Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of talk radio during my arduous Sunday night trips from Brattleboro to home. Coincidentally, during a ten mile stretch of highway, my cell phone service is pretty sketchy but my radio picks up a great channel. Sometimes if I scroll to the left end of my radio dial I can pick up a tech based radio show.
Tonight I was able to listen to that show and caught about ten minutes of Leo, the host, discussing virus removals. I knew I had the correct station and show because he mentioned Malwarebytes, a program commonly used to fix computer issues. Usually I agree with his show, but his suggestion to reload all systems was terrible.
Good for me his show faded out somewhere in northwestern Massachusetts. Good for him I don’t know where he broadcasts from. All I really know is I hear this suggestion from so many people in my industry it sickens me. Reloading an operating system should always be a last resort.
Computers, tablets, phones and other devices which rely on an operating system are always going to encounter issues. Problems arise for various reasons like viruses or failed updates and it’s inevitable that at some point those issues will need to be addressed. If they’re not than bigger issues may arise.
Before I gallivant into a whole lot of arguments about why not to reload, I’m going to give a couple reasons why you must. Failed hard drives which cannot be duplicated almost always lead to forcing a fresh installation. Some viruses, like Cryptolocker, make a computer impossible to use without reloading. Finally, when a device changes hands it should be wiped to remove personal data.
With regards to viruses, the biggest argument for reloading an operating system is that a clean installation is the only surefire method of cleaning the system. A computer or other device that has been properly cleaned shouldn’t need to be reloaded. It is true that some crazy rootkits bury themselves so deep they’re hard to remove, but not necessarily impossible.
Purchased software and personal settings are my primary arguments for not simply reinstalling every system. Some who actually purchase software may have lost the email confirmation or CD that came with their software. Without the license or ability to reinstall, forcing someone to start fresh would be a big issue.
Industries have specific software that may be impossible to reinstall. For example, the software and equipment used by some off-road diesel mechanics can be installed once. One package I’ve worked with uses the MAC address of the computer and pairs it with the unique Windows ID. This unique fingerprint makes it impossible to upgrade or change computers.
Some businesses may find it impractical to reload their systems. I work with many medical offices that rely on their computer for retrieving patient information. Recreating an office with thousands of patients worth of information wouldn’t just be a daunting task, but I’d have to face the doctor after and explain why they can’t access data for a couple days.
Today’s devices have a mind of their own but still rely on our minds to keep them working properly. Cleaning up a mildly infected machine and running normal scans with programs like Malwarebytes will minimize the likelihood of having to reload. Thankfully, tonight is the last time I’ll be making late night trips down that stretch of road and next week I can get back to a six day workweek.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)