Rant: I used to think a full OS reinstall was the only fix for a slow PC

A client last month told me I was being lazy and wasting their time by always jumping to a wipe. They said, 'You didn't even check the startup programs or the drive health, you just went for the nuke.' It stung, but they were right. Now I have a 15-point checklist I run through first, and I've cut my reinstall rate by about 60% in the last 6 weeks. It takes a bit longer per machine sometimes, but it's better service. Anyone else get called out on a go-to fix that was actually a shortcut?

4 comments

4 Comments

tyler2372mo ago

Remember when I thought defragging a drive was basically magic? I spent a whole afternoon doing that to a new SSD once before I realized my mistake. Felt about as smart as a brick.

the_alice2mo ago

A full wipe is still the best fix for most people. It gives them a clean slate and solves a ton of hidden problems at once. That checklist sounds like extra time spent on a machine that's probably full of junk anyway. Sometimes the quick fix is the right fix because it works and the customer gets a fast computer back.

emma_flores2mo ago

Ngl @the_alice is right, a clean wipe just works. I wasted hours trying to fix my sister's laptop before just resetting it.

tara6421mo ago

So is the checklist time really wasted if it means you don't have to reinstall all the software and personal files? @emma_flores had a good point about how a wipe just works, but I've had cases where the only real issue was a dying hard drive or a stuck update loop. The checklist catches stuff like that early, which saves me from wiping a machine just to watch it fail again next week. Sometimes the "quick fix" just delays the real problem instead of solving it.