I have a Sony VAIO laptop. I've had it since 2004. Lately, it's been running a bit slow. I asked my son what I should do about it, he suggested I save whatever important files I have and reformat the hard drive. Erasing everything and starting from scratch. He says he does this on his computer about once a year.

Is this a good idea? Does anybody else do this every year?

I do it twice a year, helps for sure. Make sure you save those files thou. And have an operating disc as well.

Go ahead and reformat. I do it all the time. In fact, I'm considering doing mine tomorrow, because my computer has become a virus breeding ground.

I have a Sony VAIO laptop. I've had it since 2004. Lately, it's been running a bit slow. I asked my son what I should do about it, he suggested I save whatever important files I have and reformat the hard drive. Erasing everything and starting from scratch. He says he does this on his computer about once a year.

Is this a good idea? Does anybody else do this every year?

Have you opened up task manager to see what's using the most juice?
You could defragment

You can also clean temporary files/cached pages/empty recycle bin



I wouldn't clean install unless you absolutely had to. Your problem may be a mundane easy to fix one.

I have a cache cleaning program that I use regularly, also a memory monitor so I know what programs use the most space, I uninstall the ones I don't need or which run in the background unnecessarily. Antivirus programs also slow down the computer, a firewall is what I use.

I would also suggest defragmenting first.

I have a cache cleaning program that I use regularly, also a memory monitor so I know what programs use the most space, I uninstall the ones I don't need or which run in the background unnecessarily. Antivirus programs also slow down the computer, a firewall is what I use.

I would also suggest defragmenting first.

That crap takes like fifteen hours and never gets the job done!

Well, at least for me it does't.

My desktop, and Laptop both are running the original W2K for 5 years and 3 Years now. The laptop stays current by automatically downloading the stuff from Microsoft site. But the desktop refuses to update itself. Sometimes I download a few patches - but since the computer has not died...I leave it alone.

I do check for viruses and malware from time to time and defrag quite often with diskeeper. It still is doing fine for what I need including video editing- so could not justify buying a new one.

The only thing I did to my Dell Laptop is to replace my Hard Drive with a 7200 rpm one.

Defrag, Defrag. I have never considered reformatting... I just clean up my junk..
I have never actually needed a Defrag until my computer goes past the age of 5.

I think I'll try the defrag first. I just did the fragmentation analysis, and the computer recommends it. Worth a shot.

I think I'll try the defrag first. I just did the fragmentation analysis, and the computer recommends it. Worth a shot.

It used to be in the win98 and older days - a good idea to reformat every year or so. Nowdays it is not necessary unless something is botched.

Defrag. Perhaps get a good reg cleaner program(only helps with *unwanted* TSRs and booting up however).

That's all. You will notice a difference after a defrag.

I'd run a disk check before anything. Bad spots on the hard drive can cause slowness.

De-fragmentation deals with how files are stored on the hard-drive, over time caches are used and files are deleted which means the overall files can get spaced out amongst the drives free space causing fragmentation. Fragmentation increases the search time for information on the drive and increases the workload on the drives heads/cylinders.

Most versions of Windows do take hours to defrag if you don't defrag regulary.

Vista's de-fragmentation system is not very bells and whistles in regards to something to look at, however it's been made to run at a lower priority and in the background of the operating system which means it can be left to run daily at a given time. (I think it even defrag's with smaller clusters rather than large data movements so as not to put serious load on your drive.)

The main thing that does slow down a computer however is it's Registry, every installation puts keys in the file, every program potentially alters keys based upon the program being used. After a while the file becomes extremely large and cumbersome, it can even break on occasion causing a persons OS to actually fail.

The best way to imagine the registry is that it's like a very large key rack in a car showroom. Every car they have has it's own set of keys and sometimes even when the car is sold keys might be kept, in the end you end up with so many keys should someone knock the rack over nobody would know which keys belong to which car creating a bit of a problem when selling new cars. (That's symbolism of the registry being corrupted)

You can lessen the size of your registry through a number of methods, one is uninstall all the programs you no longer use anymore. Make sure you do this through 'Add/Remove Programs' in your control panel though, this will remove some of the keys however it might leave 'Orphan keys'.

There are programs you can get that will hunt such keys down in your registry as well as tweak other values, however they always have a risk, as you might delete a key with an encrypted Regkey in and lose the functionality of a program etc.

Re-Formats can be handy, as you take the system right back to it's foundations and then 'rebuilt it again'. However if you are intending to install XP you could find yourself under viral attack almost immediately as you attempt to gain the correct updates. So it's a good idea to download and store with your "Important information"; an Anti-Virus program, potentially the first two service packs for the operating system, Drivers for your peripherals (graphics card, sound card, keyboard, mouse, monitor etc) and if you didn't pick up the service packs a Software firewall. I'd also recommend Spywareblaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) on any new OS installs, Basically it will block most ActiveX installations that are made by dodgy websites/installers etc. So you nip problems in the bud before they occur.

Once you've Installed those on a newly formatted system you should then be able to do the operating system updates to deal with various security problems etc. I would also suggest checking out www.blackviper.com as it deals with explaining all the Processes/Services that the Operating system runs in the background as standard, it also gives a rough guide of what is/isn't safe to turn off without undermining your operating systems integrity. (From a security angle you should only ever run servers/services that you use as it lessens the number of potentially exploitable routes into your OS)

as far as i know, with anything XP and up, defrag isnt really as necessary as it used to be since the files pull differently. It still helpful i suppose, you just won't see as much of a difference as you might be expecting.
If you are reformatting (we do it as needed in my house) i would suggest investing in an external hard drive. great for storing all that stuff you don't want to delete, and the best part is, you don't have to put it all back when you're done. Large media files can be kept on it to keep your pc lighter.

However if you are intending to install XP you could find yourself under viral attack almost immediately as you attempt to gain the correct updates.

The only way that happens is if you're not behind a firewall IMO. I perform XP clean-installs on people's machines all the time, and have never had that happen.

The only way that happens is if you're not behind a firewall IMO. I perform XP clean-installs on people's machines all the time, and have never had that happen.

Indeed it is if you aren't behind a firewall. There are ways to deal with the problem, however they can be too technical for some. (Like for example turning of NetBIOS over TCP while you update, along with Folder Sharing etc.) This is why I'd suggested having either a temporary software firewall if you installed XP without Service Pack 2. Although most people nowadays have a Router for their connection to the internet and for the most part they have hardware firewalls built in.

I have a Sony VAIO laptop. I've had it since 2004. Lately, it's been running a bit slow. I asked my son what I should do about it, he suggested I save whatever important files I have and reformat the hard drive. Erasing everything and starting from scratch. He says he does this on his computer about once a year.

Is this a good idea? Does anybody else do this every year?

I've also got an '04 VAIO, and I've noticed it seeming to get hotter than normal lately, and of course that is causing it to run slower. I've never replaced a cooling fan on a laptop, but I'm thinking about looking into it, because it wouldn't surprise me if the fan is slowing down with age. It's happened to every desktop i've ever owned. Mine seems to do a little better when I keep the feet on it propped up so it can breathe better, fwiw.

Good luck.

Incidentally, is your battery just completely shot? Mine will not run more than three minutes on battery anymore.

The end-of-discharge voltage of the Li-ion needs to be carefully controlled and must, under no circumstances, go below 2.5V per cell. Protection circuit intrinsic to the Li-ion pack prevent the battery from being discharged below the safe limit. If allowed to self-discharge below 2.5V, unrecoverable capacity loss occurs when stored in that condition for three months or longer.

I think reformatting is a good idea once a year, unless you have lots of pics,music,games on your computer and it is too troublesome backing them up...
Otherwise if there is no sloppiness with the computer just leave it alone...

I have a Sony VAIO laptop. I've had it since 2004. Lately, it's been running a bit slow. I asked my son what I should do about it, he suggested I save whatever important files I have and reformat the hard drive. Erasing everything and starting from scratch. He says he does this on his computer about once a year.

Is this a good idea? Does anybody else do this every year?

that is excellent advice... excellent...

nothing is better for a windows PC than to format the drive and run a fresh install...

microsoft windows is a self-corrupting piece of software... if you run it normally it is breaking down over time... period...

a format and re-install makes it a new PC again...

I've also got an '04 VAIO, and I've noticed it seeming to get hotter than normal lately, and of course that is causing it to run slower. I've never replaced a cooling fan on a laptop, but I'm thinking about looking into it, because it wouldn't surprise me if the fan is slowing down with age. It's happened to every desktop i've ever owned. Mine seems to do a little better when I keep the feet on it propped up so it can breathe better, fwiw.It does seem like my fan is running more than it used to, and I've noticed it heats up quickly if I'm using it on a bed/coach etc.
Incidentally, is your battery just completely shot? Mine will not run more than three minutes on battery anymore.
I'm on my third battery. My other two were like yours before I replaced them. Right now, my battery is fine.

Boy, some of you guys just format at the drop of a hat.

Mad, what sort of anti-spyware software do you have? Spy/malware is the number one cause of slow downs. Windows Defender (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en) is free, and can root out quite a bit of bad software. Speedfan (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php) has a feature that can give you a detailed report on the health of your hard drive. One of the downsides to a laptop is that the components are in such a small space. The heat builds up, and leads to shorter component lifespans.

Ad Aware, and Spybot are two other free spyware programs that are very effective.

Ccleaner is the best spyware removal software ive ever used. Its quick, thorough, plus it also has a registry cleaner.

AND FREE!!

Usually formatting is the last step and the final resort for a bad-working pc, though the most sure one. There are things to do before reformating; like uninstall the programs you do not really need, free up space in your pc, defragment the disks, clean up bad links in the registry, use lighter anti-spyware programs (I have tried many and am happily using AVG free edition), so adult-filters also slow down the computer because like anti-virus programs they first scan the program you want to open, and you may also increase the memory by adding an extra RAM.
I personally try not to reformat more than twice a year, they say it may ruin the hard disks. But of course it will igve you a lightening speed pc, that's for sure.