Trueman needs Help with Old Desktop

reply to post by PhoenixOD

Don't you think that's a little overkill advising a complete reformat and re-installation of an operating system along with hardware upgrades and maybe a complete change of operating system just to solve a defective graphics card driver?

Overkill? for an older computer running Windows Vista? No, not overkill, just good practice for a faster operating, more stable machine. And I said not a thing about a "format," friend. All a format is is a quick random pass of zeros and a new folder arrangement. A format, unless of the low level variety, could not remove a virus, or trojan, and dross would still be present on the drive disk surfaces. An erase is a full pass of zeros, in every sector. Nothing can live through this. I often use CopyWipe, it allows me to write several passes of random ones and zeros in a reserve pattern, up to DoD algorithm. The end result is a like new HDD. I also have a program that can restore a bad sector in a drive.

A newly installed operating system, whether Windows of something else, properly tuned and secured is a joy for several years before serious attention is warranted. What you call overkill, my customers call good service.

reply to post by autowrench


It is completely not needed in this case or im most cases. You dont smash down a house to fix a broken lightbulb. What you are suggesting is bad practice considering the problem presented. The problem was a device driver which was fixed correctly.

reply to post by autowrench

Inform me how using UBCD to fix a simple driver issue is "good [customer] service." This is a simple issue that can and has been easily resolved without the use of such intrusive steps. Telling the customer they need to erase their drive over a small issue is a major mistake many supposed IT professionals make when diagnosing computer issues.

From the sounds of it, it sounds like you are, indeed, a competent computer guy. However, I seriously doubt you work in the IT field in any significant capacity. The reason? Time = money. There is absolutely no way you could make any sustainable income solving small computer issues this way. How do I know this? I actually worked in several sectors of IT including and not limited to fields in support, infastructure, ERP, and angel ventures for IT start-ups.

There are instances where such steps described in your first post are relevant. This is not one of them.

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
reply to post by autowrench

 

Don't you think that's a little overkill advising a complete reformat and re-installation of an operating system along with hardware upgrades and maybe a complete change of operating system just to solve a defective graphics card driver?

Reformat and re-instalation should always be the last resort. Its far more beneficial in the long run if people learn how to maintain their own computers correctly.

A Linux distro could be run live and not installed. This could be used to double check for hardware failures.

Originally posted by sonofonehunlo

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
reply to post by autowrench

 

Don't you think that's a little overkill advising a complete reformat and re-installation of an operating system along with hardware upgrades and maybe a complete change of operating system just to solve a defective graphics card driver?

Reformat and re-instalation should always be the last resort. Its far more beneficial in the long run if people learn how to maintain their own computers correctly.

A Linux distro could be run live and not installed. This could be used to double check for hardware failures.

True but as it was not a hardware issue in this case it would not have sped up the diagnosis. It would have only confirmed that there were no hardware issues and then we would have had to go through the same process of testing that was done in this thread.