Do you format your pc frequently?

ketum · 10-03-2007, 12:33 AM

Sometimes our pces crash and we think it is because of something wrong. And probably we format it if it is frequently crash...

Do you format your pc frequently? How periodically do you format?

I don't format my computer frequently. The last format was some months ago becasue of trying a new OS.

Brandon · 10-04-2007, 02:24 AM

I wouldn't do that. There is no point in doing that unless you have serious bad software on the computer. Too much info lost.

bizwiz · 10-04-2007, 11:17 AM

I reformat my pc annually. I backup everything then just re-install windows so my systems works smoother and gets rid of all Trojans and viruses.

waltky · 10-04-2007, 04:33 PM

Only if I have a virus I can't get rid of.

Then I FDisk and do a complete re-install.

Once you get a clean, fresh install, do your updates, a firewall, anti-adware, spyware and anti-virus program installed, it shouldn't need re-formatting unless maybe you frequent sites that are known for being a hangout for virus writers.

Free personal versions are available for Ad-aware, Spybot, AVG anti-virus; and either ZoneAlarm or Sygate (good firewalls). But do your online updates first for the operating system and browser, before installing extra programs.

sunken · 10-08-2007, 09:30 PM

I only do a full format when I upgrade operating systems or motherboard. I keep a baseline backup and restore that if the system gets too unruly or runs into problems. I consider formatting an issue of last resort.

Jakey · 10-20-2007, 01:17 AM

Yeah, I have been having to format my PC a lot lately because my aunt keeps download viruses.

nitinbhai · 10-21-2007, 06:36 AM

i almost format my pc every 2 months, y i dont know but when my performance goes degrating i do this

hellmet · 02-25-2008, 06:29 PM

Almost never. Unless there is something seriously screwed. I maintain my computer well, and so I have relatively very few viruses and spyware. People say Windows tends to go slower over time, but it just needs some defragging, and checking to see if there are useless applications installed, and if they are running on startup.

wapuwok · 02-27-2008, 09:12 PM

Rarely, but I figure I probably should do it more often. I plan to transfer important data to storage HDDs, so I can keep my home disk simply as the place for the OS.

waltky · 02-27-2008, 11:42 PM

Granny caught possum formatin' his pc once...

... she told him if he kept doin' it he'd go blind.

bbalegere · 03-17-2008, 10:41 AM

I format my pc once a year.
I generally delete all the files after I have backed them up.Then I use a win 98 boot disk and run a low level format.Then I install WIN XP and my my whole hard disk in NTFS format.I leave space for installing Linux also.

Icorigin · 03-17-2008, 07:46 PM

Being that formatting a hard drive destroys ALL files thereon,
especially operating system files, CD-ROM driver files,
sound card files, video-display driver files, modem-driver
files, flash/jump-drive driver files, and all other peripheral-devices
driver files.....you do NOT want to format your hard drive unless
you know what you are doing and can replace all the driver files
from a bootup diskette then a burned CD-ROM with proper utility
files (such as jump-drive/flash-drive driver files) thereon.

It is beneficial - every once in a while - to not only
run DEFRAG and a thorough SCANDISK (with Fix Problems checked)
on the hard drive, but also run a small NORTON, MCAFEE, or TREND
MICRO (P-CILLIN) antivirus program which does not reside directly
on the root drive (i.e. hard drive) except within a separate folder
on the hard-drive.

Incidently, most ISP internet providers already have the best
anti-malware programs constantly ridding the internet service
they provide to their customers of all sorts of spyware, trojans,
worms, and viruses.....so it is not generally necessary to muddy
up and thus slow up your computer by running your own complex,
active, residing (and perhaps locked-in impossible to remove from your
registry) antivirus, anti-spyware, or anti-cookie programs.

Isolating suspicious attachment files downloaded off the internet
moving them to a jump or flash drive, then analyzing them on a
non-internet-connected computer can be useful, but simply using
cleanup utilities provided in your Tools section of Internet Explorer or
Mozilla Firefox and launching a Cleanup program to get rid of needless
cookie files and more is usually all that is needed, plus then rebooting
your computer if it freezes.

If you want to get rid of something you cannot seem to get rid of
by Add/Remove programs in Control Panel, you can get into REG.EXE
in Windows, exactly type in what you want to get rid of in the
search box, then search for it throughout the registry, deleting each occurrence of it when found.

- BIG10
- DOSNOTMAC
- WIN311ISBEST
- FANTASYLESSONS

Icorigin · 03-17-2008, 07:47 PM

Being that formatting a hard drive destroys ALL files thereon,
especially operating system files, CD-ROM driver files,
sound card files, video-display driver files, modem-driver
files, flash/jump-drive driver files, and all other peripheral-devices
driver files.....you do NOT want to format your hard drive unless
you know what you are doing and can replace all the driver files
from a bootup diskette then a burned CD-ROM with proper utility
files (such as jump-drive/flash-drive driver files) thereon.

It is beneficial - every once in a while - to not only
run DEFRAG and a thorough SCANDISK (with Fix Problems checked)
on the hard drive, but also run a small NORTON, MCAFEE, or TREND
MICRO (P-CILLIN) antivirus program which does not reside directly
on the root drive (i.e. hard drive) except within a separate folder
on the hard-drive.

Incidently, most ISP internet providers already have the best
anti-malware programs constantly ridding the internet service
they provide to their customers of all sorts of spyware, trojans,
worms, and viruses.....so it is not generally necessary to muddy
up and thus slow up your computer by running your own complex,
active, residing (and perhaps locked-in impossible to remove from your
registry) antivirus, anti-spyware, or anti-cookie programs.

Isolating suspicious attachment files downloaded off the internet
moving them to a jump or flash drive, then analyzing them on a
non-internet-connected computer can be useful, but simply using
cleanup utilities provided in your Tools section of Internet Explorer or
Mozilla Firefox and launching a Cleanup program to get rid of needless
cookie files and more is usually all that is needed, plus then rebooting
your computer if it freezes.

If you want to get rid of something you cannot seem to get rid of
by Add/Remove programs in Control Panel, you can get into REG.EXE
in Windows, exactly type in what you want to get rid of in the
search box, then search for it throughout the registry, deleting each occurrence of it when found.

- BIG10
- DOSNOTMAC
- WIN311ISBEST
- FANTASYLESSONS

sunken · 03-19-2008, 03:53 PM

Be sure though that if you do take out keys from the reg that you are extremely careful and know what you are doing. One wrong key deleted can render Windows useless. It's best to backup the registry first before attempting to do a mass edit to get rid of a program.

falselife · 03-26-2008, 03:34 PM

Not as frequently as I should, but it's such a hassle sometimes. But some folks do it way too much. I once knew a guy who did it every week.

waltky · 07-10-2008, 07:45 PM

Patch creates ZoneAlarm security problem...

Net address fix foxes web users
Thursday, 10 July 2008 - The fix for a serious flaw in the net's addressing system cuts some users off the web.

Quote:

Many users of the ZoneAlarm firewall have been floored by a fix to the net's addressing system. Those hit found they could not get online after installing a Microsoft patch to close a security loophole. Left open the flaw would have allowed malicious hackers to redirect users to fake websites, even if they typed the correct address. Many net hardware and software firms prepared and applied patches this week to close the serious hole.

Firewall fix

The flaw in the net's Domain Name System (DNS) was discovered in March 2008 and since then many firms have been preparing patches and updates to ensure it cannot be exploited by hi-tech criminals. On Tuesday Microsoft released its patch for DNS as part of its regular security update cycle. However, many found that as soon as they applied the patch, known as KB951748, they could no longer go online.

BBC News website reader Chris Rogers applied the Microsoft patch to his own and his wife's computer but discovered that afterwards neither machine could get at e-mail or the web. His anti-virus software could no longer update either. "Basically, the [Microsoft] update had crippled both PCs," he told BBC News. The problems only affected those with machines running Windows XP or 2000. A spokesman for Microsoft said PC owners were not contacting it about any problems the update caused.

Mr Rogers found restoring the PC's operating systems back to before the security update was installed, restored access to the net. He, and many others, traced the problem to a conflict with the ZoneAlarm firewall. As news of the problems spread, CheckPoint software, which owns ZoneAlarm, issued a statement about the problems. While it prepared a fix for the fix, Checkpoint advised users to uninstall the Microsoft security update or temporarily lower the firewall settings to "medium".

Late on 9 July CheckPoint released an update to ZoneAlarm, version 7.0.483, that solved the conflict. Mr Rogers said installing it and re-booting his machines fixed all the problems. He said he could understand Microsoft being reticent with details about the patch given its sensitivity. "But," he added "it would seem reasonable for [Microsoft] to test their patch against what is probably the most popular software firewall."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Net address fix foxes web users

Active Member · 10-13-2008, 08:26 AM

sometimes, i can format my pc frequently

Eagle One · 10-26-2008, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltky

Granny caught possum formatin' his pc once...

... she told him if he kept doin' it he'd go blind.

What you do on your laptop is your own business, Walt, but your joystick might get broke off if Granny sees it. Joystick reattachment must be a scarey thing, too.

mack77 · 11-09-2008, 09:59 PM

I never format, no problems so far

waltky · 11-29-2008, 12:16 AM

Eagle wrote: What you do on your laptop is your own business, Walt, but your joystick might get broke off if Granny sees it. Joystick reattachment must be a scarey thing, too.

Granny printed out a copy o' this an' gave it to possum when she caught him - uh, 'formattin' his hard drive'...

Sex invariably spells trouble, says Dalai Lama
Fri Nov 28, `08 - The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader, on Friday said sex spelt fleeting satisfaction and trouble later, while chastity offered a better life and "more freedom."

Quote:

"Sexual pressure, sexual desire, actually I think is short period satisfaction and often, that leads to more complication," the Dalai Lama told reporters in a Lagos hotel, speaking in English without a translator. He said conjugal life caused "too much ups and downs. "Naturally as a human being ... some kind of desire for sex comes, but then you use human intelligence to make comprehension that those couples always full of trouble. And in some cases there is suicide, murder cases," the Dalai Lama said.

He said the "consolation" in celibacy is that although "we miss something, but at the same time, compare whole life, it's better, more independence, more freedom." Considered a Buddhist Master exempt from the religion's wheel of death and reincarnation, the Dalai Lama waxed eloquent on the Buddhist credo of non-attachment. "Too much attachment towards your children, towards your partner," was "one of the obstacle or hindrance of peace of mind," he said.

Revered by his followers as a god-king, the Dalai Lama arrived in Lagos on Wednesday on a three-day visit following an invitation from a foundation to attend a conference. He has made no political speeches in the west African country. He leaves Friday night for the Czech Republic and then on to Brussels to address the European Parliament before heading to Poland, where he is due to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The 73-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been a mainstay on the diplomatic stage ever since he fled his native land for neighbouring India in 1959.

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