Format and reinstall?

[Pr0d1gy]

Well, I posted a thread over in the storage section looking for help with a possibly failing hard drive. After describing the symptoms they pretty unanimously determined it was most likely a corrupt OS install.

Given this, should I just format and install from Win8 disc? I haven't tampered with any of this in years, but I remember Windows used to also have a repair option. Thus, I figured I would ask you guys since you would know what is best. The reason I am asking now is because I have seen a couple more indicators that the situation is getting worse and feel that I should resolve this issue now.

Not sure if it matters, but I used to format and reinstall my XP based PC every couple of months back in the single core days....so unless things have changed a lot it should not be an issue for me to do that with the Win8 disc.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any advice/help you can offer. Have a great weekend!

 

[Ketchup]

Format and reinstall a corrupted OS? I would. Windows repair option may work, but it may end up taking longer, and you don't get the format, which IMO would help if you have a corrupted OS.

Hopefully, that is all you need to do. A corrupted OS is far from normal, so I am hoping it is just "one of those things" and not pointing to a larger issue.

The nice thing about OS's since Vista is that they do not slow down over time like XP and it's predecessors did. So, unless you don't encounter this issue again, your install should last for years to come.

 

[mikeymikec]

The OS in question is Windows 8? If I had tried everything and had ruled out dodgy hardware, I'd back up necessary data and do a wipe-clean install with an MS Windows disc.

I'm guessing this is the thread you're referring to:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389126&highlight=

If so, IMO it's early days yet, very little has been confirmed. After testing the hardware (check SMART readings, memtest86+, CHKDSK /f /v /r, off the top of my head), I would try to fix the software. Basic measures such as the DISM command to let Windows give itself a once-over:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/26512-dism-fixing-component-store-corruption-windows-8-a.html

If you haven't already, back up your data before you begin anything.

Taking extreme action like wiping straight away could result in digging a deeper hole for yourself (at least in terms of delaying the next time your machine is working again).

 

[fire400]

i have a thinkpad with w8.1 and use a completely separate hard drive for winXP. i am prepared for reinstalls of winXP at any given time, already sick of it, too.
winXP corrupts a lot faster than other OS's, from what I've seen over the years, even on minimal OS environment tweaks. not to mention they slow down drastically, even on an i5 3rd gen 7.2k rpm HDD system, which obviously is not 100% native hardware support. but i have a similar setup with a c2d p9600 which has full native hardware support, and thing gets slow after a couple months still (annoying!).
all in all, don't get comfy with XP, keep a couple copies on separate hard drives/partitions if you don't have time to re-install it in the near future with updates, etc.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I'm guessing this is the thread you're referring to:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389126&highlight=

If so, IMO it's early days yet, very little has been confirmed. After testing the hardware (check SMART readings, memtest86+, CHKDSK /f /v /r, off the top of my head), I would try to fix the software. Basic measures such as the DISM command to let Windows give itself a once-over:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/26512-dism-fixing-component-store-corruption-windows-8-a.html

That is the thread. I appreciate the advice but since I tend to run a minimalist OS (don't have a ton of progs or data) I think I am just going to wipe and reinstall. I appreciate the guidance and that would certainly be the better direction to go if I had a lot of info on my drive. Again, thanks for taking the time to write that up though. ^_^

A corrupted OS a far from normal, so I am hoping it is just "one of those things" and not pointing to a larger issue.

I noticed it starting when I tried to download and install the 8.1 update. I was forced to download and attempt the install a number of times, and the problem started not long after that. While I cannot be sure, I do think that was the most likely culprit.

Thanks again folks.

 

[mikeymikec]

Odd. I've never seen Win2k or XP "corrupt" or slow down of its own accord. Aside from failing hardware, the rest of the time I've seen such systems slow down are due to user error (ie. installing crap / letting malware in / not defragging in years). I've also seen installations of Win2k and XP work as well on customers' systems on day 1 as the day they were decommissioned, several years later.

I used to reinstall my system quite often in the days of Win2k (probably early XP too), but after I realised it made no difference to performance, I stopped bothering; it was just a day of wasted time reconfiguring, reinstating data and installing stuff.

 

[Ketchup]

That is the thread....

OK, the three letter concern me a bit OCZ. Known for quality, that brand is not. Hopefully a wipe is all it needs. But if not, could very well be the drive.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

OK, the three letter concern me a bit OCZ. Known for quality, that brand is not. Hopefully a wipe is all it needs. But if not, could very well be the drive.

Yeah, I knew it was a risk when I bought it. Good news is I am back from the reinstall and all signs point to it being a good decision.

Mikey, I am on Win8. I used to format & reinstall my XP all the time because I was paranoid about my security and liked the little speed boost I got from it.