I've been wanting to do this for a while. Sometimes my computer just starts acting wonky, and I know a format and full windows reinstall is forthcoming. about the only thing I really need on it is my music and some pictures (if you call random internet lolcat pictures I downloaded stuff I "need"). But anywho, today I got home from work, and I'd start up my computer, and it would get all the way to the windows desktop, then reboot. It repeated this in an endless loop.

Luckily, I always keep an external hard drive with all my drivers, FLACs, and pictures on it. I also keep my Windows CDs in a safe place. Just a friendly reminder to always be prepared!

computer is running super smooth now. need to reinstall wow, eac, and foobar. such a pain in the arse setting up eac and foobar again, ack.

i always found it a good idea to completely clean install a windows system every 2 years or so

you could always buy a copy of ghost, and a second computer, and make a base image of your machine with all the apps installed. there might be a free version, but i'm only familiar with ghost on the windows side.

well yeah, but what if I make a ghost of what is already screwed up on my machine? then I've got a sick ghost.

base image, base image, base image!

well okay but still the whole second computer thing. i just bought this one in december.

i always found it a good idea to completely clean install a windows system every 2 years or so

Seconded.

i just started buying Macs.

I went linux (up to a point).

i just started buying Macs.

Well I've always used a Mac. My parents on the other hand use windows, thus I reformat that thing every two years whenever I go back home to visit them.

I went linux. My life is so much better, and I even get many more womens.

need to reinstall wow, eac, and foobar. such a pain in the arse setting up eac and foobar again, ack.

FYI, you can use the profile feature of EAC to save and restore your settings. Likewise, just backup the foobar2000.cfg and database.foo files from the foobar2000 folder, and then restore them once you've reinstalled, and you won't have to set them up again.