Desktops forum: Poll: How many times have you resorted to reformatting...

Be very careful when trying to set up a dual, or in my case, triple, boot. I had Win98 and WinXP Home coexisting just great for a couple of years. Then, when trying to put SUSE 10.1 on another partition, I answered the install question wrong and overwrote the boot info. After trying many options it was just better to wipe and re-install. Booting with multiple OS can seem simple at first, but it is not and there is no product I could find that would do an easy rescue, and I tried a bunch. Other than that, I have not had much bad luck in the wipe/reinstall arena.

Prior to finding a good registry repair a year ago,
I did a "clean install" (format/erase HDD and install fresh)
whenever the system became corrupt or slowed down:
_monthly for 95SE, 98SE, ME
_quarterly for XP without registry repair
_yearly for XP with registry repair for the purpose
of updating applications and removing hidden crapware.

Advanced System Optimizer, SysTweak works for me but
when I first used it I had to do a "clean install"
to undo my "tweaks". I do not use the ASO "tweaks" !
The Startup Manager, Registry Repair, Registry Defragmenter
work without problems. It has corrected some serious problems
like startup and shutdown problems common to HP drivers.

Also, I am experimenting with utilities for
better HDD defrag and memory management/RAM clean
to keep the system fast and responsive.
Mine and others slowed down with this years, Security Suites.

I was on the verge of reformatting with my three year old ABS 4600 this spring. The machine kept freezing--requiring reboots as frequently as 8X/day.

Fortunately, this problem was raised in the "Community Help and How To" Newsletter. I followed the instructions to the point of reformatting without success. Then, on a whim, I removed McAfee (the subscription was due for renewal anyway) and replaced it with a smaller program, Avasti.

So far, no screen freezes, no viruses, no malware, etc. etc. Best of all no need to reformat the hard drive. However, should the problem recurr, I'm buying a Mac!

First time was because of a virus. It was 5-6 years ago and did not think I needed virus protection. i know better now.

Second time was when I installed Vista over XP and was using a older registry cleaner. Started to have features like photo viewing quit working, and network sharing problems. after doing a clean install of Vista all has been working fine. I also quit using registry cleaners.

I never have had to reformat my computer(s). I always run anti-virus and firewall (except during games). If I have a system failure of some sort, I go to my other computer and google it, ask people on forums (such as cnet), and ask friends. Eventually I get it worked out and everything is fine.

One example, was when one of my computers wouldn't connect to the internet. I asked tech support from different places. I then learned that it was my Firewall. I had uninstalled it because it was giving my problems, but it never completely uninstalled. It left the firewall there and it blocked anything and everything from connecting to the internet. So I reinstalled it, and it worked!

So my advice is to work with it. If you have valuable information, try and back it up with a Live-CD of Linux, such as Knoppix. If you don't have access to another computer at home, try getting to one and work, or at the library. Then Google it and ask people on forums and try and figure whats wrong.

Its never happening to me, but I do have a Sony VAIO. As far as I know I won't have this issue if I stay away from gateway, dell, and other cheap brands.

I can't recall a single time when the only solution I had available was to wipe my hard drive, re-format, and, reinstall. This is not to say I haven't chosen this option because it was the least painful. I have re-formatted on many occasions but it was a choice, not the only way to remedy my problem. I'm willing to bet most people who indicated they had to do this either chose to or were not aware of their options.
If your drive fails outright then a re-format won't help.
In fact, I think I've even resurected a couple of drives without reformating.
Back in the cold dark days of DOS there actually were occasions where you needed to low level format and then format but that was a long long time ago.
Other tips:
Backup your entire drive, not just the data.
Keep a boot disk or CD handy.
Learn to use the MS-windows "repair console" or whatever they call it. It gives you DOS like access to the operating system.
Use the repair function built into Windows XP and Vista.

Lets begin by saying, that if it were'nt for Anti Virus programs or spamware protection programs losing their usefulness, having to remove them from your system so other programs replacing them would run just fine, we all would be just happy...!

Curiosity gets the best of me and I would get into the registry. Not knowing what I was doing, would merrily go on my way and try to clean it up. Purchasing Registry Mechanic ended up being much cheaper than taking it to a technician. Also started paying attention and doing backups.

... to stop formatting every time I ran into trouble and to start actually figuring out my problems.

Since then not only have I stuck with my same system but I have learned a hell of a lot.

Back in the old days when I had dial up, I was browsing my computer settings when I came across a button that said "remove modem". Thinking that the modem was a piece of hardware that couldn't be deleted, I clicked it, and was then unable to get on the internet. So I had to restore my computer.

On my old HP 733 MHZ, for the past couple of years reformatting was all I done every six to seven months. It was so insane that eventually the machine was replaced back in March with a 3 gig HP a1750y series custom model from hp.

A note for those getting a newer pc, beware that one must make the boot disc themselves. It doesn't come with the machine like it use to, so have a dvd handy or about 19 cd-rws ready. When I attempted to make my disc with the software provided, there was a glitch. I had to contact hp where they promptly mailed a boot disc out to me. The practice is stupid. They should have just done that anyway.

When I first got a PC back in 1994 or thereabouts I was advised by a computer savvy friend "DO NOT TURN YOUR PC OFF - EVER"

Reason being is that the state of all the components changes, and this wears them out. Far better to leave them all on all the time - no changes of state, no changes of temperature, etc.

If this is true, it sheds some light on the recent calls to "SWITCH OFF YOUR COMPUTER WHEN NOT IN USE" to help combat global warming. Because if it is true, it means that you damage your PC and will need a new one sooner, which is precisely what "they" want.

You will save less energy by turning off regularly and then having to buy a new one with all its embodied energy, than by leaving on permanently.

I would welcome comments on this. I have also recently read that if you leave your PC on, the hard disk keeps turning, and that this tires out the motor bearings, bringing about earlier failure - and the need for a new PC! But surely you can keep your PC on without the hard disk turning all the time?

Comments please!

I do hope my computer doesn't ever use more electricity than my central air unit. Then I might consider shutting it off. I would bet it uses less than my oscillating fan though. Besides that if computers needed to be shut off from time to time the whole damn country would just go dark because just about every thing is run by them anymore. Far less money to replace a drive once in a great while than the power to run it. I mean this soley as another honest opinion and nothing more.

The Pharaoh

A few years ago my 15 GB disk started failing but only after it was on for 1 or 2 minutes. The system could not read or write anything to it anymore. I wanted to copy all 'important' information on it, so I took it out and placed it in the refrigerator at 4C for an hour. I connected it back to the pc, and it gave me 10...15 minutes now. I did this twice and had my copy.

Second case: the mechanical part of the disk were still OK, but something went wrong with the electronical part (the pcb of the hard disk). I could replace it with an identical one from another drive, and could get back all data without problem.