I used to do a monthly format, but I finally hit stable gold with Win XP. It's been... something like 9 months now, and I'm about to format :).

Usually about once a year is fine as long as you don't keep installing and uninstalling a bucnh of crap and the OS is stable.

once i completely move over to linux(once photoshop starts working in WINE) it will be probably once per year(i often leave junk everywhere) or to update to the latest packages...

On windows, it used to be every 2-3months, but now i got so much stuff and settings i need to keep that i don't really want to... my CDRW is busted(NEVER BUY AN AOPEN! - they break after about 3-4 months... every burner they make. "Medium Speed Error" when you try to burn)

Originally posted by phision.com
once i completely move over to linux(once photoshop starts working in WINE) it will be probably once per year(i often leave junk everywhere) or to update to the latest packages...

On windows, it used to be every 2-3months, but now i got so much stuff and settings i need to keep that i don't really want to... my CDRW is busted(NEVER BUY AN AOPEN! - they break after about 3-4 months... every burner they make. "Medium Speed Error" when you try to burn)

Yeah I dont really want to format... but some programs stopped working and my registry (freaking registry... I hope its gone in longhorn) is loaded with junk.

Never, I don't need to.

My windows PC? Every few months, I mainly game on my windows box so I keep up to date on video card drivers, directx versions and I tend to upgrade hardware on it so the new games run top notch (those new games I never have time to play).

My linux box? I usually backup my email and format when a new version of Redhat comes out, though I skip versions sometimes, such as I never installed 7.2 but went to 7.3 and then it seemed that not even a week after it was 8.0 I actually "work" on my linux box which is why I use linux on it instead.

i format once a year. needed or not.

Originally posted by Dixiesys
My windows PC? Every few months, I mainly game on my windows box so I keep up to date on video card drivers, directx versions and I tend to upgrade hardware on it so the new games run top notch (those new games I never have time to play).

My linux box? I usually backup my email and format when a new version of Redhat comes out, though I skip versions sometimes, such as I never installed 7.2 but went to 7.3 and then it seemed that not even a week after it was 8.0 I actually "work" on my linux box which is why I use linux on it instead.

I hear ya. Im in the process of moving ALL my business related work to linux :). Nothing like stability. Just got a KVM switch, and a 1ghz duron for the linux box. The other system (for gaming) has an AMD2000XP, 512 PC-2100 DDR, etc :).