Why are the technet participants keeping quite about this

[#1]

My XP machine is slowing down and I fear a rebuild  for that too.
Wipe the hard disc, reformat, re-install , then put all the software back. put the data back 
Or is there an easier way these days ?

[#2]

On my XP Machines I have a drive image which is a clean install of XP including the main software programs. I use Acronis True Image for this and have created a boot disk too.
To re-instate the image takes about twenty minutes and can be run from the acronis boot. Data kept on a separate partition will be ok
The only time consuming bit is updating the software that may have installed since the image was taken.

[#3]

Quote from: mal0z

Or is there an easier way these days ?

Not really, depends how big your disk is. My preferred method is:
Create new partition (using Partition magic or similar) on existing disk or add new disk.
Do a clean install alongside existing and reinstall required software, change boot defaults to new install.
Copy data files across as required. Once the new install is fully up and running, wipe the old partition and do a clean basic install on it, for emergency/diagnostic use.

[#4]

Quote from: HPsauce

I thought Vista SP2 was called Windows 7

Does that make Windows 2000 SP4 Windows XP

[#5]

What exactly did you want us to say? Look at this shiny new toy we have but you can't get yet. Seems rather cruel.
I've not installed it yet but I suppose I could look at the change log and try it on a test box if someone is interested.

[#6]

To be honest I don't know.
Having worked in IT for quite a few years now, I've never got to the stage where I've felt a rebuild would give me anything worth having.
So many people seem to do it with abandon, yet prevention and maintenance seem to be satisfactory.
Have you run through the usual tips and tweaks, such as registry cleans, HDD Defrags and Page File defrags?
Have you checked startup programs, and removed all the unneeded clutter that can so easily build up?
Have you ensured that you are not hitting a hardware bottleneck? (Lots of updates to programs increase the necessary hardware dramatically, so what seemed like enough RAM a few months ago might not be, for example)
Have you ensured physical cleanliness inside your box? (Overheating can cause temporary reduced performance, as well as permanent degradation of components)
Have you disabled all the stuff you don't need? (Extra services, unused hardware etc)
You could be pleasantly surprised how much you can get in exchange for a little maintenance - starting again from scratch only needs to be a real last resort IMO.

[#7]

For similar reasons I agree with James.  Keep it tidy; search out and 'fix' the anomalies as they come up.  Rebuild does of course work - but if you don't do the housework it will soon need doing again?
My PC is 5 years old and on XP SP3 Via Windows 98 and still going well.  A bit like trigger's broom though as it's had new Power supply and a replacement mother board
M

[#8]

Quote

A bit like trigger's broom though as it's had new Power supply and a replacement mother board

watched that episode the other day

[#9]

I installed Windows XP, downloaded all updates and then made a backup using Norton Ghost. Recovering the PC from a separate partition takes 10 mins.
I do it every couple of months as i dont have much worth saving on my home PC.

[#10]

Quote from: Oldjim

I am running Vista for one reason only - I wanted a 64 bit operating system (not Linux)

Jim, could I ask WHY not Linux?

[#11]

Quote from: Oldjim

I am running Vista for one reason only - I wanted a 64 bit operating system (not Linux)

I've just installed Windows 7 Beta 64-bit and it's going very well so far. (had 32-bit on an older system for a while)
A few odd external peripherals are too old for proper drivers but everything "in the box" is fine.

[#12]

Quote from: biker955

Quote from: Oldjim I am running Vista for one reason only - I wanted a 64 bit operating system (not Linux) Jim, could I ask WHY not Linux?

Because the software I use won't run on it

[#13]

A reasonable assumption then, what may I ask is the software that you require? Vista was the reason I switched to Linux 2 years ago  :D, and 99.9% of the applications I use work in Linux (either via different app or under Wine)

[#14]

Quote from: biker955

99.9% of the applications I use work in Linux

I don't have 1000 apps on my PC so couldn't get close to that.
In fact I probably have under 100 and use only a handful regularly. 

[#15]

At the time dX9 and dx10 games were dodgy under Linux and even Outlook 2003 is a major problem.
Now crossover might be a possibility - I can dual boot linux to try without problems. http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=3649
Something for the dark winter nights perhaps