When To Dump it all and Reinstall?

1.) Format Drive
2.) Don't Reinstall Windows
3.) All should be fixed then

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Well, that depends on who you talk to in my old shop... if it was the boss, the answer to everything was format and reload, they can always restore from backup.

Me personally, if I cant figure out whats causing the problem in 30 mins, (and unable to restore registry from backups) delete registry re-install windows, but that always causes another problem... which I will be posting about in another forum!

Greasey.....

For me and my little repair shop, losing data is a no-no. I have definitely spent a few more hours than I charged for on some systems, and a lot of times spent quite a bit less than the minimum hours charge time, but I have an almost 99.9% satisified customer rate. I have to remember how it was when I got so frustrated with my computer that I had to call for help after trying what limited knowledge I had. When it got to that point, I definitely didn't want someone else just to wipe my system for me. I could have done that myself and saved myself the aggrivation. If the hard drive has physically gone to the great dumpster in the sky, you have lost your data, but other than that, at worst you will have to re-install some programs.

Charlie

Judgement calls on individual client systems.
Keep gobs of dump space on the shop server.
Burn CD copy, let client cull out data if
capable. Also carry an extra HD or 2 for field "insurance dumps" :-) As far as the school system Wan that I work on, several
sets of images have been built, classroom,labs,admin. We waste very little time before the GHOST boot and image CD`s come out. Pretty much the 3 curse rule with
us. 15000 computers to maintain, NO WAY to spend 2+ hours trying to unhose machines that
secrataries have blitzed with every imaginable bit of fluff they can install.
Or lab computers that have been hosed by "KID
HACKER wannabes" Blast em and move on to the
next challange.. One thing remains constant,
If they hose it, they`ll hose it again. Don`t
waste a lot of time trying to educate the masses what not to do. They`ll do it again..

Hmm, Well, i think that everyone is right, there is a time to wipe, and there is a time to dig and fix.
I used to prefer fixing a trashed o.s., but now i have no time to dig into each system at great length,
I generally, just get a feel for the problem and then make a decision from there..

if i need to wipe and re-install, i usually do one thing before fdisking. i run a little progie called zapdisk. it is positivly guarenteed to get rid of all viruses,and overlays.
just my three bits (inflation)

Well reloading is not just easier it is more profitable.
I often give customer the "deal" (with devilish smile on my face).
to FDISK/Format their computer install all their legal apps and do some settings.
Then as the contract goes i'm making a Ghost image of their DISK and state that next time they bring me the computer everything will be OK if they just backed up their work.
So i make Easy, Very easy money as contract and as loyal customers keep comming back.

MHAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA <- Devil's Laugh...

Reloading Windows... saving the customers data/drivers....
http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin...ML/002553.html

hope this helps...

every six months or whenever putting new hardware in, why not, it dosent hurt. if you have so much crap on your unit that you cant back it up onto one disk, then you have a serious problem. also only install what you are going to use, then you will spend less time whining about all of the programs that you will have to reinstall and reconfigure. and if you are that lazy find the ini or confing files and back them up too.

if it takes more than 20 minutes, then reinstall. seems to me that all customers care about is the unit getting fixed. they, in my experiance, dont seem to care what it takes, only that they want it quickly. always give them the backup data option, but for $60 its usually not worth it, but it is a great opportunity to drive some revenue. fdisk always, cause why not, and reinstall it for almost anything. tell people to respect their computers and most problems solved. there... i just did an hours work, and got paid for ....an hour, just like we are supposed to.

another one of those competent best buy techs.