Of course, I'm just lazy and I don't really want to lose computer time.

Also, a nice tip that has already been stated. When I did a clean install on my latest comp, I updated all drivers and stuff to current, then imaged the windows partition so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of having to install 100s of megs of updates. So everytime you wipe out the windows partition, just install the image and boom, almost good to go.
 
Hopefully never.
One of my rigs has a Win98 install that has been there since 11/97.
A good clean install should last the life of the machine, in my opinion.
A screwed up install can generally be fixed, in my opinion.
(Especially now that Windows has System Restore, and there are so many fine freeware utilities out there.)

However, your mileage may vary... in my opinion. ;)

I admit to performing an overwrite awhile back on this XP Pro machine due to the ineptness of a beta product, and my ineptness at using it. :D
 
been using windows xp since nov 1 2002 here. Just selective on what i install, and i keep windows up to date. Run diskclean up every now and then. Scan for spyware and viruses weekly, and i use Mozilla over IE. Runs smootly and dont plan on formatting untill i buy a bigger hard drive, new mobo, processor, video card and mabey some ram in the summer. Then ill image it again.
 
I end up formatting every 3 - 4 months depending on stuff.. i just think windows fragmentaion sucks... even tho i defrag ever week.. it does no good... everything gets sluggish and i end up just formatting to fix it
 
Originally posted by USMC2Hard4U
I end up formatting every 3 - 4 months depending on stuff.. i just think windows fragmentaion sucks... even tho i defrag ever week.. it does no good... everything gets sluggish and i end up just formatting to fix it
Click to expand...
Get O&O...assuming you have XP.
 
who doesnt have XP? ( retorical question )

and

I got O&O but still after some months its like... wtf
 
Originally posted by USMC2Hard4U
O&O Defrag..

its a 3rd party defragger and its great
Click to expand...
........and it is "must have" software. It can defrag a variety of ways, and can defragment locked files. Also, it can silently defragment in the background when a configurable threshold is reached. It can defrag all of your partitions at the same time, too. Obviously, it isn't freeware, so gather up a few dollars. It has a free trial, though.

O&O is worth every cent.

Sorry about hijacking the thread. It won't happen again! :eek:
 
I reformat every 20 days when windoze asks me to active. just kidding :D

Normally once a year for me. It's starts to get obvious after a while when simple stuff like showing image thumbnails craps out, or you have time to run to the toilet between restarts. I keep all my keeper stuff on the 2nd drive so format/reinstalls are a piece of cake.
 
For the average user, I'd recommend doing a Repair install every 6 months, and a complete reformat every year. I, on the other hand, am not an average user. I am constantly installing, uninstalling, and tweaking. I've had my laptop for 7 months, and have reformatted 3 times, so about every 2 months. Speaking of which, I'll be doing it agin soon :p
 
ok let me ask this now, since im getting 9800 pro in a week and i have had this install for a year now, i think i want to reformat, what is the best imaging program that i can backup a fresh format off of? i heard ghost was good
 
I personally like what used to be PowerQuest Drive Image 7.0. Last December they were bought out by Symantec. Ghost 2003 is good but I don't like the fact that it has no mouse suppoert in DOS. Both programs support writing to a DVD burner.
 
yea, I mean, there isnt really a set time when you should reformat, just when things start to slow down, crashes of explorer are usually a good time to reformat.

BUT, make sure you knows its not your display drivers making bad things happen, they can cause VERY wierd things sometimes (like computer randomly just instantly turning off and rebooting) I had a lot of problems with drivers. Make sure you run drivercleaner (now 3.0) when you install any new drivers of new hardware too.

I like to use Ghost BTW, but not the way that they are describing. Becaue a lot of current things whenever you make that disk will almost gaurenteed to be out of date. I just use the install CD and reformat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top