Do you wipe?

I replaced my laptop because getting the display fixed was more than the actual cost of the thing. On the plus side, I now have a spare battery and a spanking-new 150Gb HDD for my PS3. What's more, I have a 60Gb HDD and a gig of RAM just sitting around just in case. So it's not a total loss.

ANYWHO...

The new laptop, like the old one, came with Vista Home and a crapload of shovelware. My first instinct was to collect drivers for the laptop and wipe the thing for a fresh install of Vista Ultimate 64 (which is great, by the way). My question is: do you wipe the drive when you get new hardware and why?

If I got a laptop, I'd wipe the first thing I did.

I would have picked the "build from scratch" option, but that's not exactly applicable to laptops.

Well, I'm not asking about them specifically. Although I can't fathom buying a pre-built desktop myself...

I use Debian, so yes.

i only wipe when it is necessary to wipe. I make small partitions for OSes so they can not snag my other files during a OS-only wipe.

Yes, always. On my desktop, since I need XP for my music software, I'll wipe whatever came with it off the drive and put a fresh install on (gets rid of extra software that may have come with it). All other desktop/laptops I wipe so I can put Slackware or Ubuntu on.

The only time I didn't do this was with my Eee PC. I left the custom Xandros Linux on there for a few months to give it a whirl. But it's been wiped since then and is now running Slackware 12.1.

I chose the first option. I really don't like Vista but I couldn't be bothered to go through the mess of installing another OS on my laptop.

Mess? You realize how much a bigger mess it is to stick with what is already installed on your laptop when you get it?

Not to mention that Vista on laptops are retarded.

I usually buy/build a new computer and store the old hardware and data somewhere else if I ever need it.

Wipe? Of course I wipe; what kind of unsanitary slobs are you people?!

Oh.

Wipe everything out and start from scratch, it's always the best way. Start from scratch :))

esselfortium said:

Wipe? Of course I wipe; what kind of unsanitary slobs are you people?!

Oh.

dude FLUSH, be considerate next time, jesus!

esselfortium said:

Wipe? Of course I wipe; what kind of unsanitary slobs are you people?!

Oh.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make this joke

On the odd occasion that I buy instead of building - backup and wipe.

esselfortium said:

Wipe? Of course I wipe; what kind of unsanitary slobs are you people?!

Oh.

Are you a folder or a scruncher?

DJ_Haruko said:

The only time I didn't do this was with my Eee PC. I left the custom Xandros Linux on there for a few months to give it a whirl. But it's been wiped since then and is now running Slackware 12.1.

Heh, the first thing I did on my Eee PC after the initial charge was install Ubuntu. I didn't boot into Xandros once.

This thread is now about toilet paper.

Folder, front-hanger, looker.

exp(x) said:

Heh, the first thing I did on my Eee PC after the initial charge was install Ubuntu. I didn't boot into Xandros once.

Heh, same for me, only a normal laptop, and Windows Vista instead of Xandros.

exp(x) said:

Heh, the first thing I did on my Eee PC after the initial charge was install Ubuntu. I didn't boot into Xandros once.

Yeah, I tried Ubuntu on it a few times. Found that it ran slower, and also had issues with the wireless. Slackware (surprisingly) worked out of the box. Sadly, Slackware boots a lot slower and requires me to compile more stuff by hand or with "Slackbuilds". Like SBCL...

Oh well, give and take :^)

At the risk of sounding like some moron preaching about his favorite operating system, try out Debian. It generally works very well for me, better than Ubuntu did (which I had used for over a year). Okay, it doesn't hand hold you as much, but hey if you're compiling things yourself, it should be a relief at any rate (unless you're one of those "omg compiling makes me cool" kids *cough*gentoo*cough*).

Note, that Debian Lenny supports the Eee PC's hardware (at least it's supposed to, I don't have an Eee PC myself), and Etch (current "stable" distribution) does not, though I don't expect you to have many problems with Lenny anyway. I would recommend unchecking "Desktop Environment" in the installer, which (by default) installs GNOME, and you might not want that on your Eee PC; just install "aptitude install xorg $FAVORITE_WINDOWMANAGER" after you reboot into your system (also protip: typing "aptitude" alone gives you a nice package management screen for searching and everything) ;)

After all the years (lulz) I'm just too bored to death of messing with computers that I wish all it takes to use one fully is plug in power and press a button.

Too bad that never works out. :(

I would wipe it. But, unless I am sure I have all the appropriate drivers that work, I rather uninstall the shovelware. My experience with laptops (although those experiences are a few years old) are that you don't always get the required drivers along with the laptop or that you can't find the right drivers online (also not from the laptop's manufacturer website).

I have a washlet. Failing that I hop into the shower. Wiping is for barbarians.

exp(x) said:

Heh, the first thing I did on my Eee PC after the initial charge was install Ubuntu. I didn't boot into Xandros once.

I was initially going to use the Xandros install, under the logic that it's the distribution that comes with the system, so everything is at least guaranteed to work, which might not be the case with other distributions. But after an hour of playing around, I accidentally pressed one of the function keys, causing some malfunctioning office clippy-style avatar to pop up. It was some kind of speech recognition program, and kept endlessly repeating "speak the command, speak the command, speak the command" (or words to that effect). Out of sheer horror, and the realisation that it's not guaranteed to work just because it's the manufacturer's distribution, I immediately wiped the system and installed Ubuntu. I haven't looked back :-)

CodeImp said:

I would wipe it. But, unless I am sure I have all the appropriate drivers that work, I rather uninstall the shovelware. My experience with laptops (although those experiences are a few years old) are that you don't always get the required drivers along with the laptop or that you can't find the right drivers online (also not from the laptop's manufacturer website).

Don't you have recovery discs? I know my laptop came with two of them (one for Windows and the other for applications/drivers).

Recovery disks also happen to recover all the cowshit that came preinstalled on your system. Just insert the disc and, TA DA! Slow as new!

Before laptop shopping, I recommend visiting the manufacturer's website and finding out if they offer drivers in your OS of choice. You may also have to find out the chipset of the laptop's motherboard and find the drivers elsewhere. Download them, burn to disc and erase that HDD as soon as you get it.

Bucket said:

Recovery disks also happen to recover all the cowshit that came preinstalled on your system. Just insert the disc and, TA DA! Slow as new!

I ran mine in Wine and it gave clear options of whether to install drivers or applications, and you can select specifically which ones to install. I just assumed that was the general trend.

i never wiped with wine before, but once with rubbing alcohol. it wasnt too pleasant.

Butts said:

i never wiped with wine before, but once with rubbing alcohol. it wasnt too pleasant.

Thread winner.

The last time I bought a computer I used the last option (it did not include an operating system).

Richo Rosai said:
I have a washlet. Failing that I hop into the shower. Wiping is for barbarians.

Well, it's even cleaner (or more civilized) if you wipe and then wash.