When windows sucks

[Matthew]

...which is all the time.

but seriously, how do you guys deal with the bulls*** of reinstalling windows, retweaking it, reinstalling all apps, etc.

i know some go to linux or whatever but thats not for me.

i hate the whole damn process. i was wondering if say once a week or so you ghosted the drive to another hard drive so that in the even of a crash you could just swap drives or whatever...

 

[Matthew]

which program do you use? we used to use norton ghost

 

[FunkyBuddha]

I rebuild about once every 6 months. I just reinstall..i just make sure all my family's files are on a different hard drive..so I only have windows and apps on the C drive. I also make separate user profiles on windows xp so that people's documents don't get mixed up. As an admin..I just copy the My Documents folders of each person toa different hard drive. I make sure I have 2 hdd's in each pc at my house for this reason.

 

[uclap5]

only real issue ive had in the last 3 years with windows was a hard drive failure, and thats was just a faulty HD.

i dont use any firewall (besides the built in) and i dont use virus protection, and i hardly ever use any adware/ spyware programs.

i dont know how some people get their comps so packed with s***.

 

[cbcbd]

install windows + whatever apps, make a ghost image

next time just restore the ghost image, saves tons of time, yuo should know that computer whiz

Same thing I do, but I don't put all the apps since there might be newer versions coming out anyway. I just install windows, the latest service pack and patches and make the ghost image.
I use Norton Ghost - you can find the 2005 torrent easily.

Matthew, what OS are you using?

 

[AndrewF150]

I usally keep my system clean and only have to worry about a reinstall once a year or so. I myself would switch to linux but just don't run into it enough in my daily life to fully make the switch.

But if you are having issues with doing reinstalls, just install your os, update...than ghost it.

 

[SciFiMan]

Norton Ghost is what I use at work. I ghost and clone stuff every week. Your best bet is to get a nice clean install with all the updates and drivers you need. Copy all important files. Then Ghost it (to a file on another disk, rather than a whole bunch of CD's). Then when you need to freshen Windows, just put the image back on and all the basic's are there. Then you can reinstall only the programs you want and lose the clutter that builds up.

If you have XP and you start to have trouble with drag copying and otherwise bad behavior, you can logon to a different administrator account, save off everything from the problem profile (My Doc's, etc.). Then delete the troublesome account and recreate it. Then copy your stuff back.

 

[cbcbd]

I love reinstalling and starting fresh again...

it's like going to bed in clean sheets

 

[pluto316]

I put my Windows install on a new partition away from all my porn, I mean, files. Save yourself about 5 or 6 gigs for a good Windows install. When Windows craps out I just reformat that partition and reinstall. Once Steam gets ported to Linux and the Gimp gets a little better, so long Windows.

 

[MiaTurbo]

If you like to get crazy and do all kinds of weird stuff that can break Windows or most other operationg systems, try using VMWare. You install over a base install of Windows, then do your crazy stuff on a virtual machine. If you F* it up, restoring the VM will take minutes to do.

 

[jonlong]

What is Steam and Gimp?

 

[II-Savy]

install windows + whatever apps, make a ghost image

next time just restore the ghost image, saves tons of time, yuo should know that computer whiz

This is it right here. Drive imadge pro is another one. Take about 5 minutes to rebuild. Also you can just keep you system organized and clean.