Reformat Question...

[religion2386]

I just had a pretty basic reformat question....Lets say you have a CPU you have reformatted at least 3 or 4 times. Is all the previous hard drive data and EVERYTHING permantly deleted or is it stored somewhere taking up space? Ive heard it both ways....


Thanks!

 

[Atomic Rooster]

The information/data is not stored somewhere. It is overwritten by the new format.

 

[religion2386]

So why is my computers so slow with just opening up folders or switching from one process to the next? I dont remember it ever being like this in the past when it has been freshly reformated. I was told to add some RAM, but why add it now if it has been ok for the previous reformats?

In all my past reformats I put the original XP Pro on there with no service packs. I just recently got XP Prp SP3. Now the computer is laggy at all times, but noticeably worse when connect to the internet which is understandable.

Also...
If your computer has just been reformated there is no need to defrag or disk clean is there? ( reformated about 2 weeks ago )

Just lookin to get all the info I can about my situation

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Have you installed the motherboard chipset and video card drivers?

Typically after a reformat and OS install there is really no need for a defrag. It can't hurt though. If you didn't install the above mentioned drivers, it will make life slow for you in Windows.

 

[religion2386]

Video yes..I had to do that before I could watch you tube vids... As far as motherboard chip set no I dont think so....I havent heard of that driver before. The computer Im referring to is a older HP. I just go to there site and the site automatically detects the computer and its specs. I will have to look for that driver when I get home. Surely its listed on the site right?

Also what do you think about RAM? I mean Im sure it couldnt hurt, but would it really be where my problems are coming from?

 

[Atomic Rooster]

If your computer has only 512MB or so of memory, than bringing it up 1GB or more could help.

Depending on the type of motherboard used in your HP, it may just use what comes standard in the Windows install.

SP3 could be the cause of your problems. I have heard of some people having problems with that service pack. You could try uninstalling it and going with SP2.

 

[religion2386]

Yea thats something I would definately look into? What is the differences in the 2 service packs?

 

[Atomic Rooster]

I'm not really sure other than newer security updates and fixes. They're nothing you can't get during normal Windows updates though.

 

[religion2386]

So if I get SP2 do I still do the updates when they become available? Wouldnt getting all the updates turn the SP2 into SP3?


Sorry for all the questions lol...Im just trying to broaden my computer knowledge...

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Yes, you'll still do all the normal updates. No, it wont make it SP3 as there are some minor program features that you can't get from the updates. From what I have seen, the new features really don't enhance the performance or operability of your system.