On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 23:55 +0000, Steve Fosdick wrote:
Is it? Maybe hard disk failure is the most common reason to re-install Linux but for Windows I'm sure restoring Windows to its initial configuration is normally done because various pieces of software, some installed deliberately and some not, have finally got it to a completly unusable state.
Actually in my business I actually try and avoid doing that as much as possible. The trouble with Windows is that (even in 2000/XP since the Documents and Settings thing) it is just too difficult to track down every bit of user data if the machine has been badly managed. There are still for example programs that insist on storing user data in stupid places (Nikon camera software holds it's photo library in program files by default). When we do have to resort to that we tend to image the machine, run the restore operation (or re-install manually) and then liaise with the user to pick bits out of the image they want to keep.
With skill and patience it is possible to repair even very poorly machines and I have yet to encounter spyware that I am unable to remove (although it is getting more difficult with all the shell execution hooks and other dirty tricks). So for home users and expect for cases where it is by specific request or we suspect that the machine has been heavily compromised we tend to try and repair rather than replace the OS as our first course of action.
The trouble with rebuilding for home users is that usually the machine will have to be returned via a home visit In order to get their Printer, Scanner, Digital Camera, ADSL USB Modem etc all working again. Because they have probably lost the original driver installation media and won't know where to download replacements etc....If we don't take the machines back it usually ends up in another support call when they can't get something working. However if you repair a machine carefully then everything should work when they take it back.