Regular reformatting of hard drive & reinstall Windows

[herrslime]

Many people seem to think that reformatting their hard drive on a regular basis and reinstalling Windows is required to maintain their computer. I have seen where people do this every 2 or 3 months.

Personally I think that reformatting and reinstalling Windows is the very last resort to solving a problem.

Anyone have any good articles that support or debunk this practice?

 

[bcastner]

I agree. In the absence of a specific problem that could be cured by a reinstall, I see no reason to do so for XP.

This assumes though that the OS is up-to-date from Windows Update, that the Disk Cleanup and defragmentation tools are used semi-regularly, that you do not install every piece of software you see, that an Antivirus program is installed and set for Active scanning, and some diligence is shown in the sites visited on the Internet and the use of malware cleaners.

In addition, it helps to clean and pack the Registry semi-regularly, as well as back it up with proper tools.

It has been three years since I last reinstalled XP on the workstation I am typing this note. It seems to be working fine. It is on 24/7 and rebooted only from storms that knock out the mains power to the site.

The best argument for regular reinstalling is that it does allow you to start with a clean registry. Regular use of a good registry cleaner and register optomizer can do a great deal to make this argument less compelling.

 

[DestinysDream]

I have heard of people using this who are technically sound and don't want to troubleshoot a problem. They just tell everyone to reload the OS and it will be fine. Some of this is probably chalked up to laziness. Never seen anything in writing though. I had to teach users to stop reloading their computers every 3 months and call me when they had a problem. Good Luck you are not alone on this problem.

If anyone calls and says "I know a little something about computers" just tell them to reformat it.

 

[bcastner]

Many corporate sites just re-image in the interest of time, and the fact that the OS and software application image is essentially controlled. They only do this when there is a problem with the machine, such as a virus or a user mangling of the OS, not as a preventative maintenance step. I have some sympathy with this attitude in a corporate setting.

 

[linney]

In times past when stability was a problem with older operating systems such as 98 or ME this may have been a valid procedure. XP is so stable by comparison that it is not really necessary to use this as a maintenance tool.

 

[herrslime]

THanks for all your input. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

 

[gpalmer711]

I have a slightly different opinion on this matter, I tend to do a fresh install every 6 months or so.

I have a single machine that I use at home, this is used for everything, software development, web site, office, email, trialing software for others.

While I try and maintain the PC as well as possible and have no problems with the machine at the point where I reload the O/S. I find that once I have reinstalled the system runs much better and that there are not niggly little files around.

I keep all my data backed up regularly and it is always kept on a different drive to Windows.

I have a Unattended setup DVD that I have customised with all my regular applications.

So all I do is start the unattended setup when I go to bed and when I get up I have my fresh new O/s.

That being said I know many people who dread the thought of reinistalling windows, to the point that they wait until the system is unusable before a reinstall. Losing some data in the process.

Greg Palmer
Free Software for Adminstrators

http://www.palmersoft.co.uk