Reinstalling OS.. Why?

Hey all,

I'm getting my M1730 XPS tomorrow and I'm curious about why you folks decide to reinstall the operating system after you get it.. lemme know!

 

The main reason people reinstall the OS is to get rid of the software that ships with it - anti-virus trails and stuff like that that often leaves risidual registry entries and stuff when uninstalled. Basically it ensures your computer is running as quickly as possible and not being slowed down by software you don't want.

Is it essential? Certainly not, at least not with Dell. The amount of software Dell includes is actually fairly low, and you won't notice and big slowdowns. At least not unless it's changed drastically in the past year.

 

bcause they all come with 200+ (not that much ) preinstalled software and trial products wich we dont want... so we are too lazy to unisntall withc cccleaner and other products, so a clean install there u go
(i found this really worth in XP, since XP had the probleb to slow down in time)... with vista i have the feelling that does not happen... but its just me

 

I think it's also a mental thing that your brand new notebook is "clean" once you format it. The improvement in performance is often minimal (except in some cases where there is excessive bloatware).

 

Reinstalling is a great way to get rid of all the free trials and other crap dell puts on. But if you don't have the time or you're just too lazy to do so (like me ) do the following:
1) download and use the decrapifier http://pcdecrapifier.com/
2) tweak anything else you can on vista http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166532
other than that, theres nothing else i can think of. anything im missing?

 

There's absolutely no reason to do it, none. Uninstall the software you don't want. As horrible of a company as Dell is they really don't load a lot of bloatware. You wont notice any performance increase from formatting.

The one thing you should do is after you uninstall everything is a defrag. If you format, you also should defrag immediately after.

 

Performance-wise, anything dealing with the Windows registry encounters slow-down if the registry is full of redundant information, which often is left behind from imperfectly uninstalled software.

Security-wise (and this has been complained about vehemently by at least one poster on this forum), a default Dell config is quite insecure, especially when the separate Media Direct can access supposedly secure files.

You also need to factor in the target market of the M1730. Performance nuts, one and all! Tinkerers and hackers (in the truest sense of the word, not the mass-media tainted sense) alike. I will never accept a default Windows installation from a hardware vendor. It would be like moving into someone elses house, keeping all their old furniture, clothes and bathroom products!

There is also the fact that I install Ubuntu, XP and Vista x64 in a triple-boot config on just about every PC I own.

 

There are a lot of folks who THINK to understand something of computers. They've probably installed Windows XY like 10x - 30x times. So far there's nothing wrong about that.

And then their first Dell computer comes. They fail terrible:

. by resizing and messing around with their partitions to install as many OS as possible (XP for gaming, Vista 32 for tryout, Vista 64 for ethusiast and signature, ...) they accidently turn their MediaDirect button into a self destruct / nuke-all-my-partitions button.

. they go back and forth with ATA/ACPI drivers until they get it right. Some stick at ATA and wonder why TurboCache isn't working. Others try ACPI and wonder why a genuine Vista CD (SP1 not included) BSOD after installing.

. they recognize (if at all) that Dell's recommended energy profile is an energy saver

. after their 3rd phone call they have to admit that keeping utility partition with dell diagnostics isn't that bad at all.

. They didn't install MD 3.5, but recognize the free included CyberLink H.264 DirectShow filter (might have GPU hardware decode) would turn out useful.

. They ask annoying questions in forums.

Those that really do understand a little bit of computing - they have always been quiet and tried to avoid getting involved in any of those New-User-Asks-Install-Questions.

As said before: XPS setup is not bloated at all. Check dell ideastorm. It contains many listings of software shipped with dell and their configuration. Uninstall the unwanted - that's it.

A registry is copied to main memory. And maybe there is a couple of 100kb penalty having a "bloated" registry. So how long exactly does searching in a tree take? Yes you do remember it's log n. And how many levels of the hierarchy do you save by deleting random keys in the registry? Zero. Did you disassemble MS code to be able to tell where they used hashing and caching here and there?

Well, there are indeed some performance tweaks for windows, but those don't relate to the registry at all. There is:
. installing all your Software (Adobe Reader, Java, ...) and check autorun services (Autostart, RunServices) afterwards
. Indexing, Superfetch etc. as you desire
. Dammit! Install more memory if you've not gotting 4GB so far.
[...]

I'm not concerned about those at all. They wouldn't have asked in the first place anyway. I'm even not concerned about enthusiats as you seem to be one. They love learning about computers (at some point of time they learn to have a backup).

Install Mac OS X on a PC as a little challenge.

 

Well, there are reason why someone might wish to do this. The best reasons are (a) they want to replace the existing OS with something different, or (b) they want to create a different partition scheme.

But I think the whole "remove the bloatware" excuse is overstated, at least with regards to the XPS. There just isn't that much, especially if care was taken during the configuration as to eliminate things like security suites and Office trials.

And of course I think many see it as some Badge of Honor to announce that they reformatted the day their laptop arrived, as if it's some technical feat.

 

I agree with the idea that it's a psychological thing, the real-world performance difference is likely to be minimal, and I'd probably not have bothered if I was sticking with Vista 32-bit.

However, I always intended to delete the unnecessary (for me) recovery partition, and replace Vista 32-bit with Vista 64-bit. I am now dual-booting with XP 64-bit. I was already aware of the need for correct SATA drivers to use ACHI mode, and had a USB stick full of Vista 64/XP64 drivers before I even had my notebook. So in my case, I feel there was an excellent reason.

But I am the exception, most people will be sticking with Vista 32-bit.