Windows XP forum: Reasons behind reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows OS?

If you hand your PC or laptop in to a repair shop or send it back to the manufacturer, they will almost invariably automatically format and restore your PC to "when it was new" regardless of whether it needs it or not. If you phone a "helpline" the first step they will want to walk you through is to "find the restore disks which came with your machine..."

There goes years of work...... (you did have it all backed up didn't you?)

There are more than a few (lazy or just stupid) individual PC users who think this is the "right thing to do"

It should be the very last resort. Most software problems can be resolved - although it takes time and a lot of patience. Once in a while a virus, or, more likely, a botched attempt at removing a virus will cripple the OS so a fresh install may be the only option but before you do so - look at the work which lies ahead. All your hardware drivers need to be re-installed (do you still have the disks?) then updated (how many hours of download - if the drivers are still available) Service packs and updates need to be applied (more hours of download and repeated re-boots) Software has to be re-installed (again - where are the disks? Where are the software keys? "Dear Microsoft / Adobe / Cubase / Anyone else who activates on-line, could you PLEASE let me use my software again - I've had to re-install windows...."
Now, where's your address book? Your bookmarks? Your documents? Your network settings? Your mapped drives????

And so it goes on......

There are occasions when there is no alternative - a hard drive failure, user error in trying to "tweak" something, or malicious software or malware getting it's hooks in and doing some real damage (probably rarer than we are lead to believe)

But as a routine maintenance task - absolutely not!

Over time, deleted programmes leave a lot of clutter in the Windows Registry - this slows any computer down; in the worst cases to a crawl. This occures when updates replace an original programme as not all updates simply modify an existing. A programme deletion almost always does not delete everything, Nero software is an excellent example.
Some registry cleaners delete unused Windows OS files which can lead to failures if these files are required in the furture, so "only use authorised or recommended software" is excellent advice.
Marketing outlets also leave unseen entries on a computer and these are frequently highly sophisticated methods to extract details of your marketing interests.
Many types of "corruption" to Windows files cannot be safely removed without damaging the integrity of Windows files. Obviously, if you do not visit the internet (rarely achieved these days) and especially if you do not have an efficient firewall, virus/trojan remover, etc. you will accumulate rubbish proportionate to your use of the internet. Hackers and the like "ping" the net (rather like a submarine sonar) to find a user on line and will then send their spyware to that user who will remain totally unaware of it without suitable protection.
A re-format can prove essential to wipe boot corruptions for instance.
It is not a fault of Windows or any other OS - rather, it is the price we all pay for having a "free" internet.

"You don't need to back up the programs just your data."

So, you should ignore any and all updates to your applications? If you've been running any app more than 6 months, there's a good chance it will no longer be the same as it was on your installation media.

"When viruses modify the entries, it causes crashes to the program."

Cynical answer #1: Any user who doesn't use antivirus and firewall software deserves whatever happens to them. Even the free AV and firewall packages are better than nothing.

Wishful answer #2. The only sure way to avoid registry-related problems is to use an operating system that doesn't use a registry, such as Linux or Mac OS X.

"The truth is that windows can not be properly 'cleaned'. Once something gets into the registry there is no way to remove all of it."

Sorry, but this is just plain wrong. A <u>good</u> registry cleaner can do the job easily. Unfortunately, the majority of registry cleaners are <u>not</u> good. Many are scareware which can do as much harm as good. A few are outright Trojans masquerading as useful utilities. Stick with IObit, Ccleaner, or Registry Mechanic and they'll all do the job quite competently. However, the first line of defense against a slowing machine is disk defragmentation, not registry cleaning.

hello
hoping you can help, I did a reinstall due to my stupidity in not replacing my anitvuris proteciton when it expired.
but now after the reinstall i have only 8 gb out of a 450 gb dirve!
Pleae can you hlep me figure out what wnet worong and how to fix it, I dont have money to take to shop, lol, is why im diy at this point! Any hlpe will be so greatfully appreciated!

"I, as a "heavy user", format and reinstall about every three months."

My primary Windows computer runs 24/7/365, has ~250 installed applications (many with custom drivers)), is typically running ~100 processes, yet I only have to reinstall Windows every 18-24 months - most often in response to a total system failure following a service pack release. How much more do I need to do in order to qualify as a "heavy user"?

Hi Stephanie,

I am no computer genius like many of the folks on this forum, but I do like to reformat computers every couple of years.

Over time, regardless of the operating system, updates and downloads are going to slow down your system. Take a look at how long your system takes to fully start up. If it is taking more than a minute or two, I like to reformat. A clean reformat will get rid of startup programs you may not need any more, and your boot time will improve.

Another good reason for reformatting is system speed. Much like the startup scenario, as you download and install programs, your system will begin slowing down as different programs vie for system attention. Adobe wants to update, as does your printer. Windows Media Player looks for album information, and so does iTunes.

Many programs run in the background, and each one that does is using your resources.

What I do normally is look at what programs I use regularly, and write them down to download after the reformat. If I do not use it, or have gotten rid of the hardware, I do not reinstall it.

Lastly, be sure to back up files you may want to keep, i.e. documents, pictures, or music.

I hope this helps you understand reformatting better.

Good Luck

Eric

I'm sure that you will get much more tech-savvy replies, but this one is short and easily understood. Over time the Windows registry, the Achilles heel of Windows, becomes corrupted by such things as program installation, uninstalls and the internal workings of Windows itself. There are basically two ways to correct this situation (dangerous registry repair programs notwithstanding). Run Windows repair from your installation disk which is unpredictable in terms of results and doing a "clean install". The latter overwrites all the existing Windows files - backup any data you have on the disk - and ends up with a new, unsullied version to run with. It's like the first day you got your PC. Just make sure that automatic updates is turned on. You will get a torrent of them after the reinstall.

Here's a heretical piece of news - Win OS's are "unstable".

There are many reasons:
1. Programs are installed and deinstalled, leaving fragments (particularly .dlls (dynamic linking libraries - AKA subprograms) behind and referential traces of themselves ("keys") in Registry (the master list of customized program settings).
2. Programs incompletely or "too completely" deinstall themselves, remove more of less of the Registry than they should.
3. The disk becomes full and fragmented to the point it is too full to defrag.
4. Data, for what ever reason becomes corrupted (remember that power failure in the midst of that critical task?)
5. You have a virus, etc. that you just can't get rid of.

Microsoft would like you to believe that this never happens; I know many people who have junked their perfectly fine computer (maybe needin a RAM upgrade for $50) because they won't reload their harddisk. After all, its good for business to sell new hardware, and new copy of Vista, right?

My IS dept. taught me the right way to do this.
1. Try the usual tricks to save your current "load".
__a. BACK UP YOUR DATA to different media (like CD/DVD, external hard-drive)!!!
__b. Reliably virus scan your disk with two different products (I use AVG as one of them, and there are many others).
__c. Use a decent Registry Cleaner (such as free CCleaner) to remove as much garbage as possible. Run as many times as needed until there are no more Registry items to repair.
__d. Defrag the disk several times.
2. Failing that, BACK UP YOU DATA AGAIN!!!
3. Go to the PC manufacturer's site and download a complete set of current drivers (including the most recent BIOS); burn these to a CD. This is particularly true of Laptops which may have 10 or 15 drivers.
3. Reload XP from scratch as you do this...
4. Partition your disk into three partitions.
__a. The C: partition is for your data (50% - NTFS)
__b. The D: partition is for your backed-up data (30% - NTFS)
__c. The E: partition is for install program files (including a copy of XP), drivers , etc.
__d. Rationale - if your C: drive gets corrupted again, you can restore from the D: partition where a disk image will reside when you are done. This will NOT save you from a catastrophic disk failure if the whole drive dies!
5. Reload XP and all the new drivers (well, maybe not all - read the descriptions an see how many you REALLY need - particularly or Laptops).
6. Fully patch XP.
7. Set up XP to your liking (menus, screen settings, etc.)
8. Use a disk imager to create a "virgin" image of your new install and store it on the D: drive (I use Acronis, there are certainly others).
9. Install Office
10. Fully patch Office
11. Configure Office
12. Use a disk imager to create a "virgin" image of your new install and store it on the D: drive (do this as a complete, not incremental image.
13. Install other programs that you expect to be "stable" over time.
14. Use a disk imager to create a "virgin" image of your new install and store it on the D: drive
15. Restore your data from your Back-up source.

Bottom line - this process may take you an hour longer (the time to make the images), but this is probably minimal compared to the time of the whole re-load itself. The payoff is the NEXT time your system needs reloading, this is nothing more than a 15 minute process of extracting the right image on the D: drive and reloading your data. Of course - make sure you BACK UP YOUR DATA to you D: drive before doing this.

Large business take advantage of this process when they have multiple identical PC's and can "clone" the same image to many, saving huge amounts of time for new purchases.

Good luck!

THIS RESPONSE (to the question) WILL LIKELY BE INSIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM MANY OTHERS, AND SO I'M JUST ADDING IT ONLY FOR THOSE (like myself) WHO PREFER TO READ CAPs!

__ I, MYSELF, FIGURE THAT IF YOUR PC WAS NEVER USED ON THE WWW.NET, AND YOU NEVER INSTALLED ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE,, THEN YOUR PC'S OS (XP or otherwise), WOULD LIKELY NEVER NEED TO BE REINSTALLED/REFRESHED (for the purpose of solving the problems which other PCers have claimed that a refreshed/reinstalled OS will fix).
BUT INSTALLING & UNINSTALLING SOFTWARE (even the [nonOS] software-programs which originally came with your new PC), AND ALL KINDS OF JUNK PICKED-UP FROM THE INTERNET, WILL CONTAMINATE YOUR PC AND MAY CAUSE ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS WHICH IMPAIR YOUR PC'S PERFORMANCE, (most notably it's speed!).
__ NOW A PC-GENIUS COULD SPEND MANY, MANY HOURS FINDING & ELIMINATING ALL THE NON-OS DATA WHICH HAS ACCUMULATED & CONTAMINATED THE OS BUT, IT'S FAR EASIER TO JUST GET IT ALL RENDERED INOPERABLE (along with the OS), BY CLEARING THE ENTIRE DRIVE AND REINSTALLING A FRESH OS!
ALL THAT WILL GET DONE (by doing so), WILL JUST BE TO GET YOUR PC TO RUN AS WELL AS IT'S OS IS CAPABLE OF, (which should be even better than when your PC was new, cuz your OS will then be the only software on your PC).
(NOW THAT YOU'VE READ THIS, I'LL BET YOU'RE THINKING THAT YOU SHOULD'VE REALIZED THIS ON YOUR OWN.)
HOW OFTEN YOU MAY WISH TO REINSTALL/REFRESH YOUR OS, DEPENDS ON THE RATE AT WHICH YOU ALLOW YOUR PC TO GET RECONTAMINATED.
STAY OFF-LINE FROM THE INTERNET, AND YOU MAY THEN NEVER NEED TO DO THE TASK.
__ IT'S A VERY GREAT SHAME THAT SO MANY (otherwise good) PCs HAVE BEEN DISCARDED (and replaced with new) BY THEIR USERS, SIMPLY BECAUSE THE OS GOT CONTAMINATED BY NORMAL USE! ... WHEN ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, WAS TO JUST REFRESH OR REPLACE THE OS.

____ NEXT, (for all those of you who have enjoyed reading all my handsome CAPs thus far), I HAVE WONDERFUL ADVICE! ...
WHENEVER YOU DO REINSTALL YOUR OS, BE SURE TO INSTALL IT (at least) TWICE (on your main-drive)! ... TO BEGET A 'DUAL-BOOT' (or multi-boot) PC.
__ I CAN'T BEGIN (here) TO TELL YOU ALL HOW GREAT IT IS TO HAVE ALL THE ADVANTAGES WHICH YOU COULD THEN HAVE BY DOING SO! ... AND THUS HAVING YOUR PC GIVE YOU MORE THAN JUST ONE OS TO CHOOSE TO BOOT TO ON THE SAME PC!!
FOR ONE, YOU CAN USE ONE OS FOR GOING ON-LINE, AND THE OTHER OS FOR JUST YOUR IMPORTANT WORK ONLY!!
FOR ANOTHER ADVANTAGE, YOU COULD INSTALL DIFFERENT ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS FOR EACH OS, (as many will not work together on the same OS), AND THUS BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING MORE THAN ONE AV-PROGRAM TO CLEAN YOUR ENTIRE PC, (as one often finds something which another missed)!
AND SO WHEN YOUR OS USED FOR WEB-SURFING GETS KNOCKED-OUT OF SERVICE, YOU COULD THEN SIMPLY REBOOT YOUR PC TO ANOTHER OS AND USE IT'S INSTALLED AV-PROGRAM TO CLEAN THE INOPERABLE OS WHICH PICKED-UP THE VIRUS/MALWARE, WITH NO PROBLEM (actively working against the AV-program)!
AND THERE'S STILL MORE! ... FOR SOME ADDITIONAL INFO ON DUAL-BOOT, YA COULD LOOK-UP SOME OF MY OTHER POSTINGS.

____ I DO INVITE ANYONE (who KNOWS better), TO CONTEST ANYTHING I'VE STATED, AS I OF COURSE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING! _ (AND I DON'T WISH TO POSSIBLY MISLEAD ANYONE!)
SO I WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO ANYONE'S CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS!

I HAVE RUN DUAL-BOOT PCs FOR MANY YEARS, AND ALSO HAVE BEEN USING MULTI-BOOT PCs. _ I'VE ALSO DONE MORE THAN MY SHARE OF OS INSTALLATIONS AS WELL, BUT MOST RE-INSTALLATIONS WERE NOT DONE BECAUSE THE OS NEEDED TO BE REFRESHED!
INDEED NONE OF THE OSs WHICH WERE KEPT OFF THE WWW.NET HAVE EVER ACTED OR DISPLAYED ANY SIGN AT ALL THAT WOULD MAKE ME EVEN CONSIDER REFRESHING THE OS!!
AND WITH THE MORE THAN ADEQUATE RELIABILITY OF HARD-DRIVES, I THINK IT'S QUITE FAIR TO CLAIM THAT IF KEPT OFF THE INTERNET, THE CHANCES ARE THAT MOST ANY XP-OS INSTALLATION WOULD LAST LONGER THAN ANY OTHER M$-OS'S EXPECTED-LIFE. _ AND THAT'S WHAT I MEANT BY "NEVER NEED TO BE REINSTALLED".
I SUPPOSE THAT IF ONE HAD THE BAD-LUCK OF GETTING A POORER THAN AVERAGE HARD-DRIVE, THEY THEN MIGHT STILL NEED TO REFRESH OR REPAIR THE OS BUT, THAT SHOULD BE A RARE OCCURRENCE ON ANY PC WHICH HAS SEEN ONLY AVERAGE USE.


____CONCERNING THE COMMENT ABOUT CAPs...
AS WAS POINTED-OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF MY POSTING, I USED CAPs (for the main parts of the text) SO THAT THOSE WHO PREFER TO READ POSTS DONE IN CAPS, WOULD HAVE A POSTING TO CHOOSE FOR READING!
THOSE WHO DON'T CARE TO READ WHAT THEY THINK IS "SHOUTING", MAY SKIP-OVER TO ANOTHER POSTING.
__ I, FOR ONE, REALLY DON'T SEE WHY ANYONE EVER NEEDS TO 'SHOUT' WHAT THEY'RE WRITING, ANYHOW! _ CERTAINLY THE USE OF THE SUPERIOR LOOKING CAP-LETTERS SHOULD NOT BE RELEGATED TO JUST THE VERY RARE TIMES WHEN SOMEBODY THINKS THAT THEIR WRITING NEEDS TO BE 'SHOUTING'!! _ (I WONDER WHAT IDIOT THOUGHT-UP THAT STUPID RULE ANYHOW!?)
CERTAINLY IN THE FUTURE WHEN THIS WHOLE BIT OF CURRENT NON-SENSE CONCERNING THE USE OF CAPs (for just on the net only) HAS PAST INTO HISTORY, THE USE OF CAPs ALONG WITH lower-case LETTERING WILL THEN HAVE A FAR MUCH MORE LOGICAL INTER-USAGE! ... (SUCH AS CAPs FOR THE MAIN-THOUGHTS OF THE TEXT, AND NON-CAPs FOR THE LESS IMPORTANT SIDE-NOTES.)

And for most of us trying to clean a registry is fraught with problems and pitfalls. I'm sure that more tech savvy folks can edit/clean up without it but I have found that reformatting and reinstalling XP about once a year gets rid of a lot of orphaned DLLs, registry entries, etc and significantly improves performance. I do mine on Super Sunday while watching the game,pre-game, and post game shows which is how long it takes me to do the reinstall including other applications, updates etc. Having given up on Vista early on I don't know if this works on that OS.

In an effort to "protect" the user Microsoft from him or herself,(and Apple for that matter)design their products to save all kinds of junk so they slowly pollute themselves over time and slow to a crawl. Periodic disk cleanup and maintenance helps but you eventually start loosing the battle.

I once heard someone much wiser than me compare the formating of a computer to the rebuilding of a car.

Going back about 20 years ago when this was easier, you could rebuild the engine, transmission, replace the rubber parts (hoses, belts and such), new tires, and so on. While the car is still old, chances are you just gave it a new lease on life and maybe another 100K miles.

A slightly similar situation when you format your computer. You're rebuilding the OS and attached programs. While everything is still old and used, it's putting everything back on the HDD in a slightly better state - perhaps. I've done it several times over the years and I'm always better off in the end. My computer tends to run better for the first six months.

~ Hondo

Hello, you have a pretty happy machine from the store, then you surf, piling up more cookies than there are stars in the universe, install and unistall programs (because you can), download who knows what, open email (possibly from Satin himself), run an OS built by a money hungry uncaring milti-billion dollar company that is itself both a target for demons and is actually a work-in-progress untill the day Microsoft stops supporting it, to force you to buy the next unstable half functioning version and wonder why people reload?