Tips when Formatting your PC

[EastCoasthandle]

I wanted to create a user base tip thread that would provide some tips when you have to format your PC. I will start of with a few that I know:

-Keep a copy of windows 7 on your hard drive (a separate one was used). This should speed up the time it takes to reinstall your OS.

-Don't erase your games. Just install in the same directory. Some of them actually allow them to reinstall what is needed install of a full reinstall. 2 games I noticed doing this is BC2, NFS Shift and Dirt 2

-You can reinstall your OS from within safe mode if for some using the CD as a bootable disc takes to long

-When doing a new OS install using Win7 you don't have to worry about duplicate program file folders, user folders, etc. They are all put into windows.001 folder. That way you can look through them, pick what you want and discard what you don't need.

What are other tips out there?

 

[Solaris17]

In windows vista and windows 7 just after you install when it says analyzing system performance you can hit ALT+F4 and close out of it cutting 15min from your install and bringing you right to desktop. (this test is just the windows performance index and can be re-ran in the CP)

 

[jellyrole]

Thanks Solaris, never knew about that.

 

[Solaris17]

Thanks Solaris, never knew about that.

np man. ill try to remember some more. unfortunately I never really remember until im formatting.

 

[a_ump]

same here jellyrole lol. thx Solaris. i'd always hated that part of installation lol

 

[ste2425]

you was saying some programes allow you to just re-install the info needed if you keep the original stuff, what do you do just select the folder you originally installed them to?

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Here's an easy, time-saving way to install multiple apps:

http://ninite.com/

 

[Solaris17]

you was saying some programes allow you to just re-install the info needed if you keep the original stuff, what do you do just select the folder you originally installed them to?

things like steam and stuff automatically re creat reg entries etc. I install steam onto a seperate "gaming" drive along with its games then when I format I click on steam. It will do a platform update and were good to go. Actually alot of games allow you to simply run them after youve formatted. That is if you dont mind navigating to their respective folders and clicking on the main exe. Their are a few games that dont let you..almost every unreal tournament game comes to mind.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

you was saying some programes allow you to just re-install the info needed if you keep the original stuff, what do you do just select the folder you originally installed them to?

Yes, both BC2 (when you select the same directory the system may pause for a moment) and Dirt 2 didn't need to reinstall patches and the install time itself was cut to about 1/3 or so. You may want to recover your profiles from the windows.old.001 sub directories (IE: windows.old.001\use\your name\documents\...). I'm not sure if that works in Vista and I know it never worked like that for me in XP.

 

[Solaris17]

When formatting if you run a partitioned HDD you dont need to wait till after the install or use a 3rd party program to merge them. Simply click advanced at the disk selection screen then click delete (not format) on every partition, and finally on the disk itself. It will now show up as "unpartitioned space" click on format and it will now automatically fill in as much as the disk as possible. giving you one whole HDD.

 

[ste2425]

great, ive one other question that people may find helpfull, many times in reformatted and forgot to partion my hdd, is there a way to do it safely after a fresh install instead of before?

 

[Solaris17]

great, ive one other question that people may find helpfull, many times in reformatted and forgot to partion my hdd, is there a way to do it safely after a fresh install instead of before?

yes sir you go to control panel> administrator tools> Computer managment> Storage> disk managment

 

[ste2425]

yes sir you go to control panel> administrator tools> Computer managment> Storage> disk managment

thank you my good sir very useful information always dear fellow

 

[RadeonProVega]

Buy a external HD, save what you need onto the External HD, enter Windows 7 disc, reformat takes what 2 seconds, reinstall ( new ) takes about 15-30 mins, copy save data from external to Internal on fresh OS.

 

[ste2425]

Buy a external HD, save what you need onto the External HD, enter Windows 7 disc, reformat takes what 2 seconds, reinstall ( new ) takes about 15-30 mins, copy save data from external to Internal on fresh OS.

im on vista not 7

 

[Hockster]

Never drink and format.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

NFS: Shift will also add the files needed if you keep directory in tactic after a OS reinstall. However, when selecting the directory it may take a moment as it searches through it.

 

[Kreij]

If you are reformatting your hard drive a quick format does exacly the same thing as a regular format with the exception of checking the disk for bad sectors. If you don't want to sit around twiddling your thunbs while that 2TB drive formats, do a quick format.
You can always do a surface scan later to check the integrity of the disk (if in doubt).

 

[Easy Rhino]

are people confusing formating and reinstalling the OS?

 

[RadeonProVega]

im on vista not 7

same thing. Vista only takes a second to re-format, it has the same menu as windows 7.

 

[Easy Rhino]

same thing. Vista only takes a second to re-format, it has the same menu as windows 7.

what do you mean re-format?

 

[erocker]

Great website I always go to for tweaking during installation. http://www.blackviper.com/

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

^ Yeah BV is old school and still the best resource for that sort of thing...

 

[ste2425]

what do you mean re-format?

By re-format I’ve always associated it with re-installing an os, coz I always delete and reformat my hard drive before installing it, I guess I’m wrong in thinking this?

 

[Easy Rhino]

By re-format I’ve always associated it with re-installing an os, coz I always delete and reformat my hard drive before installing it, I guess I’m wrong in thinking this?

well you can re-install your OS which really just wipes the OS files and basically just returns the windows file system to default while keeping all your other files in tact.

a format is when you completely wipe the hard drive.