How Many times do you do the Windows Reinstall dance?

[TheRev]

Seems there's a timebomb on my laptop where every 3-4 months something causes my laptop to go haywire and I have to reinstall windows.

Maybe it's time to get a New Laptop I dunno.

But how about you guys? Or are you all on Macs/Linux?

[8bit]

Been a Mac user since 2003 here. I've always had a Windows desktop also or had BootCamp installed on my Macbooks, but I only use it for different burning tools really. I've never missed not using Windows on a daily basis.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Um. I had to once with XP like 7 years ago.

I've never reinstalled Windows 7. It works just fine. Never had issues.

It's very rarely the OS that's the problem with computers. It's usually something the user did.

[dsheinem]

It's very rarely the OS that's the problem with computers. It's usually something the user did.

This.

[BoringSupreez]

I haven't needed to reinstall Windows since the days of Win98, except for the one time I had to redo Win7 because of hardware issues while building my current machine.

[Hazerd]

Never had any problems with Windows 7, XP and before is another story.

[aaron]

It's very rarely the OS that's the problem with computers. It's usually something the user did.

This.

it is always something the user did. i have reinstalled windows multiple times on more computers in the last year than i care to really think about in detail.

[marurun]

It's very rarely the OS that's the problem with computers. It's usually something the user did.

As someone who did IT support for years, all through the 98 - XP era, while this is technically correct, it isn't necessarily informative or meaningful. All Windows installations get crufty after having programs installed and uninstalled, files added and deleted, and whatnot. While those are typically actions a user performs, it isn't the user's fault that Windows doesn't always age gracefully and that application developers don't always provide good or clean uninstall or update mechanisms.

I find that a Windows XP or earlier machine that is heavily used typically needs a reformat/reinstall to clean it up and improve performance every 1-2 years. If I went 2 years without a reformat/reinstall I found my computer really dragging. Now that I have Vista, and have had for several years, I've found it isn't as imperative. Vista seems more resilient to the kind of stuff that would drag down older Windows OSes.

Computers that are locked down and used mostly as kiosks typically don't need much attention, though the constant litany of Windows updates can start to drag a system down, especially when there are patches upon patches. Starting fresh means you only have to get the most current version of a patch for an issue and you don't have one layered atop 3 earlier ones.

[TheRev]

5 times in the last year with Windows 7 ultimate

I must be screwing something up. I finally have had enough and I'm taking to to a tech to have a real clean reinstall done and make sure my hard drive isn't damaged.

[deathsled]

I think visiting shady porn sites is the real culprit