What are the benefits to a clean install?

bigboi972 · 22 Mar 2011

i was wondering what are the benefits to a clean install besides getting rid of bloatware. right now im thinking a out doing it my laptops is just to hot even on idle its hot im thinking about just trying a clean install just to see if anything improves although doing a clean install is not a solution to fixing the problem but just to see what happens i may do it. Seeing how as of right now my laptop stays from 60-70 degrees on idle and I just got it about 3 weeks ago. Im also considering buying a cooler for it as some of you have suggested.

Orbital Shark · 22 Mar 2011

Hi,

A clean install will always benefit any machine, I re-install my machine every 3 months

As far as the heat goes you may want to look at blowing out/cleaning the fan exhaust.

Note

Laptops are, by design, to be on purely flat surfaces. Don't be fooled by the name, you can't keep a laptop on your lap without it oveheating as most of the vents end up covered in some way

OS

Bare Foot Kid · 22 Mar 2011

Hello and here's some useful information.

After you have copied out or made back-ups of the data you need to save to external media; if you can find an exact Windows version that the PC shipped with you can do a clean install using the activation key on the COA sticker attached to the PC though it may require a robo-call to MS to sort the OEM batch-key.

How to Activate Windows 7 by Phone

If you can't find an exact same version, you could use the info in this tutorial to create an "all versions" installer of any version Windows installer, to install using the same method I posted above.

Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create

After you have made backups of everything you care to save, the best method is to do a complete wipe (secure erase) of the entire Hard Disk Drive first, it over-writes everything, all the old Windows code including all the old drivers/programs, giving you the best possible space to install Windows to.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

No matter what you do, if you do a clean install you will have to reinstall all the programs/apps that you use as they integrate themselves into the Windows registry and are not moveable from one Windows installation to another so be sure to save the program activation keys where applicable.

Bill2 · 22 Mar 2011

bigboi972 said:

i was wondering what are the benefits to a clean install besides getting rid of bloatware. right now im thinking a out doing it my laptops is just to hot even on idle its hot im thinking about just trying a clean install just to see if anything improves although doing a clean install is not a solution to fixing the problem but just to see what happens i may do it. Seeing how as of right now my laptop stays from 60-70 degrees on idle and I just got it about 3 weeks ago. Im also considering buying a cooler for it as some of you have suggested.

Its upto you. I've clean installed dozens of times but overheating laptops stayed hot i.e. till I switched to win7 from vista. After that I find I can manage the heat better.

As for general benefits, remnant services/processes/files from uninstalled bloatware that eat resources are wiped out, trialware nags become history and one recovers some disk space. But with faster, bigger, better hardware, these benefits are not such a big deal. If you can uninstall bloat properly, manually stop associated services/processes left behind and not screw up the registry in the process, you'll be fine. It'll save you some time and the need to reinstall everything all over again.

Mind you this goes against standard wisdom, but if you're a reasonably experienced PC user, you can choose either option.

smarteyeball · 22 Mar 2011

Bill2 said:

Mind you this goes against standard wisdom, but if you're a reasonably experienced PC user, you can choose either option.

Yep.

Although I'd check your current running processes to see if there is any particular one that is utilizing the CPU when 'idle'. The high temps may be because it's not actually idle.

A clean install won't be a magic bullet if it's not a bloat process running the CPU at any sort of constant load. All you'll have is a bloat free installation with the same high temps.

You can spend equal amounts of time doing a clean install + app installation or tracking down every last bloat app and manually removing all traces.

sreedhav · 22 Mar 2011

bigboi972,
You need a cooling pad,asap! As rightly pointed out in the above posts, the hot air vents are placed either on the undersurface of the lappy or the lateral sides of the laptop!

The Toshiba lappy i have has exhaust vents on the lateral side, so i needed to buy a cooling pad with fans blowing in cool air from the bottom ! For lappys with exhausts at the bottom surface, you have toget a cooling pad which appears curved at the sides and that's where the cooling fans are to pump in cool air and cool your 60-70 degrees laptop! Mamma mia!Belkin have both types of cooling pads! (very sorry for the bold type, it was purely meant for emphasis).

Kindly view the snaps below which were taken yesterday when i was working without the A/C on for straight Three hours( first snap) and the second after keeping the PC in an air-conditioned environment for 45 minutes! So in tropical climes like in India and in states like Texas,Oklahama and Florida in the USA, the external temperatures play their role as well!

Regards,
Sreedhav

sreedhav · 22 Mar 2011

Dear bigboi972,
As regards your original question, the only way (some even question that and add a erasure) rootkit infections are cleaned is ONLY by a 3-pass erasing any data left behind which may harbor rootkits and a clean install! Kindly read this very nice article on why would suspect Rootkits in the first place and what to do once your pc is infected! The first two replies are very interesting and i lean towards the reply by Sean.L. Link : What would make you suspect your computer was infected with a rootkit? | LinkedIn Answers | LinkedIn

regards,
Sreedhav

PS: I suggest you download speccy (Free), a versatile instrument which will tell you (and if you choose to,us too), the temperatures of CPU,MOBO,HDD and GPU! Link : http://www.piriform.com/speccy

sreedhav · 22 Mar 2011

Here is a definition of clean install from the The Free Dictionary : "A completely new installation of an operating system or application.To clean install an OS, the hard disk is formatted and completely erased . To clean install an application, the older version is uninstalled first. Installing the OS on a new computer or installing an application for the first time is automatically a clean install". The emphasis is mine. source : clean install definition of clean install in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

gregrocker · 22 Mar 2011

Extend your laptop's life! Clean the dust out of its heat sink.
Cleaning Your Laptop Cooling System

Until you get the cooling pad, place a small block of wood or other thin long object under the back of the laptop to elevate the rear by about an inch to increase air circulation. Examine the vents to see where they are and make sure they are kept clear, clean and elevated to maximize air circulation. This sometimes is enough.

Never use the laptop on a bed or sofa or laptop (!) where irregular surface will block the air vents. This is death to a laptop in short order.

sreedhav · 23 Mar 2011

My dear gregrocker,
Quote" Until you get the cooling pad, place a small block of wood or other thin long object under the back of the laptop to elevate the rear by about an inch to increase air circulation" Unquote! IT IS AGEM OF A POINT! l You rock!

Regards,
Sreedhav