Solved What should I do before I reformat my hard-drive

[bs449]

Hello

I have found a program in my programs folder that I know is a bandit and it won't delete. I also have so much 'stuff' in my folders that has been dumped there by long-deleted software that my 750mB hard drive was full. I had three versions of AutoCAD which I removed but its left loads of legacy stuff and I do not know what is safe to delete.

Therefore, I am planning on doing a reformat of my hard drive. I am backing everything up, as you do (forgot outlook on one backup - a years e-mails gone. ouch!) but should I do more. I assume any nasties cannot hide elsewhere like the printer, say, and I assume a reformat does clean the disc or should I use a 'killdisc'?

With a clean disc, is there a procedure I should adopt. I would love to keep a text-log of everything that goes on that I could compare with as I use the machine - a kind of monitor. If I am to stay with windows and not port to Linux, I need to know what is happening 'under the hood'.

Any advice is welcome.

Regards

 

[madcratebuilder]

Back up all data you want to keep. Make sure you have the install disks for os and apps. List of drivers you well need, maybe d/l them and burn to cd. Yes, a reformat well give you a clean hhd.

 

[bs449]

Thanks. I have all the discs, licence numbers and passwords and fully backed up. My next forum topic will be "help! PC won't work after reformat" - touch wood. Cheers

 

[lehnerus2000]

Remember to scan your backup files for malware.

 

[gregrocker]

Follow these same steps for Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
to get and keep a perfect install. Everything that works best is there.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Performance Monitor

With a clean disc, is there a procedure I should adopt. I would love to keep a text-log of everything that goes on that I could compare with as I use the machine - a kind of monitor. If I am to stay with windows and not port to Linux, I need to know what is happening 'under the hood'.

You may wish to read about how to use the built-in Performance Monitor.
You can use it to generate reports about how your PC is performing.

Here is a link:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749154.aspx

You can access the Performance Monitor by:

1. Opening the Start Menu
2. Typing "performance" into the Search box (no quotes)
3. Clicking on Performance Monitor in the results list (you may need to right click and choose "Run as administrator").

​

If that seems like overkill, you could screenshot the Task Manager window, after you have installed Windows and all of the updates, but before you install any software.