Why Should I Reformat My Hard Drive?

Maintaining a personal computer is very similar to managing a home; constant maintenance and repair are required. If a home is not looked after, it can quickly become dirty, decrepit, and uninhabitable. Similarly, a computer will become corrupted, slow, and inefficient without proper care. Every week, unused files must be deleted, folders need to be organized, and the hard drive needs to be defragmented. Otherwise, your PC will most likely become cluttered, and may even catch a virus.

But no matter how well you maintain your PC, sometimes it just keeps getting slower and slower. It is during this instance that a reformatting of your hard drive is required. Hard drive formatting is equivalent to an annual Spring-cleaning. It is a necessary cleansing of your computer. But whereas Spring-cleaning is an annual event, reformatting of a hard drive should be completed at least twice a year. In fact, you should schedule to reformat your hard drive preferably three to four times a year. This will keep your computer running at its peak efficiency.

Sometimes though, you have no choice but to reformat your hard drive right away. If your computer has become infected with a virus, for instance, then the only way to completely eradicate it is by reformatting your hard drive. Antivirus software may work, but oftentimes it fails to remove the infection. Truthfully, antivirus and antispyware software is designed to prevent or quarantine an infection, not remove it. Once you have been hit, you will most likely need to reformat your computer.

Signs that you need to reformat your hard drive include:

Your registry is corrupted and important files are missing.
The Windows registry is a database containing all the settings for your operating system. Both viruses and improper use can corrupt the registry. Therefore, only trained professionals should ever handle a Windows registry. If it does become infected, you can try performing a ‘system restore.’ If that fails, then you will need to reformat your hard drive.

Essential services are permanently disabled.
Windows services are fundamental background applications that provide support to all primary windows functions. Without Windows services, for instance, you could not connect to the Internet, defrag your hard drive, or install new programs. Dysfunctional windows services are usually the result of a corrupted registry. If a ‘system restore’ fails, then you must reformat your hard drive.

Your hard drive is infected with spyware, adware, or a virus.
If your computer becomes infected with spyware, adware, or a virus, you may notice an extreme decrease in speed and performance. You should always first try to remove the virus manually with the help of an antivirus program. If that fails, then you will need to reformat.

Hopefully, your computer will be able to weather out the storm until your next scheduled reformatting. In the meantime, make certain that you are thoroughly protected with an antivirus program, antispyware program, and a strong firewall. When there is a leak in the basement, water will pour in and damage the foundation. Similarly, when there is a ‘leak’ in your computer, viruses and spyware will quickly take advantage. So treat your computer like your home, leak-free and safe from harm’s way!