How often do you nuke your OS installations?

Pu-239 · Post by **Pu-239** » 2005-08-03 03:36pm

For me back when I used Windows as a primary OS on a PII-266, basically any time there's a single trace of spyware, to ensure it gets completely removed, with everything backed up to a second partition or CDRs- saved me the trouble of having to run spyware removal programs and antivirus on a really slow computer Nowadays, I don't use Windows for anything that can get it infected in the first place, so any reinstallation is usually due to something stupid being done or reconfiguration of partition setup.

Linux, I've nuked it at least twice due to the filesystem being trashed- first when I yanked the power cord (XFS doesn't seem that robust) due to the inability to wait for a proper shutdown and the other incident was on the server when too much RAM was added to a sh*tty Dell, which caused memory errors which again trashed the filesystem. Filesystem was probably recoverable, but I thought it was beyond repair due to fsck failing due to trashed RAM.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2005-08-03 03:46pm

I only re-install Windows if I absolutely have to, i.e. complete system crash.It's just too much hassle to do it more often...

Comosicus · Post by **Comosicus** » 2005-08-03 03:53pm

I have more than 6 months since I've reinstalled XP on my machine and that was because I got a bigger hdd. When I had 98, it usually lasted less than 3-4 months.

Tiger Ace · Post by **Tiger Ace** » 2005-08-03 03:57pm

Hmn...last time I re-installed was 2003, it was a good install and I've kept the PC regularly maintained.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2005-08-03 04:01pm

I've gone two years without needing to frag the HD, longest I've ever gone a a computer. Just goes to show, windows is getting better, ever so slowly.

Tiger Ace · Post by **Tiger Ace** » 2005-08-03 04:04pm

Esspecially if you properly maintain it.

DrkHelmet · Post by **DrkHelmet** » 2005-08-03 04:07pm

It depends. I always try to set it up so that I never have to nuke the OS again, but it never seems to work. When I obtained my first computer, I nuked the OS 6 times in 2 months. I seem to be setting it up better each time. I am now reinstalling about once per year.

gizmojumpjet · Post by **gizmojumpjet** » 2005-08-03 04:12pm

I generally replace or heavily upgrade my machine about every 18 months or so, and always do a fresh install at that time.

It's cleansing, like an enema. I'm working on a way to turn it into a drinking game...

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2005-08-03 04:22pm

gizmojumpjet wrote:It's cleansing, like an enema. I'm working on a way to turn it into a drinking game...

Take a shot every time you get a rectal exam? Sounds fun!

Ubiquitous · Post by **Ubiquitous** » 2005-08-03 04:53pm

I guess I could do with a clean install of XP. But the amount of shit I have downloaded that I can't now live without would leave me having to download for weeks to simply get back to where I am now. Think I will stay with the slowness of my system for the sake of my sanity.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2005-08-03 05:04pm

Every 6-18 months (running Win XP Professional) depending on circumstances.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-08-03 05:08pm

For Windows, I tend to wait until concrete problems arise, because it takes so goddamned long to configure a Windows box, install all of the software, etc.

For Linux, I tend to install every new version that comes out, because it's got newer stuff, better features, etc. And it's no small advantage that I don't lose my desktop configuration because the /home directory is on a separate partition and doesn't get reformatted.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2005-08-03 05:26pm

Yeah, as Mike said, I only reinstall when problems arrise. Usualy I can manage over a year without any real incidents, but from time to time something crops up sooner.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2005-08-03 05:31pm

I'm averaging about two years between nukes. However, one was due to a software/hardware hatred (which was ironic considering it was a Microsoft program that caused it). The other was a general systems crash. Not bad for a computer running ME and not consistently defragged.

Pu-239 · Post by **Pu-239** » 2005-08-03 05:32pm

Darth Wong wrote:For Windows, I tend to wait until concrete problems arise, because it takes so goddamned long to configure a Windows box, install all of the software, etc.

For Linux, I tend to install every new version that comes out, because it's got newer stuff, better features, etc. And it's no small advantage that I don't lose my desktop configuration because the /home directory is on a separate partition and doesn't get reformatted.

With Debian, you don't have to reinstall to upgrade

.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-08-03 05:34pm

Pu-239 wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:For Windows, I tend to wait until concrete problems arise, because it takes so goddamned long to configure a Windows box, install all of the software, etc.

For Linux, I tend to install every new version that comes out, because it's got newer stuff, better features, etc. And it's no small advantage that I don't lose my desktop configuration because the /home directory is on a separate partition and doesn't get reformatted.
With Debian, you don't have to reinstall to upgrade .

You can do that with Mandriva too, but I generally prefer to reformat the non-home partitions anyway, just because I always suspect that it will be cleaner and there's no real loss in functionality (not like reinstalling Windows, where it feels like you're dealing with a newborn baby and have to teach it how to function without shitting itself).

Enigma · Post by **Enigma** » 2005-08-03 06:00pm

I reinstall WinMe every 18 months because that is how long it takes before it becomes unusable. On Monday I formatted the computer and reinstalled ME twice because for some reason ME hates ATI drivers. After this post I'll be wiping my computer clean again hoping to try and fix the problem. I can't wait to get my copy of XP.

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » 2005-08-03 06:08pm

I've had pretty good luck with XP Pro since re-installing over a year ago. Since I moved all the web stuff to my Win2K webserver, partitioned the drives out so that all the business/Internet apps are on one drive, all the games on another, and all the music-media files on the server, performance has seemed nice and steady as long as I do all the routine housekeeping on a regular basis.

Graeme Dice · Post by **Graeme Dice** » 2005-08-03 07:11pm

I've never re-installed, and have had no problems despite the fact that my Win98 machine has been running for about 5 years now.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-08-03 08:00pm

Very rarely. I think the last two times I've done it were purely because I had changed the motherboard, and to try and make the current Win2K installation play nice with a new motherboard (while possible) would be a much bigger pain in the ass than it's worth; it's simply much easier at that point to reinstall.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2005-08-03 08:05pm

The last time I reinstalled XP, it was part of an effort to track down what was causing video-related crashes. Something else was the problem, though I never figured out what it was. I think I could go over a year without needing to, as I keep good care of things.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2005-08-03 11:53pm

Generally every major upgrade(aka changing the motherboard and everything else), so about 3-4 years.

Suprisingly, when doing some backup work I plugged the harddrive from my brother's computer which featured completely hardware(the only thing which was common was the CPU brand, made by AMD) and the damn thing booted properly and started auto-detecting all the hardware correctly.

It generally takes me an hour or 2 to configure a Windows box to how I like it, biggest time consuming bit is installing VS.NET 2003 pro(legal too!). I want to hit the moron which though 4gb of small files was a good idea to put on 3-4 CDs/1 DVD.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-08-04 12:50am

Oh, that reminds me, next time I reinstall and get most everything configured right, I plan on taking my computer into work and using Norton Ghost to make an image of the system partition - that way if Windows ever goes tits-up on me I can just load the image (which I'll have since burned to a DVD-R) and be up and running with minimal effort.

Master of Cards · Post by **Master of Cards** » 2005-08-04 08:59am

a week to a month or 2

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2005-08-04 09:04am

Two years and counting, with Win XP Pro. It's been solid as a rock so far, except for the odd driver meltdown.