Longest OS install you kept?

[nadirshakur]

I had an HP machine in 98 that I kept with the same OS install for three years. Lots of fixing and upgrading in that period. But it was the same install. What was the longest you kept the same OS (Windows or other) install for? Before formatting?

 

[RebateMonger]

This isn't exactly your question, but I UPGRADED the same hard drive from DOS 3.x to Windows 2.0 to 3.0 to 3.1 to Windows 95 to Windows 98 to Windows 98SE, all without formatting.

Well, that's not quite true. In between, I cloned the drive from one drive to a a larger one a couple of times. But it was, basically, the same drive image, just larger.

So, I used the same hard drive image (no fresh installs, just upgrades) for ten years.

 

[Powermoloch]

Me

 

[Nothinman]

Don't know yet, I still have yet to reload this one after ~6 years of use.

 

[Link19]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Don't know yet, I still have yet to reload this one after ~6 years of use.

Which OS is it that you have kept the same install for over 6 years?

 

[Nothinman]

Debian.

 

[pkme2]

Win 98 for 6 years.

 

[mehul]

hmm I am too much behind u'll. I had kept windows XP for 1 year without formatting. Now, since I've switched over to linux, I format my HDD like once a month to install new distro of linux.

 

[oog]

do you count a kernel upgrade in linux as part of the same install?

 

[oslama]

i reinstall OSes every year, but upgrade hardware every 3 to six months.

i do have a retail compaq running xp home for 2.5 years.

 

[mehul]

Originally posted by: oog
do you count a kernel upgrade in linux as part of the same install?

IMO it is counted as same installation. Would like to know whether i'm right or wrong

 

[Nothinman]

do you count a kernel upgrade in linux as part of the same install?

Of course, it's the same as upgrading any piece of software. You don't consider installing SP2 on XP a reinstall, do you?

 

[IGBT]

..I have a w98 box wit a slot 950 mhz Athlon with the same load on for atleast 5 years or more. Still works good and use it for photo processing my digi cam pics.

 

[The Linuxator]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

do you count a kernel upgrade in linux as part of the same install?

Of course, it's the same as upgrading any piece of software. You don't consider installing SP2 on XP a reinstall, do you?

Good point.

 

[Brentx]

4 years with Windows 95. When I tried upgrading to Win98SE, it pooped out on me, so I just got a new computer. It was a Pentium 200

 

[Link19]

Originally posted by: pkme2
Win 98 for 6 years.

That is shocking. Windows 98 would always $hit on itself after having the same install for much longer than a few months long because it was a POS OS. You were probably very lucky. Or I should say you didn't have many programs loaded and/or installed. If you loaded a lot of applications, Windows 98 would $hit on itself real easily. It was only a matter of time before it did because Windows 9X sucked

I have had Windows XP SP1 installed on a system for about 2.5 years before eventually wiping it out and installing Windows XP with SP2 slipstreamed.

 

[networkman]

I just recently upgraded a client's network from Netware 3.12 - it'd been the same server/OS for about ten years. :Q

I hope they don't wait as long for the next upgrade.

 

[Nothinman]

I just recently upgraded a client's network from Netware 3.12 - it'd been the same server/OS for about ten years.

That's different though, servers don't receive the same abuse that clients do. Especially NetWare, since there's so few applications for it.

 

[Zugzwang152]

this install of XP i've had since 8/28/2004. Typically on my main gaming computer, I'll keep the same copy of windows installed until I upgrade, which is about 1-2 years, when I replace at least CPU/MB/RAM and video card.

 

[Red and black]

My server has been running NetBSD 1.6.X since Oct 2002. We'll be replacing it with new hardware running 3.0 one of these days . . . .

 

[n0cmonkey]

I've had the same install on my home workstation for a while now, but I've upgraded the OS plenty of times without a format.

 

[GreyMittens]

I have an NT 4.0 server box that I installed in 1996 that is still running in production

edit: on the same hardware!

 

[ValuedCustomer]

Originally posted by: GreyMittens
I have an NT 4.0 server box that I installed in 1996 that is still running in production

edit: on the same hardware!

GreyMittens with the win! :shocked:

 

[blackrain]

I have been running the same winxp install since around the time it first came out. Same board and cpu. This is mainly because the board was very upgradable...the abit BD7 started off with 1.6 ghz support and years later, a bios update was released for support for 2.6 ghz. By the way, i've never defragged the system either due to a busy schedule. I can only imagine how well a new system install would run...lol

Roughly...February 2002

 

[nadirshakur]

I am finding that I have to format for often these days, 6 times in the past 3 months. I do use a lot of software gaming and lots of upgrading. I am not surprised that I need to do so more often. However, now that I have a server to back up all my pc's I have images that I can just apply instead of reinstalling os and software. I love my server!