coalcracker.net

I reformatted my work computer and reinstalled Windows XP this week since it was really running like a dog.  It’s one of those things I really dread because I’m always worried I’ll forget to back something up and it will be gone forever.  But I guess I’ve done it enough times now that I have a good handle on it, because it was pretty painless this time.  I thought I’d share a few things I do to prepare for reformatting that really make things easier.

You should already have a backup. Before you even reach the point of having to reformat, you should already have some sort of backup in place.  It should be easy enough, but so few people do it.  For a long time I was one of those people…  I just never felt like it was worth the effort.  But think of it as an insurance policy… you need to invest something for your own peace of mind.  I’ve become a big fan of remote backup over the past year or two, and I definitely suggest it.  I use Mozy at home and work… it’s $5/month for unlimited storage, or FREE up to 2 GB.  Once you set it up, it’s automatic… you don’t have to worry about it at all.  I also push all my pictures to Flickr ($25/year) so they are safe as well.

Make lists. The best way to make sure you don’t forget anything during the reformatting process is to make lists.  Make a list of all the files you will need to save —  bookmarks, e-mail, address book, calendar, music, videos, podcasts, your iTunes library file, documents, pictures — the list will be a lot longer than you thought.   Once you have this list, make sure you know where to find everything on it.  Some things, like your Outlook PST file, are buried away in hidden folders.  Another thing I did was to make a list of all the software I would have to install on the new system.  Web browsers, IM clients, etc. Don’t forget things like AntiVirus or other passive programs — check your system tray icons for essential apps you may have forgotten.  Good preperation here will make the rest of this much easier.

Go download your drivers now! Although Windows supports a lot of hardware, I found on my latest reformat that it doesn’t have drivers for most of the hardware in my Dell.  The last thing you want is to reformat your only computer and then find out you don’t have the network driver — you won’t be able to go download it!  Go to your manufacturer’s website to get the latest video, audio, and network drivers, plus anything else relevant.  Back these up with the rest of your files before you reformat.

Be ready to patch. If you have access to it, get a copy of Windows with the latest service packs rolled into the installation (this is called slipstreaming in nerd speak).  Windows XP is on Service Pack 3…  if you install from an old Windows disk, you will have to download and install each and every service pack.  Windows will do this for you during installation, but it will probably triple your installation time, since those packs are pretty big downloads.  If you don’t have a “slipstreamed” version, prepare yourself for lots of downloading, installing, and rebooting.

Backup your “file list”. Even though you already have your files backed up somewhere, you should get a copy of them right before you begin the reformat to make sure you have the latest.  Copy them to another computer over the network, or to an external drive or USB thumbdrive, or burn them to a CD.  It will be much faster to retrieve them this way than to download several gigabytes of data from a remote backup.  From here you just pop in the Windows CD, reboot, and follow the instructions.  Reinstalling Windows is much easier than it used to be.  If you prepared correctly, you have nothing to worry about.  If anything happens during the install, you can always start over, because your files are safe.  I was able to get my PC back to normal in less than a day…  and it runs like new!