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Why should I reformat/clean install a new i9300 ?

post #1 of 23
8/17/05 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
My Inspiron 9300 will be here in a few days so now is a good time to pose this question. A couple of friends suggested that I should reformat/clean install my i9300 when it arrives. Unfortunately, they didn't elaborate on that. These guys are smart when comes to computer so I'll have to take their advice seriously.

Why should I do that? I am the kind of guy that doesn't want to fix anything that isn't broken. Can you folks give me some good reasons, maybe accompanied with good evidence, for doing so? \

Thank you.
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post #2 of 23
8/17/05 at 2:55pm
Because Dell preinstalls a ton of software you probably do not want. This clogs up your registry and bogs down your machine with auto run applications. Your overall system performance will greatly increase with a clean install of Windows. Although uninstalling the Dell crapware does help, in my personal experience it's better to just start from scratch. Not everyone is capable of this, however, so if you don't feel confident in formating your system I would just uninstall the Dell applications that you do not want.

I have formatted every Dell I've ever purchased...but I'm also an IT tech so it comes natural to me.
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post #3 of 23
8/17/05 at 3:06pm
You know I didn't think it would be all that bad until I got my XPS2. Now I'm definitely going to reformat. What a load of junk they put on there. I accidentally turned on my XPS while taking it out of the box (I hit one of those buttons on the front) and I sat there thinking if it ever fully boots I'll just shut it down. Of course every program in the machine wanted me to register/configure/set preferences/agree to terms or select demo mode. It was a long wait. On the upside, my battery seemed to be fully charged.
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post #4 of 23
8/17/05 at 3:19pm
I had the same experience. Even after I thought it had booted all the way, Norton popped up and wanted me to register. There is so much crap set to autorun that the PC actually feels slow. It seems to me that Dell would want their machines to run fast with less junk on them.

After my XP reinstall, I put my copy of F-Prot Antivirus on there. It's much more efficient than Norton for real-time virus scanning. The Norton stuff seems to slow the hard drive down way too much...
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post #5 of 23
8/17/05 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
OK. So speed is a concern here. What about privacy? Does Dell put in there anything that may be intrusive to my privacy ? You know, keeping tapped of where on the net that I like to go to, for marketing purposes ?
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post #6 of 23
8/17/05 at 4:14pm
no only thing that violates your privacy is installing a microsoft os on it.

also partition your hd
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post #7 of 23
8/17/05 at 10:37pm
Just.............BECAUSE...............
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post #8 of 23
8/17/05 at 10:45pm
I did not format my laptop. It does take more time to remove the junk, but I have done this with 5 laptops. I never had a problem treating any of them that way. You just have to be tedious about it to do a good job of getting rid of the bloatware. Good luck with your new computer!
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post #9 of 23
8/17/05 at 10:50pm
Because all the cool kids are doing it.
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post #10 of 23
8/17/05 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by soon2bdellowner
OK. So speed is a concern here. What about privacy? Does Dell put in there anything that may be intrusive to my privacy?
Hmmmm..... could be......

Quote:
Dell has rejected allegations that its PCs come pre-loaded with an intrusive application that spies on users' surfing habits. The equipment manufacturer said there was nothing untoward about My Way Search Assistant despite complaints from customers that the toolbar impairs computer performance, changes browser settings and is difficult to remove.

The inclusion of My Way on Dell's Dimension desktop and Inspiron notebooks has prompted complaints to Dell's support pages, numerous gripes in online bulletin boards and even an accusation that the package is spyware.

Anti-spyware firm Sunbelt Software defines My Way components as a "potential privacy risk" that pose a moderate threat to users.
Link:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07...y_controversy/
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post #11 of 23
8/17/05 at 11:09pm
i used crap cleaner and uninstalled what i wanted to...and went into msconfic and disabled the bloatware....crap cleaner cleaned my registry...i get 5400 in 3dmark stock without a reformat
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post #12 of 23
8/18/05 at 7:13pm
There is nothing required about a reformat, however, if you are using MS then you'll really want to reinstall the os every 12-18 months anyway. I generally do (or get a new lappy, either or...)

A reinstall is not hard, nor is it tedious. I find cleaning the junk out to be much more of a hassle. I d/l all the drivers I need from dell and save them to a folder (rename them btw, it's easier to recognize them later Burn it on a cd, or put on a flash drive, then wipe the computer and install. Personally I always make a 10g partition for the OS and leave the rest for the extraneous crap I put on. This allows me to use ghost to backup more easily. Also, since I used a 7200 60g hitachi that I already had, I guess I'd have to reformat.....
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post #13 of 23
8/18/05 at 8:54pm
If you decide not to reformat, don't forget to use a registry cleaner to clean up the mess that gets left behind.

Personally, I think reformatting is smarter. Definately more freedom this way.
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post #14 of 23
8/18/05 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 

How do I know what drivers currently installed ?

So I should download all drivers I need before wiping out the hard disk. How do I find out what drivers are installed in my system pre-reformatting? Naturally, we all just want to re-install all drivers that are required? Is there anyway to find out?

I went to download site the other day, and I saw some device has more than one drivers listed. How do I know which one is required for my system ?

Thanks again, folks. I've enjoyed reading all your replies.
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post #15 of 23
8/18/05 at 11:09pm
If you haven't reformatted yet, go to device manager and see what's on your machine. Otherwise, go to dell's site, enter your service tag, and check the original build sheet...
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post #16 of 23
8/19/05 at 5:41am
I'd definitely reformat it. Dell puts an awe-inspiring amount of shit on pcs from the factory. It's horrible.
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post #17 of 23
8/19/05 at 12:35pm
The first thing i did with my I9300 was to install partition magic, nuke the 5 gig partition at the back of the drive, merge the two partitions together and reformat.

After that, nice clean install of WinXP Pro, install SP2 and then selected applications and burn a DVD Ghost image. It took a little time, but it was well worth it.

-Greg
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post #18 of 23
8/19/05 at 6:59pm
I reformated immediately for the same reasons as everyone else: more disk space, higher perfomance, getting rid of unneeded programs, and I want my computer the way I like it . I just put in my XP Pro CD, deleted everything on the drive, formated the blank drive into one partition, installed Pro. Also note that you can leave the 48MB FAT partition that is Dell's diagnostic utility if you think you'll need it at any time.
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post #19 of 23
8/19/05 at 9:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoman24v
Because all the cool kids are doing it.
Yeah, that's the major reason.

Seriously though, I received my 9300 about two weeks ago and was planning on using the OS CD creating tool to make my own OS CD and reinstall it. Lucky me that two days before I ordered it they stopped putting that on them and started charging for the OS CDs.

So I had to call Dell and get the CDs sent (they're free when you call them, so if you didn't order them with your 9300 call Dell and ask for the OS CD, Drivers, software and PowerDVD cd.)

While waiting for my CDs I uninstalled all the crap and set up the lappy how I wanted it. After getting the CDs and reformatting it is pretty much the same only now I got rid of the Dell partitions and got back a whole 50mb or something like that. Woopdy doo!

I enjoyed reformatting so I'd know how to do it with their stupid CDs.
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post #20 of 23
8/19/05 at 9:50pm
Reformatting gets rid of the unnecessary programs that Dell slaps onto your computer. A lot of times, these processes will run in the background, take up memory, etc. Also, there can be certain parts of the partition that are filled with things that generally slow down performance and you can't always access them. With a fresh start, you get to pick and choose what you want on your computer and you don't have to deal with hidden partition space taken by things you won't ever use.
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