clean install?

after several years of heavy use, everything is beginning 2 behave a bit strange (hanging, freezing, slow only in some programs). now, debating a clean install 2 solve all my problems, this isn't taken lightly, given all of the customizing i've done. can i restore some of my programs from an image on another drive? i was thinking of doing this & re-installing only those that didn't act right. would this defeat the purpose of re-installing? b4 i undertake this ordeal, can anyone offer any words of advice?

MY SYSTEM
350 MHZ
320 MB
WinMe (full version)
IE 5.5 w/SP1

What operating system (Linux, Win95, Win 98, WinXP?) do you want to install on what hardware?

Do you have the installation CD-ROM, with the product code?

Do you have a boot floppy?

Do you have the drivers for the hardware, compatible for the OS (operating system) you want to install? This can be important for the motherboard's main chipset, the video adapter (on the board or separate card), the sound adapter (on the board or separate card), a fax/dial-up modem, a Networking PCI card or onboard LAN adapter, DVD drives, CD-Burners, printers, and scanners.

Do you have a CD Burner or have an extra drive or partition to save things (like drivers, My Documents, and downloaded programs) onto?

It's a real downer to install a new operating system or even reinstall the old one and discover AFTER that you don't have the right software saved and collected together for the new install.

Recommend if you are going to go to all this trouble, completely repartition and reformat the drive. Make it "virgin" again.

Also, people frequently forget to backup their address book and their Favories from their web browser. Ouch!

What operating system are we talking about here? Do you have,and use, a thorough cleanup program?
If your running Windows 98,and are serious about wanting to clean the junk off,this may save you from a re-install...

What i use:

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...hreadid=112441