Had to re-install Windows... again!

kencussion

kencussion

Dalayan Beginner
So I was looking into getting some free Microsoft points with a code generator...
bad idea. My computer got infected by a virus... my Virus Scanner (Avast) didn't even detect it. Windows Defender stopped working... my Gmail stopped working... pop-ups started appearing everywhere. I tried starting up in Safe Mode to get rid of it manually, but every time I did that my computer would restart halfway through booting up... the only mode I could start Windows in was the normal mode. My system rollback files were corrupted...

So I had to wipe the hard drive and re-install Windows... again. That makes 3 times this year. I think I'm gonna stop trying to get stuff for free. :p

Has this ever happened to someone else? What's your story? How many times have you re-installed Windows this year?
 
Many nerds reinstall their o/s. This is not super-uncommon.

In terms of frequency: It depends primarily on how "hard" you are on your system. Being hard on your system includes downloading crap, installing crap, messing with settings, etc.

Over time, your computer is going to begin to start up slower, have more things running in the background, and run various programs slower. This includes viruses, malware, and adware you pick up over time.

There are things you can do to preserve your computers settings, optimize how it runs, and regulate what runs and when. But regardless of how much you try to maintain your computers performance, things happen to it that you either aren't aware of or do not know how to correct. After it gets crudded up with so much shit, it's time for a reinstall!

I'd say most people who are harder on their system reinstall their o/s somewhere between once every 6 - 24 months.

It can really do wonders for how well your computer runs. I've seen so many cases of people with pentium 4's and plenty of ram wanting to buy a new computer because their computer is so crapped up that running firefox is slow as hell. They are just technologically ignorant and do not know that a format/reinstall would get their computer up to speed for what they're doing.
 
Oh yeah, I notice a BIG difference in performance every time I re-install Windows...

My brother-in-law is a Mac lover and swears I should get one because they don't get viruses and they're more reliable... but I just can't play all the games I want to play on a Mac. Plus, the first computer virus targeted Apple computers in 1981. :p

Man, I sure wish games today could still run from good 'ol DOS (that is, if DOS could support all the new hardware)... just think of how much faster they'd be!
 
kencussion said:
So I was looking into getting some free Microsoft points with a code generator...
bad idea. My computer got infected by a virus... my Virus Scanner (Avast) didn't even detect it. Windows Defender stopped working... my Gmail stopped working... pop-ups started appearing everywhere. I tried starting up in Safe Mode to get rid of it manually, but every time I did that my computer would restart halfway through booting up... the only mode I could start Windows in was the normal mode. My system rollback files were corrupted...

So I had to wipe the hard drive and re-install Windows... again. That makes 3 times this year. I think I'm gonna stop trying to get stuff for free. :p

Has this ever happened to someone else? What's your story? How many times have you re-installed Windows this year?
Click to expand...

Look into imaging software like Acronis True Image or Ghost...may be better thing out there now, I don't keep up wit it.

Reinstall windows with all service packs and security updates and get all your drivers, preferably download all you need on another comp while keeping the machine you are reloading completely offline. Defrag your primary HD with something better then the built in windows defrag tool like DiskKeeper. Install all your A/V and Spyware poop (do not update yet...you should still be offline) and codecs and your most used applications/games. Defrag again. Run your imaging software.

If you need or want to reinstall, you'll instead reimage and it will take a fraction of the time.

...also...find a backup utility and start using it.

When I build systems for folks this is exactly what I do so when they inevitably fuck up the software to the point of no return I can roll in and out in almost no time.

More to your actual question...reinstalling 3x in a year is a bit much for a machine under 'normal' usage.

Usually the speed benefits of reinstalling could be achieved using other less drastic measures like preventative maintenance unless a virus or serious malware infection is the root cause....which can also usually be prevented through maintenance and user diligence.
 
Reinstalling isn't a bad idea, but not something that NEEDS to be done more than 1 every other year, unless you're a hack and don't know what you're doing.

Acronis=win. Been using that for a year now, and my friends think I am a god when I restore their shit. The Unversal Restore module is fairly cool.
 
I used to reformat my primary computer/HD every month when I was balls deep in gaming.
 
kencussion said:
So I was looking into getting some free Microsoft points with a code generator...
bad idea. My computer got infected by a virus... my Virus Scanner (Avast) didn't even detect it. Windows Defender stopped working... my Gmail stopped working... pop-ups started appearing everywhere. I tried starting up in Safe Mode to get rid of it manually, but every time I did that my computer would restart halfway through booting up... the only mode I could start Windows in was the normal mode. My system rollback files were corrupted...

So I had to wipe the hard drive and re-install Windows... again. That makes 3 times this year. I think I'm gonna stop trying to get stuff for free. :p

Has this ever happened to someone else? What's your story? How many times have you re-installed Windows this year?
Click to expand...

Multiboot.

Vista + XP + Mandriva welcomes new addition Debian

Also, avast sucks.

Also getting infected while stealing anything is hilarious. This is not 1994.
 
Bud said:
I used to reformat my primary computer/HD every month when I was balls deep in gaming.
Click to expand...

What were you doing that made your computer slow down? It's not like playing the same games over and over for hours a day puts much wear on your o/s install.

Also a side note: Some people have 2 computers. 1 for whatever and 1 for gaming. On the gaming rig they just play games, and test anything they install on their other computer. This generally works out fantastically if you have the room. Most people just use their out dated gaming rigs as their bs computer, or pick one up for $100-200 when they find an outstanding deal and throw a graphics card and a stick of ram in it if needed.

The most computers i've ever had at my house (and was using simultaneously) was 3: 1 PC, 1 pc/server and 1 server. I've probably had 5 or so booted at once, but never simultaneously used all of them.
 
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On a totally unrelated note... I finally added a signature and avatar to my profile. :)

The avatar was custom-built by none other than yours truly. :p
 
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