How often do you format?

[AnthroAndStargate]

How often do you guys format? It seems like I (sadly) format once a month!

How about you?

 

[mpitts]

Once a month? That is a bit much.

I used to do it more often, but usually it waits until a signifigant hardware change.

 

[Cattlegod]

been a couple years.

usually only when i upgrade a mobo/processor

 

[skyking]

4 years

 

[GTaudiophile]

Only if something goes wrong (hasn't happened in years) or big hardware upgrades (once a year).

 

[doze]

About every 6 months on the desktop and once a year on the laptop since it gets lighter use.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Yeah, I havent formated that much lately, last time was 3 weeks ago but before that 6 months - but my hard drive light is constantly being read - so I'm afraid I got a virus - gonna format tonight.

I think I have created a religion based around the cleansing of ones computer through formatting. I'm accepting followers.

 

[DaWhim]

I upgrade it to a bigger hdd.

 

[TechnoPro]

Ideally, I'd like to do it once a year. The reality is more like every 18-24 months.

 

[FoBoT]

2-3 years when i change hard drives

 

[AznAnarchy99]

my last format has been about 6-8 months but that is because for the first time, i stopped installing random stuff, and cleaned after myself after i uinstalled. I used to format every other month

 

[MercenaryForHire]

When I do a significant hardware upgrade/new build.

- M4H

 

[invidia]

About 3 years... The only time I re-format is when my computer completely crashes and won't boot. I really hope that doesn't happen until I get my DVD burner.

 

[schneiderguy]

1-1.5 years

or whenever i get a nasty virus that totally destroys my windows installation (only happenend once so far )

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Depends. I kept the same format from 2002-early 2005, but ended up reformatting several times in mid 2005. Thankfully this one has been stable for quite a while.

 

[SmoochyTX]

wHERE'S THE POLE?

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
2-3 years when i change hard drives

My old computer got wonky, the drive was getting flaky on it. I ghosted it to the current drive a couple of years ago without a reinstall, and it did OK till recently. It will now reboot spontaneously, and the other night I was leaving the office, and it spontaneously came to life!! The install was from june of 2002, but I think the motherboard has passed too many electrons

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate
How often do you guys format? It seems like I (sadly) format once a month!

How about you?

Once a month?

WTF?

why??????????

i ghost once a year because of either new mobo/cpu or new hd.

 

[drum]

whenever this topic is posted.

so about every week. it is a habit for me

 

[dennilfloss]

It's been 4-5 years since my last format. I do regular maintenance instead.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Uh, how's never? I built this computer in December 2005 and I'm still on the original Windows install, and it's still blazing fast. What the hell do you guys do to your computers that would make them need a format every month? The only two times I ever formatted my older computer (Athlon XP) was when 1. I replaced my motherboard and 2. Windows botched up like half the files it needs to start up, I'm 99% sure it was caused by someone else being on my computer.

 

[Trikat]

I kinda have to formatt every 3 or 4 months (I think). It's pretty sad, but when stuff starts bogging down I get extremely annoyed. Either that or some driver problems that cannot be fixed whatever I do. The latest reformatt was due to the pain in the @ss creative X-Fi drivers not working properly at all. It just freaking hangs and never moves after a certain point during the installation. God I hate freaking creative.

 

[MazerRackham]

Only when I build a new rig. Haven't formatted this current system since I built it 2 years ago. Next time I install an OS it will be Vista, and that will be a when MS releases the first Service Pack on CD for it. Until then, this system is running just fine (knocks on wood)!!