6 Tell-Tales Signs That You Need To Reformat Your Hard Drive

So you've noticed that your trusty computer has stopped being so trusty, and is now more concerned with crashing and not cooperating than performing your requested tasks. What can you do about it? You want your computer to run like it was brand new, but you don't want to have to go through the process of buying a new one, and you're not sure about when you should use that R word... Reno? Nope. Remove? Nope. Reformat? That's the word.

Here's 6 tell-tale signs that you need to reformat your hard drive.

1. Startup takes longer than a couple of minutes- Startup shouldn't take longer than 2-3 minutes even on a slightly older machine, so when it starts getting into the 5-10 minute range you may want to look into reformatting as an option to get your PC back in shape, or you can try doing some startup tweaks to get a faster startup if you don't want to reformat just yet. If you PC seems to hang (pause) at the Windows loading screen or any point during startup a good reformat should fix the hang, because it usually sorts out startup problems like hardware configurations and the sort.
2. Shutdown takes longer than a few minutes- Again, your shutdown shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, and that's being generous. Maybe your computer has to use the extra time to shutdown all the virus processes on your PC, but I dunno.
3. You've discovered viruses and spyware that you can't get rid of- Maybe your anti-virus program is crappy, or you've been infected by super viruses that just won't go away. A good reformat will get rid of all your bugs, so don't hesitate to use that as an option when you're knee-deep in viruses.
4. Half the time your programs and files end up not responding- When you can't hardly operate any programs without them not responding, or your computer particularly seems unstable something in your Windows installation probably got corrupted. It can easily get corrupted just over time with use and driver updates, they don't make OSes to last forever in a perfect state.
5. Windows errors on startup and shutdown- If you constantly receive Windows errors on your startup and shutdowns, then it may be a good idea to reformat. When everything is running smoothly you shouldn't get errors, errors only typically show up when something has gone wrong. Especially if you get the infamous Blue Screen Of Death, if that shows up, chances are it's only going to get worse, so better reformat now while you still have time.
6. Your computer begins playing Mozart- Back in the day when your computer dies it'd start playing classical music, if your computer does this, you can probably try reformatting, but I don't think it'll work. You can think of it as your computer's funeral music.

Remember to back up all of your important information before you reformat, make sure you don't forget those important pictures of your girl either that you'd regret losing. ;)

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.

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