ID:187725
 
I want to save my "File stash" (Files I've had since Napster ruled), but my PC is being fruit-tastic, and I have a grand total of a gig left on my HDD.

Should I make a partition, and just copy all of my files I want to keep on there, and then format the rest?

Help please ;)

Thanks!

~Kujila
I burn all of my important files to CD and reformat.
In response to Kagayaku Kami
My files are several gigs

I'm lazy ;)

~Kujila
In response to Kujila
My files are also several gigs.

Split the folders, put some in one CD, more in another, and so on.

I'm lazy too, but mix it with music and you have something to sit down and do on the weekend.

Make it a big project, 'Reformatting the computer, this Sunday'. :P
In response to Kujila
Use a DVD :P...To bad Blu-ray is not out yet. it can hold up to 54GB per disc. The lazy part I can't help with :P
In response to Xzar
Xzar wrote:
Use a DVD :P...To bad Blu-ray is not out yet. it can hold up to 54GB per disc. The lazy part I can't help with :P



But then you need a DVD-writer, and most stock computers only come with DVD-PLAYERS.
In response to Kagayaku Kami
Although my PC isn't stock, I've only purchased a CD-RW and a DVD-ROM (DVD came a year or so later)

Stinker :P

[EDIT]

Not you "Stinker" I just meant like,... "Bummer" :)

[/EDIT]

~Kujila
You should never reformat as a first option. That should be your absolute last resort.

Instead, you're probably better off identifying which apps are the flakiest and uninstalling those, then trying to clean up the rest of your system by addressings its problems one by one.

Lummox JR
In response to Lummox JR
Lummox JR wrote:
Instead, you're probably better off identifying which apps are the flakiest and uninstalling those, then trying to clean up the rest of your system by addressings its problems one by one.

A good program that I've found to help with this sort of thing is Tune up Utitilies 2004. It's a collection of utilities that do everything from Uninstalling applications and removing applications that won't uninstall normally, to defragmenting your registry and deleting old or bad links.

Also depending on what operating system you are using (I know windows XP you can do it with) you can do a repair install off of the windows xp disc. All you do is pop in the cd, boot into it (change boot order or if you have the option choose to boot from it). Then go through the licensing, let it scan stuff, and then choose install (not repair from recovery console). Choose the copy of windows from the list and hit R to repair it. This reinstalls the original windows ontop of the existing one leaving files and settings intact for 95% of things.
In response to Nick231
Yeah, but usually if you leave the files intact, your just making it worse.

I've repaired the system a couple of times and it seems to put everything in your 'C:\Documents and Settings' folder, making it rather annoying to get everything back to where it was.

Don't repair it, it just screws your computer up worse.

If anything, you should do a complete format after wiping the drives. (After you have all of your stuff saved)

P.S: Reformat/formats aren't last resort type of things today. Since so many malicious things are out there these days, you may need to reformat on a monthly or even weekly basis if you don't take care of your computer.
get another HDD?

They're not expensive.
In response to Kagayaku Kami
Kagayaku Kami wrote:
Yeah, but usually if you leave the files intact, your just making it worse.

I've repaired the system a couple of times and it seems to put everything in your 'C:\Documents and Settings' folder, making it rather annoying to get everything back to where it was.

Don't repair it, it just screws your computer up worse.

Sounds like you're using some sort of default repair option that comes with Windows. That's hardly what was recommended!

If anything, you should do a complete format after wiping the drives. (After you have all of your stuff saved)

P.S: Reformat/formats aren't last resort type of things today. Since so many malicious things are out there these days, you may need to reformat on a monthly or even weekly basis if you don't take care of your computer.

That's completely bogus. Formats are more of a last resort today than ever, because of the fact that today's operating systems are bigger and program installation is more heinous. Unlike an old DOS system where you could simply restore the files and be up and running, reformatting a Windows system means resetting all your personal preferences and reinstalling all your apps, then reconfiguring all of those to match their pre-format condition.

If you rely on reformatting that much, you're doing something seriously wrong. And the main thing you're doing wrong is assuming reformatting is a magic bullet. Many tune-up apps can keep your system in good shape, and others like those that clean out spyware are a good way to combat the malicious software you spoke of. (Smart downloading is also a good way to combat malware. Make sure first that the program doesn't have spyware. The easiest way is to Google it with the word spyware in the search, and see what comes up. If the result pages all agree this has no spyware, you're in the clear.)

Lummox JR
In response to Lummox JR
My PC isn't having *problems* per say, I'm just tired of having 500 MB left on my 40 GB HDD, and I feel it would be faster to just wipe everything.

...that, and, Windows has become progressively slower, and I might as well just re-do everything, eh? ;)

~Kujila
In response to Lummox JR
I'm not wasting my time reading your response, because to keep something healthy you Have to kill it.

There is no way to take perfect care of your computer, every computer and malfunction whether it's Windows, linux, or mac.

Reformatting your computer every month, or whenever you have major problems you don't want to deal with, is the perferred way of doing it for many people like myself.

Not everyone has the ability to know what is wrong and how to fix it, so reformatting is the easy way out, and people choose it because of that.
In response to Kagayaku Kami
Kagayaku Kami wrote:
I'm not wasting my time reading your response, because to keep something healthy you Have to kill it.

There is no way to take perfect care of your computer, every computer and malfunction whether it's Windows, linux, or mac.

Reformatting your computer every month, or whenever you have major problems you don't want to deal with, is the perferred way of doing it for many people like myself.

Not everyone has the ability to know what is wrong and how to fix it, so reformatting is the easy way out, and people choose it because of that.

So all those systems with 99.999% (or higher) uptime are just a myth? Reformatting is a last resort. There's plenty that can be done before having to reformat.
In response to Kagayaku Kami
I'm not wasting my time reading your response, because to keep something healthy you Have to kill it.

If you're not going to read a post how on earth are you going to make any kind of valid reply?
In response to Airjoe
I got a 200 gig for like 180$ (Can $ tho)
In response to Kagayaku Kami
Kagayaku Kami wrote:
I'm not wasting my time reading your response, because to keep something healthy you Have to kill it.

Hi, Dr. Nick!

There is no way to take perfect care of your computer, every computer and malfunction whether it's Windows, linux, or mac.

It's a given that systems will break down over time. Hardware fails, software gets cluttered up, files get lost, and all kinds of behind-the-scenes stuff slowly turns into a mess. However it's plenty possible to drastically reduce the rate of that deterioration.

Reformatting your computer every month, or whenever you have major problems you don't want to deal with, is the perferred way of doing it for many people like myself.

If you're willing to constantly put in a lot of needless work and effort for very little result, that's just dandy. As you like it. But the time spent getting a system and all its apps up to par for anyone who seriously uses their system is considerable--on the order of several days. If you're spending 20% of the time doing major repairs, you're doing something very wrong. If you're happy with that kind of wastage and the downtimes involved, then by all means continue to do so. (But gads, don't advise others to do so.)

Not everyone has the ability to know what is wrong and how to fix it, so reformatting is the easy way out, and people choose it because of that.

It's not the easy way out; some people only think it is. Reformatting is a significant investment in time and effort, and requires a certain amount of knowledge to do right in the first place. If you can reformat your system, you can more easily get a decent program to help you keep it healthy. And you really don't even need that so much.

You're right that people choose this because they don't know better, but heck, I'm no expert and I can still take steps to improve an ailing computer. Just hop on Google with a list of some of the common symptoms, and you'll be amazed what you can find. I learned for example that a shutdown bug in Windows 98 was network-related, and at that time I was also having occasional spontaneous reboots at times other systems on the network shut down (or within a few minutes thereof). The culprit was ZoneAlarm, which apparently did things to the network driver that Win98 didn't like; I axed it those problems have not since resurfaced. I also used to encounter a freezing problem with Java apps; as a result I now avoid most Java apps, as apparently they too can be screwy on 98.

And a little preventative medicine goes a long way. The people who reformat constantly are the same ones who get viruses and trojans all the time: because they don't download and install software intelligently. It takes a certain healthy skepticism. Installing and uninstalling even good software left and right will also cause instability. And often just a good defrag will do the trick to bring a slow computer back up to speed.

Bottom line: There are any number of simple and effective techniques for keeping your computer healthy, or restoring it to health, that will stave off a reformat. Those techniques are at least as easy as reformatting, plus you don't have to deal with all the fallout. Think of a reformat like an organ transplant. There's a big difference between regular surgery and transplant surgery! If a person needs a re-transplant every month, then either the wrong problem is being treated or they're abusing their body--or their doctor is ignoring other options.

Lummox JR
In response to Jon88
Just because someone runs their computer All day and All night doesn't have anything to do whether or not the system is healthy, or myths.
In response to Lummox JR
That's completely bogus. Formats are more of a last resort today than ever, because of the fact that today's operating systems are bigger and program installation is more heinous.

Sadly, it's getting more and more common for undertrained (or overtrained and underpaid) tech support reps to push this as the default suggestion. It helps end users avoid the two most common computer-related problems: diagnosing the trouble, and fixing it.
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