how often do you format?

[NapalmKing]

I only format when I buy a new hard disk.

 

[gwlam12]

whenever i get all this junk scattered all over my drive due to constant installations and uninstallations. also, whenever i get new hardware

 

[NumbaJuan]

Originally posted by: NapalmKing
I only format when I buy a new hard disk.

care to etch that in stone..??:Q

 

[Sunner]

Windows, once in a while, my Win2K rig at work is starting to get old, too many proggies installed, too many uninstalled, etc, it's really crapping out more and more.

Latest reformat I did in Linux was when I switched from Debian to Gentoo.

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: NokiaDude
I try to keep it under 2 times a year. This year I'm aiming for once with XP Pro.

 

[johnlog]

Numba Juan,

>the cost of external drives and enclosures are so inexpensive nowadays i think they are a good choice for a backup plan...heck, you can unplug the those little puppys, take it over to grandmas house and backup her system..!! <<<

I use drive trays. They are hot swapable and they turn on/off with a key. So after backing up my hard drive to another drive I simply use the key to turn the drive off I just backed up from. I can experiment and play all I wish to. If I screw up I simply boot up to my backup drive.

Had a good example recently. SBC, my ISP, recently offered to test out their new setup with Yahoo. So like a dummy I installed their Yahoo software. It hard coded itself into IE6 and there was no way to change it back to the way it was. I even called SBC tech help and they said it was hard coded and no way to change it back. :disgust:

Well, easy solution was to boot up with my backup hard drive that did not have the Yahoo disaster on it. Then I cloned from the non Yahoo'd drive from my good drive. Got rid of yahoo in less than 20 minutes. Yahoo disaster is completely gone forever.

I find MSN to be far superior to the Yahoo'd disaster.

 

[BIGGDOG]

I get bored and do it monthly or so. I just like to mess with things.

 

[Thor86]

Never, until a new OS comes out.

 

[Mem]

My main PC (XP one) has not had a reformat since November 2001 still going strong no BSOD,my old 98 PC was last reformated in October 2000 ,also going strong, a good registry cleaner does wonders.I normally only reformat when I change my motherboard .

 

[Yomicron]

Originally posted by: Ph33zy
how do you find the original install date using system info. I couldnt find it anywhere....

open a command window and type 'systeminfo |more', it should be the 10th item.

 

[NumbaJuan]

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: Ph33zy
how do you find the original install date using system info. I couldnt find it anywhere....

open a command window and type 'systeminfo |more', it should be the 10th item.

typed in systeminfo and there she was, original install date....thanks

 

[NumbaJuan]

Originally posted by: johnlog
Numba Juan,

>the cost of external drives and enclosures are so inexpensive nowadays i think they are a good choice for a backup plan...heck, you can unplug the those little puppys, take it over to grandmas house and backup her system..!! <<<

I use drive trays. They are hot swapable and they turn on/off with a key. So after backing up my hard drive to another drive I simply use the key to turn the drive off I just backed up from. I can experiment and play all I wish to. If I screw up I simply boot up to my backup drive.

Had a good example recently. SBC, my ISP, recently offered to test out their new setup with Yahoo. So like a dummy I installed their Yahoo software. It hard coded itself into IE6 and there was no way to change it back to the way it was. I even called SBC tech help and they said it was hard coded and no way to change it back. :disgust:

Well, easy solution was to boot up with my backup hard drive that did not have the Yahoo disaster on it. Then I cloned from the non Yahoo'd drive from my good drive. Got rid of yahoo in less than 20 minutes. Yahoo disaster is completely gone forever.

I find MSN to be far superior to the Yahoo'd disaster.

gotta love those drive tray thingys...if ya got the room

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: johnlog
Numba Juan,

>the cost of external drives and enclosures are so inexpensive nowadays i think they are a good choice for a backup plan...heck, you can unplug the those little puppys, take it over to grandmas house and backup her system..!! <<<

I use drive trays. They are hot swapable and they turn on/off with a key. So after backing up my hard drive to another drive I simply use the key to turn the drive off I just backed up from. I can experiment and play all I wish to. If I screw up I simply boot up to my backup drive.

Had a good example recently. SBC, my ISP, recently offered to test out their new setup with Yahoo. So like a dummy I installed their Yahoo software. It hard coded itself into IE6 and there was no way to change it back to the way it was. I even called SBC tech help and they said it was hard coded and no way to change it back. :disgust:

Well, easy solution was to boot up with my backup hard drive that did not have the Yahoo disaster on it. Then I cloned from the non Yahoo'd drive from my good drive. Got rid of yahoo in less than 20 minutes. Yahoo disaster is completely gone forever.

I find MSN to be far superior to the Yahoo'd disaster.

I'm on SBC DSL too. Got an email from them yesterday, subject: Action Required. Yeah, evidently they are really twisting your arm to "upgrade". Why would I want to install their futzy proprietary browser? Looks like this might be war.... If I do have to install something you better believe I will Ghost just before doing so.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Mem
My main PC (XP one) has not had a reformat since November 2001 still going strong no BSOD,my old 98 PC was last reformated in October 2000 ,also going strong, a good registry cleaner does wonders.I normally only reformat when I change my motherboard .

My Win2000 is getting really flaky. Never had them but have started getting BSOD's for the last month of so - had 1/2 a dozen. Uninstalling and reinstalling the program that caused all but the last stopped most of them, but the one I had yesterday was a wake up call: Reformat! AFA registry cleaners go, what do you use? I have Norton Systemworks 2001 and it has a registry cleaner but don't know if I should use it.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: NumbaJuan

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: Ph33zy
how do you find the original install date using system info. I couldnt find it anywhere....

open a command window and type 'systeminfo |more', it should be the 10th item.

typed in systeminfo and there she was, original install date....thanks

Doesn't work in my Win2000 Pro. Is it just XP?

 

[Tiger]

Once a month. I have no life.

 

[NumbaJuan]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: NumbaJuan

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: Ph33zy
how do you find the original install date using system info. I couldnt find it anywhere....

open a command window and type 'systeminfo |more', it should be the 10th item.

typed in systeminfo and there she was, original install date....thanks

Doesn't work in my Win2000 Pro. Is it just XP?

can't find it in win 2k....its gotta be hiding in there somewhere...come out, come out where ever you are!

 

[WarmAndSCSI]

When I first assemble a new server or when a boot HDD crashes (very rare).

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: NumbaJuan

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: NumbaJuan

Originally posted by: Yomicron

Originally posted by: Ph33zy
how do you find the original install date using system info. I couldnt find it anywhere....

open a command window and type 'systeminfo |more', it should be the 10th item.

typed in systeminfo and there she was, original install date....thanks

Doesn't work in my Win2000 Pro. Is it just XP?

can't find it in win 2k....its gotta be hiding in there somewhere...come out, come out where ever you are!

Will, it doesn't work for me in Win2000, but I can go to my OS drive and look at the creation date for my \WINNT directory and that has to be the install date, for me 3/18/02. I'm reallly really due.