When to Reinstall Your PC's Operating System

"When is the right time to reinstall your PC's operating system?" This is a question that experts have been trying to answer since Windows first became popular back in the 1990s. Most personal computers start out working fine, but then, over time, their performance gets progressively worse. At some point, the computer is so dysfunctional that there's nothing left to do but just erase everything and start fresh.

Windows introduced us to the registry, a central repository that stores critical information about how your computer should be running, what software is loaded, and how it is configured. When you install or remove software, and make changes to settings and configuration options, Windows is constantly updating the registry with these changes. Over time, the registry can wind up with a lot of incorrect entries that can direct Windows to do things that it doesn't need to do.

Here are a few questions to answer when trying to decide whether it is time to reinstall your Operating System:

• Has your favourite applications stopped working and even after reinstalling, won't run correctly?


• Has your computer slowed down even when doing the most basic tasks?


• Are you consistently getting the dreaded "blue screen of death"?


• Has some of your hardware stopped working for no apparent reason?

If you are experiencing any of the above, we recommend that you try a few of these fixes:

• Check all your drivers to make sure you have the latest ones installed.


• Scan your computer for viruses or spyware.


• Run a registry cleaner program to identify and help you to correct the invalid or incorrect entries and uninstall any programs at start-up that you do not use or need.


• Uninstall old programs that are no longer being used.


• Check for updates to any software that might cause the system to run slower.


• Replace any suspect hardware.

If none of these fixes restore your PC back to the original performance levels you had when you first purchased it, it is probably time to start from scratch and reinstall Windows.

Helpful Advice from those Friendly People at DOT-COMmunICaTions