How often do you format?

Supreme0verlord · Feb 26, 2009

I format about every 2 months or so.

RadeonX2 · Feb 26, 2009

depends if my system is infected with virus I'd reformat it but on average more likely 3 months

<<Onafets>> · Feb 26, 2009

Other: If I have a virus or OS is screwed over...otherwise never!

DanishDevil · Feb 26, 2009

About once a month for each of my systems. I'm either trying out a new build of a Windows beta, or I'm just speeding things up a little

95Viper · Feb 26, 2009

Only when new or if, something hosed my whole drive setup and backups.

FordGT90Concept · Feb 26, 2009

Last time I formatted because of a virus. This time I had to format primarily because Visual Studio is being a bitch and secondarily because the motherboard is being replaced. Some times I go over a year without formatting; sometimes I go a few months. On average, I say every 6-12 months.

exodusprime1337 · Feb 26, 2009

about twice a month... i'm always changing hardware, and i prefer to reinstall when i upgrade drivers for some odd reason... i just like kill hdd's i guess... heheh

Dan2312 · Feb 26, 2009

I never formatted my last pc, i kept it junk free, and i was using programs such as registry mechanic, norton internet security, windows clean up etc

my hd was never full, always had about 80gb free out of 200gb.

MRCL · Feb 26, 2009

I usually do a clean reinstall of my OS like every two to three months, regardless of the condition.
Its like a new car - I like the innocence and the "newness" of a freshly installed windows.

Darknova · Feb 26, 2009

On my main machines, only when it's fucked or when I change a major piece of hardware (HDD or motherboard) or when I change a lot of my PC. CPU/GPU/RAM changes don't require OS reinstalls at all, however with many many changes it can be a good idea.

On my other rigs? Whenever I want to try another OS

burebista · Feb 26, 2009

Never. I like to keep my OS in a good shape so no need to format.

Asylum · Feb 26, 2009

I only reformat when need...When my programs start acting up or getting glitches!!

Tau · Feb 26, 2009

Every 3 months, though since i have clones of all the install drives it takes literally minutes to restore them and have a fresh os again

complete with install applications!

mc-dexter · Feb 26, 2009

about a month or two, usually more if i don't hammer my system with downloads. but i have an unstable OS due to using a downloaded copy of XP as i broke my Home CD

btarunr · Feb 26, 2009

I try myself never to. I never intentionally reinstall software, only if the machine fluffs up so bad that it doesn't start.

red268 · Feb 26, 2009

Sinse getting a Seagate hard drive? About 12 times in the last couple of months.

Otherwise, I generally like to do it about once a year or just under.

DrPepper · Feb 26, 2009

Whenever I feel like the machine needs a reformat so every 2 weeks at best maybe 3.

TheMailMan78 · Feb 26, 2009

Once a year I guess. Maybe a little less.

r9 · Feb 26, 2009

About 5 times. At work that is

. Home 5 times a decade

.

johnnyfiive · Feb 26, 2009

Only if it starts acting weird do I reformat. BSOD, virus, etc. Otherwise, I leave it be.

mc-dexter · Feb 26, 2009

DrPepper said:
Whenever I feel like the machine needs a reformat so every 2 weeks at best maybe 3.

Are you serious? Every few weeks??? surely thats not needed?

spearman914 · Feb 26, 2009

I reformat when i install new hardware, or any bsod's. No specific times.

iStink · Feb 26, 2009

dude I used to format like once every 6 months. My system would lag, get problems, and piss me off. Then I bought Diskeeper Professional and turned on auto defragmentation. That was over 4 years ago and I haven't formatted since. My system feels as snappy as it did right after a fresh install. I suggest everyone check this program out.

frankie827 · Feb 26, 2009

i really only format when i have to, such as when i'm really low on disk space and i cant figure out why or if i have a bad virus.

mc-dexter · Feb 26, 2009

I'm sorry people but isnt this a thread about "how often do you format" not "why do you format"

... Kinda thought it needed pointing out, nobody really formats unless they have to.

Processor	Q6600 @ 3.6GHz \| P4 @ 2.1GHz
Motherboard	Asus Commando ROG (Vdroop mod) \| Asus P4V8X-MX
Cooling	MegaShadow w/ 2x Scythe Slipstream MX-2 Paste + Kama Bay + 4x120mm case fan \| stock Intel
Memory	Kingston 4x1GB DDR2 @ 800MHz w/ OCZ XTC cooler \| 1GB DDR @ 400MHz
Video Card(s)	Palit GTX 260 1792mb 448bit @ 713/1458/1116x2 \| GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP8X 64mb 64bit
Storage	640GB WD AACS 250GB Excelstor 160GB Seagate \| 40GB WD
Display(s)	Samsung T220, Samsung 32" 1080P \| LG L1752S
Case	Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570 \| Trendsonic mid tower
Audio Device(s)	Asus Supreme FX (Creative Inspire 5.1 speaker), Samsung HT-Z220 \| Onboard audio (2.1 Speaker)
Power Supply	Gigabyte Odin Pro 800W \| 550W generic
Software	Vista Ultimate 64 SP2 \| XP Pro 32 SP3
Benchmark Scores	3Dmark06 - 17,348 Vantage - P13,510 Super PI 1M - 12.765s @ 4.1GHz GenericCPUbench - 6,864 ms 38,

System Name	Gearbox \|\| Server
Processor	i5 3570K @ 4.0Ghz \|\| E8400 @ Stock 3Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 \|\| Gigabyte EP41-UD3L
Cooling	Stock \|\| Stock
Memory	8GB G.Skill RipjawX DDR3 @ 1600mhz \|\| 4GB Kingston Value DDR2 800Mhz
Video Card(s)	ASUS R9 270X Direct CU II TOP @ 1120/1500 \|\| N/A
Storage	Samsung 840 EVO 250GB \|\| 1TB WD Green, 2TB WD Green, 3TB WD Red
Display(s)	HP x23 LED 23" Full HD Panel
Case	Corsair 200R \|\| Open-Air
Audio Device(s)	Audioengine D1 + Logitech Z623/Audio Technica ATH-M50 \|\| N/A
Power Supply	Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650 W \|\| Antec Neo Eco 450 W
Software	Windows 8.1 Update 3 Pro 64 \|\| Ubuntu Server 14.04 64

System Name	Big Devil
Processor	Intel Core i5-2500K
Motherboard	ECS P67H2-A2
Cooling	XSPC Rasa \| Black Ice GT Stealth 240 \| XSPC X2O 750 \| 2x ACF12PWM \| PrimoChill White 7/16"
Memory	2x4GB Corsair Vengeance LP Arctic White 1600MHz CL9
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 780 ACX SC
Storage	Intel 520 Series 180GB + WD 1TB Blue
Display(s)	HP ZR30W 30" 2650x1600 IPS
Case	Corsair 600T SE
Audio Device(s)	Xonar Essence STX \| Sennheisser PC350 "Hero" Modded \| Corsair SP2500
Power Supply	ABS SL 1050W (Enermax Revolution Rebadge)
Software	Windows 8.1 x64 Pro w/ Media Center
Benchmark Scores	Ducky Year of the Snake w/ Cherry MX Browns & Year of the Tiger PBT Keycaps \| Razer Deathadder Black

System Name	BY-2021
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (65w eco profile)
Motherboard	MSI B550 Gaming Plus
Cooling	Scythe Mugen (rev 5)
Memory	2 x Kingston HyperX DDR4-3200 32 GiB
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro, Seagate Exos X20 TB 7200 RPM
Display(s)	Nixeus NX-EDG274K (3840x2160@144 DP) + Samsung SyncMaster 906BW (1440x900@60 HDMI-DVI)
Case	Coolermaster HAF 932 w/ USB 3.0 5.25" bay + USB 3.2 (A+C) 3.5" bay
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1150, Micca OriGen+
Power Supply	Enermax Platimax 850w
Mouse	Nixeus REVEL-X
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur
Software	Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	Faster than the tortoise; slower than the hare.

System Name	HOMECOMPUTER
Processor	Intel i9 - 9900k @ 5.1Ghz - 1.31v
Motherboard	Asux ROG Maximus XI Hero Wifi
Cooling	ek supremacy evo full nickle, 2xEK 360 Radiators, ek d5 pump/res combo, ek full cover 2080ti block
Memory	16GB DDR 3600 Trident Z RGB
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RTX 2080TI
Storage	1xWD black NVME 500GB, 1xSamsung 970 Evo Plus NVME 1TB
Display(s)	2 Dell Gaming 27" 1440P Gsync
Case	Lian LI PC-011 Dynamic
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Evga P2 1200Watt
Mouse	Zowie FK1+
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe rgb silent
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	i'm working on that

System Name	AMD Ryzen
Processor	78003xd
Motherboard	Asus B650 TUF Gaming Plus Wifi
Cooling	Corsair Hydro 100i
Memory	32GB DDR5 Corsair CAS-30 6000MHZ
Video Card(s)	MSI 4090 Ventus 3x OC
Storage	2x Corsair MP600 2TB + 6 TB Seagate + 4 TB Corsair WD Black
Display(s)	34" MSI MPG ARTYMIS 343CQR
Case	Cooler Master HAF 500
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair 850w modular
Mouse	Gigabyte
Keyboard	Asus Cerberus
Software	Windows 11

System Name	Fractality 1.0
Processor	Intel Core i7-860 @ 3.6GHz
Motherboard	EVGA P55 SLI
Cooling	Prolimatech Megahalems and four Fractal Design 120mm fans, sleeved
Memory	16GB Kingston Hyper RAM
Video Card(s)	PNY GeForce 580 XLR8
Storage	64GB and 180GB SSDs / 1TB and 2TB HDDs
Display(s)	24" Acer V243W
Case	Fractal Design Define R2, sleeved all I/O cables
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Corsair HX750W modular, sadly only stock sleeving
Software	Win 7 64bit

Processor	AMD FX 8320 @ 4GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 rev1
Cooling	Corsair H70
Memory	4 x 4GB DDR3 Ripjawz 1600Mhz
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Vapor-X AMD R9 280X
Storage	1 x 500GB Samsung Evo 850, 1 x 500GB Vrap Data Drive, 3 x 2TB Seagate, 1 x 1TB Samsung F1
Display(s)	3 x DGM IPS-2402WDH
Case	Coolermaster HAF X
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Coolermaster 1000W Silent Pro M
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Logitech G510
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	Rocket
Processor	Ryzen 3600X
Motherboard	ASRock B450 PRO4
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15
Memory	HyperX Predator Black 16GB DDR4 3200MHz CL16
Video Card(s)	MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6GB
Storage	ADATA SX8200 PRO 512GB + Intel 535 Series 120GB + WD 6400AAKS
Display(s)	Benq EW2420
Case	Antec P182
Power Supply	Antec Signature 650
Software	Win 10

System Name	KILLER
Processor	Intel Core i7 4790K
Motherboard	MSI Z87 G45 Gaming
Cooling	Water Cooling
Memory	2x8GB Gskill 2400mhz
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 980
Storage	SSD Samsung 500GB
Display(s)	24" Asus 144hz
Case	Cooler Master HAF
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Platinum
Power Supply	Antec 1200 Watt Modular
Software	Windows 10 64 Bit
Benchmark Scores	3DMark Vantage 51342

System Name	The Abominable Dust Bomb / Just A Box
Processor	AMD 6400+ BE (Windsor) @3.35Ghz / AMD 3200+ (Barton)
Motherboard	ASUS M2A VM - HDMI / Abit NF7 - S2
Cooling	Xigmatek HDT S1283 / Gigabyte 3D Cooler Ultra
Memory	2x 1Gb Kingston DDR2 667Mhz Dual Channel @800Mhz (soon 3Gb Dual) / 2x 512Mb Geil Dual DDR 400Mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX GeForce 8600GT (soon to be ASUS 8800GT) / MSI Geforce 5200FX
Storage	80Gb Maxtor 2mb cache Maxtor 500Gb 32mb cache / 2x 40Gb Maxtor's
Display(s)	19" TFT, 15" TFT, 32" TV / 15" CRT
Case	XBLADE / Everest
Audio Device(s)	(Onboard) Realtek ALC883 5.1 High Definition / Onboard
Power Supply	Antec True Power 480w / 400w Winpower
Software	Win Vista Premium SP2 / Win XP Pro SP2
Benchmark Scores	3D Mark 06 = 6709 ... lol

System Name	RBMK-1000
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling	DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory	2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage	Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s)	BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case	Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s)	ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse	ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard	Gamdias Hermes E2
Software	Windows 11 Pro

Processor	Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor(2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)
Motherboard	ASUSTeK - P5N-E - SLI nForce 650i SLI(C55) - ATX
Cooling	TRUE with Xilence Red Wing 120mm fan
Memory	OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800Mhz/PC2-6400 GOLD XTC
Video Card(s)	Sapphire HD3870 XT 512MB Arctic Cooling Acellero S1 Rev. 2
Storage	Seagate ST3500320AS 500GB SATA II 7200rpm 32MB Cache
Display(s)	HANNS-G HU196D 19"
Case	Antec 1200
Audio Device(s)	5.1 High Definition onboard sound card - 6 Channel Cinema sound
Power Supply	550W PSU
Software	Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
Benchmark Scores	10713 3DMark06 - No overclocking on anything

System Name	Rusky
Processor	Intel Core i7 D0 3.8Ghz
Motherboard	Asus P6T
Cooling	Thermaltake Dark Knight
Memory	12GB Patriot Viper's 1866mhz 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s)	GTX470 1280MB
Storage	OCZ Summit 60GB + Samsung 1TB + Samsung 2TB
Display(s)	Sharp Aquos L32X20E 1920 x 1080
Case	Silverstone Raven RV01
Power Supply	Corsair 650 Watt
Software	Windows 7 x64
Benchmark Scores	3DMark06 - 18064 http://img.techpowerup.org/090720/Capture002.jpg

System Name	TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
Processor	RYZEN 1700X / Intel i7 2600k @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard	Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4 / Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155
Cooling	MasterLiquid PRO 280 / Scythe Katana 4
Memory	ADATA RGB 16GB DDR4 2666 16-16-16-39 / G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 1866: 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s)	MSI 1080 "Duke" with 8Gb of RAM. Boost Clock 1847 MHz / ASUS 780ti
Storage	256Gb M4 SSD / 128Gb Agelity 4 SSD , 500Gb WD (7200)
Display(s)	LG 29" Class 21:9 UltraWide® IPS LED Monitor 2560 x 1080 / Dell 27"
Case	Cooler Master MASTERBOX 5t / Cooler Master 922 HAF
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec / SupremeFX X-Fi with Bose Companion 2 speakers.
Power Supply	Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-750PX 750W Platinum / SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
Mouse	SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software	Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Benchmark Scores	Benching is for bitches.

System Name	Primary\|Secondary\|Poweredge r410\|Dell XPS\|SteamDeck
Processor	i7 11700k\|i7 9700k\|2 x E5620 \|i5 5500U\|Zen 2 4c/8t
Memory	32GB DDR4\|16GB DDR4\|16GB DDR4\|32GB ECC DDR3\|8GB DDR4\|16GB LPDDR5
Video Card(s)	RX 7800xt\|RX 6700xt \|On-Board\|On-Board\|8 RDNA 2 CUs
Storage	2TB m.2\|512GB SSD+1TB SSD\|2x256GBSSD 2x2TBGB\|256GB sata\|512GB nvme
Display(s)	50" 4k TV \| Dell 27" \|22" \|3.3"\|7"
VR HMD	Samsung Odyssey+ \| Oculus Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 Pro\|Windows 10 Pro\|Windows 10 Home\| Server 2012 r2\|Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Mine \| Dad + Mom
Processor	E8500 E0 Wolfdale @ 4.6GHz 1.5V \| E2180 M0 Allendale @ 3.0GHz 1.3V
Motherboard	Asus Maximus Formula (X48) w/ Rampage BIOS \| Asus P5Q Pro (P45)
Cooling	Xigmatek Rifle HDT-S1283 w/ SFF21F Fan \| Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Memory	G.Skill Pi Black 2x2GB 1.02GHz CL5 \| OCZ Reaper 2x2GB 1.05GHz CL5
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 4870X2 2GB 820/1020MHz \| Sapphire 4850 1GB 700/1100MHz
Storage	WD VR 150GB 10K RPM + WD 500GB 7.2K RPM \| WD 200GB 7.2K RPM
Display(s)	Acer P243WAID 24" 1920x1200 LCD \| Acer V193W 19" 1440x900 LCD
Case	Cooler Master HAF 932 Full-Tower \| Antec Twelve Hundred Mid-Tower
Audio Device(s)	Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/ Z-5500 5.1 \| On-Board Audio w/ S-220 2.1
Power Supply	PC Power and Cooling 750W Non-Modular \| Corsair HX-520W Modular
Software	Windows Vista Home Premium X64 \| Windows Vista Home Premium X64
Benchmark Scores	Not Wasting Time!

System Name	The beast
Processor	E6600@ 3.4
Motherboard	P5W DH Deluxe
Cooling	Tuniq Tower 120
Memory	3GB G.Sill DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	8800GT @ 700/975
Storage	(1)80GB With XP, (1) 320GB storage
Display(s)	205BW & 710N
Case	XClio Windtunnel (I love it)
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Platinum
Power Supply	OCZ gamerXStream 700W

System Name	Gaming PC
Processor	Core 2 Quad Q6600 B3@3.3ghz @ 1.376V \| VID: 1.313V
Motherboard	Evga Nvidia Nforce 680i LT SLI
Cooling	7x 12cm case fans+Xigmatek HDT-s1283 Dark Knight
Memory	4gb DDR2-800 Corsair XMS2
Video Card(s)	896mb Evga GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 (720/1515/1135)
Storage	2x 160gb Seagate Baraccudas + 1x 640gb Western Digital Caviar Green + 1x 1tb Samsung F1
Display(s)	Sceptre 20.1" 1080P Widescreen
Case	NZXT Zero
Audio Device(s)	Creative Soundblaster Audigy SE+Creative Fatal1ty Headset/Logitech X-530 5.1 Surround
Power Supply	Silverstone Zeus 750watt
Software	Vista Home Premium 32-Bit
Benchmark Scores	15883 on 3dmark06 w/ windows 7 beta @ 3.3ghz 13188 on 3dmark vantage w/ windows 7 beta @ 3.2ghz

How often do you format?

How often do you format?

Every week

Once a month

Every 2-6 months

Every 6-12 months

Once a year

Other (Specify)

Never

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