How old is your windows install?

[Devrij]

I was sitting here thinking "man I think this install is coming up on 6 years now, time to fresh install and start over", but I just checked and it seems I did that in November last year. I'm already feeling like my install is full of bloat and crap. Loads of virtual devices, hangovers from software that never quite fully uninstalls etc. I wonder if this is more symptomatic of the amount of devices and stuff I run on my pc and all the bloatware that comes with them to do the things I need (looking at you kb and mouse just to have those profiles set up).

How often do you guys wipe the slate clean?

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

I keep an image of windows with the basics installed
Anytime i feel windows is running poorly
Or some problem I can't pin down
I just restore the image as its much faster than troubleshooting
As have all m2 drives and sata ssds
Including where the images are stored
Macrium can restore it faster than it takes me
To go get a cup of tea

Though I have several drives with windows installed
As always have several backup strategies
So might go 6 months without a restore
Or might be days,weeks,months
Depending how it's behaving/misbehaving

 

[ED209]

My current install is 9 months old. Was a clean install when I built this PC over Christmas 2024

 

[Raumarik]

6 months or so, new build PC so it's been clean installed.

I use to always keep a backup as Mcnumpty does but these days it's pretty painless to reinstalled Windows and update on gigabit fibre. I only do it when major hardware changes are done. I'd run W11 since it was released prior to this.

My oldest install is my wife W10 install her PC was setup with W10 the month it came out and has just happily updated ever since.