PC and Windows 7 maintenance question

[MixedNuts]

Hey guys, does anyone format and reinstall windows 7 and dust off your hardware as PM?
A buddy of mine used to do this anually with his Windows XP machine. Is this really necessary? My machine runs fine.
The internal components are a little dusty but not too bad.
Thanks in advance,

[uddarts]

hey pete

as long as the os is running well, no need to fresh install.

i blow out 2 of my rigs twice a year but mine are oc'd and cpu is running 100% 24/7. i install speedfan and have it always running. i can see overtime if there is an abnormal increase in temps.

ud

[MixedNuts]

Thanks ud, that sure saves me alot of work and time.

[RogueTrader]

Definitely agree with Uddarts on the OS...if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I do like to keep an eye on the case fans to make sure they aren't getting clogged (depends on your environment). I clean mine periodically when I see dust/lint buildup, as I believe airflow is important and you can see the impact on the system temps. Blowing out the CPU fan is especially important, IMHO.

[ea1985]

It depends. If the machine takes a beating (heavy use, lots of installs/uninstalls and testing of stuff) a periodic refresh will keep things (like the registry) in top shape. The best approach is a clean install, full updates and configure all apps, games and settings. Then immediately after, do an image or two. Updating one image with time while keeping the other original will give lots of options should you need them.

As for dust, decent filters should do the trick.