A friend told me that it is a good idea once a year to remove all downloaded programs and start from scratch. Just start out w/the programs your computer came with.
2006-07-27 08:33:17 · 8 answers · asked by mtngal_1966 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
If you do regular clean ups and maintenance (defrag, etc.) then there is no need to do any of that. It's just like a car, change the oil regularly and you are fine, wait until you see smoke and it is to late.
2006-07-27 08:41:15 · answer #1 · answered by EG345 4 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Your friend is right. It rejuvenates the computer and makes it work like new. However, it really is a big hassle so what most people do is do that once, and when all the programs are installed, create a Norton Ghost image of the computer, and then rather than formating and reinstalling each and every software everytime, you can just re-image the computer, which requires very few steps and just takes like 5 to 10 mins.
I actually do this like every two months or so since it is soooo convenient.
2006-07-27 15:42:18 · answer #2 · answered by Turak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After 3 1/2 years working on my PC, i reluctantly reformatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows XP. It had to be done because my system was becoming more and more problematic. Windows system invariable become unstable over time. After installing and removing program, a large number of system files and obsolete registry keys start to form. In my case, my PC refused to install new problems and on multiple occasions it reported my account profile was corrupted.
If you feel your PC has reached a point where glitches are a daily nuisance then it is time to reinstall Windows. Reinstalling Windows is no small feat. You need to backup all your files, drivers and settings before reinstalling. In addition, after reinstalling, you have to download all of Microsoft's security patches and bug fixes.
Remember the old adage "if it ain't broke don't try to fix it."
2006-07-27 16:12:26 · answer #3 · answered by What the...?!? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gawd ... what a major pain in the butt. i agree with the other answer(s). i'd uninstall things i haven't used in awhile, clear out the temp files, download all those updates i'd procrastinated, general housekeeping, and i do that at least a couple times a year. but to format the whole drive and start from scratch every year would just be ... gosh, what ... prohibitively redundant. unnecessary.
2006-07-27 15:42:33 · answer #4 · answered by Tara 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What a pain...
No, you may want to go through and uninstall things you do not use any more. You don't need to format and reinstall Windows though. That is too much of a hassle. Your friend is off his/her rocker.
2006-07-27 15:36:21 · answer #5 · answered by Duds331 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the only thing you need to do is get rid of files that you no longer use and at least defrag it once every six months.
2006-07-27 15:39:28 · answer #6 · answered by erniemigi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, you should if you are a computer enthusiast
if you are a normal user then you should just keep your computer the way it is
2006-07-27 15:39:13 · answer #7 · answered by austin_penguin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no just try to upgrade regularly.
2006-07-27 16:00:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋