When do you think it's a good time to reformat?

Question

I heard you should reformat your PC atleast once a year because of all the crap you've uninstalled and reinstalled and etc. Is this true? My PC is still running in tip top shape, very fast, no problems, responsive.. I only have 23 processes boot up and I keep everything tight and clean with registry cleaners, spyware/malware scans and nod32 for virus protection.

Do you think it's worth a reformat?

Honestly, what would I be benefitting from with the current condition of my machine?
(Asking now because this week, I do have the time and effort to get it done)

Thanks in advance,

Dom

Answer 1

If your PC is not showing any signs of strange behavior and has not slowed down then it is fine and you do not have to reformat. Reformatting is really for cleaning up when all is just going to bad to be easily fixed.

Answer 2

You can go here; http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx and find some simple tools to help clean things up if you want, they free and fairly small programs. Things like a registry clean up etc.
I see nothing wrong with a reformat and full install, if, you know what going on. I not use a lot of Virus software and if there a problem it easy to reformat. Remember this erase everything on the HDD, so, I keep all my files and pictures etc., on an external HDD so, if I reformat I not lose things I want to keep. But, never had to reformat and on the laptop still using Windows 98 SE. I can put Windows 2000 Pro on it, but, as mentioned above, if, it work why fix it. It as fast as anyother computer.

Answer 3

It takes a great deal of time to reformat. This means that you would insert the Operating system disk, and pick the DELETE option to delete the existing partition. To reformat might take an hour. To install might take 30 minutes. Getting the drivers working might take 20 more minutes. Getting Windows Updates might take another hour. Installing all of your software might take another hour. Replacing your important data from backup might take time too.

I go by the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". There will be a time when you realize that your hard drive is too fragmented, or you have a virus that is simply too hard to RIP OUT, or your hard drive will actually FAIL.

If you are using a self-healing NTFS file system with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you simply do not need to reformat as a maintenance procedure. Do these maintenance procedures instead:

- Backup
- Disk Cleanup
- CHECK DISK ( from drive properties)
- Defrag
- Anti-spyware scans
- Anti-virus scans
- selected Windows Updates.
(Then do them again)

Good luck and Happy Computing!

Answer 4

Personally, I always reformat and reinstall my operating system. Mainly it is just to clean stuff out and have a new install.
It is not a requirement, just personal preference is all.

If your system is running great, then you don't need to do a reformat. But I would recommend backing up your system once a week in case you do have a problem.

Answer 5

I wouldn't reformat unless you have problems. Re-installing all your applications and data can sometimes take days. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Answer 6

Reformat? Viruses? Spyware? What are those? I use Linux.

Answer 7

well
if everything is fine & fit its a waste of time .
Dont do it unless there r a mountain of junk & u dont know really how to remove.
good luck!!!!!!!!