How Many Times Do You Reinstall Windows In A Year There goes some useful tips about it.

[Machoni92 0]

In 2007 I have reinstalled my Windows... 4 or 5 times, it was necessary :> First time when my CPU broke down, and damn guys in service installed Vista on my repaired PC. I've deleted it and installed XP. Then I sell PC to my father's friend, and he broke the system again. Next time, when I bought notebook with Vista on it. Installed XP again.

[amrit 1]

i usually reinstall once every 6 months . that is for performance and for removing unwanted stuff and viruses etc, yeah i get a lot of viruses due to my habit of messing around with stuff i shouldn't.

[miladinoski 1]

Reinstall? Windows??I don't run Windows? on my PC and never will.

 

Linuxers, see you in other post.

 

Oh, see you in another post then

[Spyda 0]

Eh... It really depends. I've been forced to reinstall windows because of viruses that have struck my computer. Other than that, I don't see the need to reinstall windows. Not only is it a hassle, it's kind of dumb in my book. Instead I usually just uninstall redundant programs, and clean out other folders that I normally don't use that much.But, recently I have been unlucky with computers and have gotten 2 or 3 viruses in a couple of months

[iAmDaveMyers 0]

I haven't re-installed windows for nearly 2 year.... but I gues that is because I'm runing a linux distro To be honest this is one of the reasons I have moved away from widows, the additional cost of have a system disk just made the whole "lets but a computer" so expensive, and I'm not entirely convinced that the backup disks that windows asks you to create are entirely "effective" at removing unwanted viruses etc!In all honesty though in the last 3 weeks I've re-installed my linux system 3 times.One of the beauties of my setup however, and the general setup of any linux system in fact, is that a users preferences are all stored in thier personal home directory (in my case /home/davem), and simply droping this onto a separate partition of the disk means that if I do decide (or have to) that a fresh install is required, all my user settings are retained from one install to the next as the user config files generaly don't change that much over time - or if they do they are backward compatable for a couple of versions.An example from this week.I am running a new install of MySQL at work on my xp terminal, and I couldn't find the location of the main database table files or config file (it transpired I didn't even have a config file as I hadn't needed to create one at that moment in time).I took me a fair while to find these located in the < c:\Docs and Setting\All Users\Programs\Mysql\MysqVersion\... > what a game, all the places that the manual said it would be located in and they weren't there!I find that this happens a lot with windows, you think you are looking at your photo's in MyDocuments\MyPhotos\ when suddenly you realise that actually you are in some other only half visible directory that the Digi camera has created by default! I had this nightmare with a neighbour, who couldn't understand where his photo's had gone, and it took more than a while to find them!Dave

[Evolix 1]

Since I got my Vista computer (but I'm not on it), I've only reinstalled it 7 times. This was probably every 4-5 months. Now, it's gone really slow and I don't use it no more. I would laugh if someone actually voted 'Daily'.

[travstatesmen 0]

Well, at one stage there I was reinstalling Windows on a daily basis. I have a home network of quite a few computers, as I use it as a testbed for work. Somebody in this thread mentioned the magazine disks that contain shovelware (they just shovel it onto a CD). To be honest, the junk that Microsoft sends out as Beta software is often just as bad as those. I remember a particular program called Microsoft Voice (the M$ answer to Dragon Dictate), I don't think it ever made it past Beta stage, and it crashed my network big time!

But as to how to reinstall, I do things differently. Sure, I used to use Norton Ghost, ages ago, even before it got its shiney new grey and blue interface (yeah, its gone fully Windows GUI now, but it used to be grey/blue, and even before that it was command-line only). I used it before Symantec bought it, before it was called Norton Ghost, and used to just be called Ghost. More recently I make use of RIS, the Remote Installation Services provided as part of the Microsoft Intellimirror technologies. I have a copy of the installation CABs for the workstation operating systems sitting on my server, and using a network card that has both WOL and BOOTP capabilities, I can get the server to wake up a workstation on my network by sending a UDP datagram addressed to the MAC address of the client, and when the workstation boots up, it uses BOOTP to obtain a DHCP packet from my DHCP server and can then use RIS to download the OS from the server. This is how I populate a new workstation, even if it doesn't already have an OS installed. All I need to know is the MAC address of the Ethernet NIC, and that is usually written on a sticky label on the NIC itself. Using RIS I can reinstall my workstations as often as I like, sometimes even more than once daily! The installation procedure is fully automated, with an unattended install script, and once the OS is installed, I use another Intellimirror technology called Software Installation and Management (SIM) to push the applications onto the workstation depending on who I first log onto the workstation as. I have published groups of software configurations on my server, and using Group Policy Objects, the server is able to determine which group of software is meant to be installed on a workstation depending on which user is logged on at the workstation. I have a different username for different groups of applications. If I want a workstation to be specialized for programming, and have Microsoft Visual Studio on it, I just log onto the workstation with that user, and it automatically gets that software installed from the server.

Of course, all of this is history at the moment for me, as I have trashed my Windows 2000 server computer for now. I'm currently playing with Linux, and trying to establish a similar network environment under Linux. It's a bit of a steep learning curve for me though! Linux is quite different to Windows.

--I keep more than one operating system on my machine like sometimes linux, or unix or 2000 server with sp2 always installed

SP2 for Windows 2000 Server? We're up to SP4 these days matey, plus there's a new rolled-up update package somewhere too, which contains a lot of the post-SP4 updates all in one package.

[daftpunk 0]

i reinstall when it gets slow and crappy as well if it gets a virus or something!i reinstall every time that happens!

[joeblogg 0]

i've done it twice this year but there was no checkbox for that. how could someone do it daily!!!

[kplow1986 0]

if windows is ok , i wont reinstall my windows.

 

actually i m a computer technician. Reinstalling windows such a boring activities untill i found backup software

called "norton ghost". best backup tools i tried b4. i tried many backup tools b4 (acronis), i admit ghost most good. Fast backup, high compression, and so on. i used them almost 7 years. till now.

 

believe me !!!!

 

my advise is DOS environment is best way to backup due to doesnt have other processes behind. no registry,

no need to install. fast and easy way to do.

How to use norton ghost.

 

1. download norton ghost DOS version.

2. reinstalling windows with fresh copy, install driver, software that u need, (IMPORTANT): make sure u scan yours computer and make sure doesnt have viruses, ad-ware, spyware.

3. restart your computer, and boot to DOS ghost , follow instruction and backup your windows.

*sry if my explaination hard to understand.

but u can ask me about norton ghost .

[dragonfang00 0]

in the past year, everytime my PC gets infected by viruses I am reinstalling them but now since I bought my new antivirus (mcafee if you want to ask) my PC is running since september 2007.. and my pc is clean..

[varalu 0]

I reinstall (restore) windows almost every 2-3 months. What about you??? Seeing the title some would say "I do it daily" and some others "How to reinstall?". Let's see the poll results. Linuxers, see you in other post.

 

Reinstalling windows is a daily chore for the students studying computers. They have to switch a lot of softwares, compilers etc etc. Windows as we know, will not tolerate a whole lot of (Un)installations and will ultimately slow down the whole system. This is not the case with Linux. Just consider this, I installed Red Hat WS 3(the older version which was lurking around with me) a year ago, full installation (4GB). The boot time initially was terribly slow. Because by default Linux runs everything during startup, even the sendmail daemon(it takes around 10 seconds) which is not needed for normal use. Then I read articles about linux and disabled all those stuff. The change was just superb and still haven't reinstalled it. Back to windows..

 

I actually wanted to give you some tips on reinstalling windows. Especially the professionals, say web developers using dreamweaver, flash, local apache, php. They setup nice settings to suit there needs. After this why reinstall??? Forget those students, what if your system gets virus, ok you're using the anti*** but they don't always help. For example some days ago my system was hacked by some .scr scripts. The result, my whole folders in root of every drive(even C:) was hidden and also creating there respective blank folders(basically .scr extension with folder images). I knew it immediately because I always keep the settings "Show hidden files", "show system files", "show extension of known file types" checked. Amazingly the script took back its work after rebooting. But now I wasn't able to see hidden files and extension. It did all sorts of registry edits. I had to reinstall... Oops again off track, now back to the tips...

 

Reinstalling Windows (The good way):

 

First method:This one is a common one. You install some software like Norton Ghost and make up a backup of freshly installed system (Fresh windows with essential softwares installed) and burn it to dvd. Now whenever the system crashes you just restore it with dvd. Check those tons of articles for more info on this.

 

Second method: I worked out this trick which I thought will never work. The basics are same you install fresh copy of windows with essential softwares like antivirus. Now you archive everything in your C: drive like .zip(it takes time) and either move the archive to another drive or burn it to dvd. NOw when odd thing happens you just pop in some live cd distros of linux which support the fat partition viewing and format the C: drive(you can use win cd's fdisk for formating) and restore it with the archive which you placed in other drive or dvd. Voila! Isn't that fantastic. It saves you money buying software like Norton Ghost. Any opinions, help request about this trick are welcome.

 

If you don't want to reinstall windows there are some rollback softwares available which restore windows to previous state in case of power failure (hoping this is not your case) or other problems. There is also one software (anybody point out that please) which disregards any changes during a session including folders created or softwares installed. This one is very useful for internet cafes.

 

That's enough from me. Now its your turn to tell everything you wanted to about this topic.

there used to be a time when i used to install and uninstall the OS once a month. That was back in college, where i use to try so many stuff. Having dual boot was having fun. In fact having multiple OS in your machine was a geeky thing to do... . Yes it was.

 

It used to be fun... to format the system... installing the new OS and trying out all new softwares launched and crashing the machine again. But it a learning phase and used to try stuff.

 

These days... the number of stuff I try has reduced a lot. May be I install an OS once in a year and forget about its existence... provided it does not trouble me much... but i have never stepped back in trying out new softwares... but a bit cautious these days. I have a jinx with worms... and trojans. So, I want a guarantee that the software I am about to install is error free and not a malicious one. Otherwise, I am not an orthodox and like trying stuff from all corners of the web.

 

Next question

What is the OS that I have recently?

Windows XP and EDUBUNTU - Dual boot.

 

Softwares

That's a very big list. Will try and compile it when I am relatively free.

[freeflashclocks 0]

I voted in the last choice, i have never reinstalled my windows operative system, which by he way is the microsoft windows xp operative system.When the personal computer operative system (windows xp) starts to function incorrectly, or when it appears a sort of error or something like that, i never reinstall, even in the worst case cenario, i go to my friends and search the internet for the fix, for the solution to my problem, and i must say, i always found the solution to my computer hardware/software/operative system/network problems, it is just a matter of will.The easy way out to fix any small and especially big problem/problems with your personal computer installed with a windows operative system is to reinstall again, but i find to be much and much more difficult to search for the solution and to actually fix then to reinstall, reinstall again is only for begginers, the advanced users will never reinstall their operative systems.Think about it, if you resolve your computer problems, then you will learn a lot from it, you will then have the experience that is needed to go from a begginer to an advanced computer user.

[Jezstarr 0]

The only time i re-install windows is when I'm upgrading or have a virus of some sort that just screws over my pc. But I have done it closely before but that was when I was getting a load of viruses, but other then that I would only really do it every two years about if nothing goes wrong. I too am using programs to clean my registry and speedup my pc so I don't really need to worry about my pc going slower.

[actuarymath 1]

nitish wrote

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I reinstall (restore) windows almost every 2-3 months. What about you??? Seeing the title some would say "I do it daily" and some others "How to reinstall?". Let's see the poll results. Linuxers, see you in other post.

 

Reinstalling windows is a daily chore for the students studying computers. They have to switch a lot of softwares, compilers etc etc. Windows as we know, will not tolerate a whole lot of (Un)installations and will ultimately slow down the whole system. This is not the case with Linux. Just consider this, I installed Red Hat WS 3(the older version which was lurking around with me) a year ago, full installation (4GB). The boot time initially was terribly slow. Because by default Linux runs everything during startup, even the sendmail daemon(it takes around 10 seconds) which is not needed for normal use. Then I read articles about linux and disabled all those stuff. The change was just superb and still haven't reinstalled it. Back to windows..

 

I actually wanted to give you some tips on reinstalling windows. Especially the professionals, say web developers using dreamweaver, flash, local apache, php. They setup nice settings to suit there needs. After this why reinstall??? Forget those students, what if your system gets virus, ok you're using the anti*** but they don't always help. For example some days ago my system was hacked by some .scr scripts. The result, my whole folders in root of every drive(even C:) was hidden and also creating there respective blank folders(basically .scr extension with folder images). I knew it immediately because I always keep the settings "Show hidden files", "show system files", "show extension of known file types" checked. Amazingly the script took back its work after rebooting. But now I wasn't able to see hidden files and extension. It did all sorts of registry edits. I had to reinstall... Oops again off track, now back to the tips...

 

Reinstalling Windows (The good way):

 

First method:This one is a common one. You install some software like Norton Ghost and make up a backup of freshly installed system (Fresh windows with essential softwares installed) and burn it to dvd. Now whenever the system crashes you just restore it with dvd. Check those tons of articles for more info on this.

 

Second method: I worked out this trick which I thought will never work. The basics are same you install fresh copy of windows with essential softwares like antivirus. Now you archive everything in your C: drive like .zip(it takes time) and either move the archive to another drive or burn it to dvd. NOw when odd thing happens you just pop in some live cd distros of linux which support the fat partition viewing and format the C: drive(you can use win cd's fdisk for formating) and restore it with the archive which you placed in other drive or dvd. Voila! Isn't that fantastic. It saves you money buying software like Norton Ghost. Any opinions, help request about this trick are welcome.

 

If you don't want to reinstall windows there are some rollback softwares available which restore windows to previous state in case of power failure (hoping this is not your case) or other problems. There is also one software (anybody point out that please) which disregards any changes during a session including folders created or softwares installed. This one is very useful for internet cafes.

 

That's enough from me. Now its your turn to tell everything you wanted to about this topic.

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Thank you for your information.

I reinstall more than a year.