How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data

[SpywareDr]

http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2109p156id111652.htm

How to Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data

Over time, Windows loses stability. If you keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch. But contrary to popular belief, you won't have to reformat your hard drive (with one exception, discussed below). The bad stuff you need to get rid of is all in your "Windows" folder.

Before you begin, gather your Windows and application CD-ROMs. Back up your data files (just to be safe), and then clear two days off your calendar. If everything goes smoothly, you can reinstall Windows in a few hours. But you have to assume something will go wrong: You may not be able to find a necessary CD, or data won't be where you thought it was, or something will simply refuse to work.

[Welshjim]

SpywareDr--Well written article. Thanks.
But do you agree with the premise that "at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch"?

[NoBoB]

But do you agree with the premise that "at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch"?

I've never found that to be true on the NT-based versions.

I recently had to temporarily resurrect an old P3-450 system, one that had Windows2000 installed on it a couple weeks after the code went gold in late December 1999 and used daily for five years. After several months of using a new P4-3.0, I was expecting the old geezer to be as slow as molasses in January, seeing as its Win2000 was five years old when I shut it down in December '04, and the 3.0's XP was brand new. It ran surprisingly well. Sure, CPU intensive stuff like mpeg2 encoding take forever on it, but it always did. In the five years I ran that box with Win2000 (and two with NT4 before that), I never observed any type of what's commonly called "operating system decay". It runs as well as it did on day one (that is, much better than the Dull 1.7GHz on my work desk!).

Perhaps it's a junior Windows phenomenon. The only person I personally know who's has that experience was a die-hard Win98 user.

[shiva_42]

I know I must be dense, and I'm sincerely not being sarcastic, but I'm missing the point here... If you have to backup your data files prior to this activity (to keep from losing them - obviously), and you recognize that you'll probably have to reinstall all Windows applications (because of the registry), then exactly what are you gaining in not completely reformatting and reinstalling from scratch? Just a minor amount of time difference, or am I really hopelessly clueless?

[Welshjim]

shiva_42--

backup your data files

Maybe I am missing your point. The data files referred to are personal data (My Documents, email, pictures, etc. and perhaps program installation executables), not Windows operating system and Registry data or installed programs. So if you do format and wipe the disk clean, you will still have the personal data and can easily copy it to the formatted disk. Of course all programs would have to be reinstalled and upgrades gotten, etc.

[Philip M]

"If you keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch" My computer runs WIN98FE and was bought new in 1999. I have not experienced any problems of degrading or anything else to do with the operating system.

I read these forums and note the various and manifold problems that some users seem to experience. I may be wrong, but I get the impression that many troubles are caused by semi-technical people who have messed about with their computers but discoverd that they were not quite as clever as they thought. Nor have I ever encountered a virus, although I have a simple policy of never opening email attachments and do not visit dubious websites.

In short, it seeems to me that many or most wounds are self-inflicted.

[falcon2000]

One thing I don't understand. Why do people still put their data files in the same drive/partition where the OS is? Hard drives are relatively cheap these days. Just put your data in a seperate drive/partition and you won't have this problem.
More to the point,why don't Dell, Gateway or such manufacturers partition their system's drives this way and advise the customers to seperate their data & OS? Is it that difficult? It is such a basic concern!
I always do in all my computers. Never have to worry about lossing any data when I have to re-install/Ghost for any reason.

[Train]

But do you have that backed up?
Off site no less.
I have seen some real badly damaged computers from bad power supplies and of course lightning. We could salvage the case, but that was all.

[falcon2000]

Sure, all backed up to CD's.

[shiva_42]

shiva_42--
Maybe I am missing your point. The data files referred to are personal data (My Documents, email, pictures, etc. and perhaps program installation executables), not Windows operating system and Registry data or installed programs. So if you do format and wipe the disk clean, you will still have the personal data and can easily copy it to the formatted disk. Of course all programs would have to be reinstalled and upgrades gotten, etc.

Nope, I understood about your USER data. I'm just confused why anyone who is going to the trouble of reinstalling Windows would suggest not completely reformatting during that process. But of course you'd need to back up your user data prior to doing so...