Seldom does 2 months pass by where I don't format my home computer? Why? Because the installation of programs, the collection of temporary files from the web, and the general use of a computer seem to slow it down from time to time.

I'm speaking of the computer I use for checking email, designing web pages, and posting blogs. Generally speaking, none of these tasks are what I would call CPU intensive.

My recording computer must be 100% streamlined. If a feature or program isn't necessary for recording, it has to go. I look at my recording computer as a race car where I've torn out the air conditioning, unnecessary seats, the radio, and any object of non-functional aesthetics. I definitely do not have internet, anti virus software, or even a pretty background on my desktop.

The people I build computer for always seem to rave at the speed and quickness of the system, even when I use relatively inexpensive parts compared to the current high end standard of computer components. This has a lot more to do with having a super clean Windows install than it does having the latest CPU or motherboard.

Problems With Name Brand Computers

Name brand computer companies have a problem. They want to sell as many computers as possible, but it turns out that that the average person has little need for the latest processors (which are overkill for even recording computers for many home recording enthusiasts). So, Dell wants you to feel like you got a great value when you first take your PC home....but they don't want you to be too happy or you'll never buy another computer. (Imagine if car companies made a car that lasted forever...they'd be out of business in a couple of years).

I'm typing his article on a computer I built for $300 back in 2003. I make my living on a computer, so there is no way I can handle substandard performance or substandard reliability. However, my Athlon XP 2000 with 1 GB of RAM keeps on slugging through Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Open Office, and any other programs I throw at it. My XP 2000 was once my recording computer in a former life. It has been replaced because it is not adequate for my current recording needs, but it handles duties that aren't so strenuous without a hitch.

Why is it that a professional computer user is happy using a computer that was considered “cheap” 4 years ago? This is an easy answer. I make it easy on my computer. I only have the programs I use installed. I don't install death traps like Quicktime (there are Quicktime alternatives out there). Because my system is very clean, the CPU isn't wasting it's time handling unnecessary tasks and doesn't have to deal with conflicts that eventually arise from a messy system.

The Name Brand Computers Cripple You From The Beginning

The computer companies have found that people love having useless software installed by default. It makes the consumer feel they really got a great deal even though they are probably not going to use the included photo editor (even if it does have pretty gradients and such).

However, all of this junk adds up and takes a big toll on the performance of a computer system. My little brother has a Gateway laptop. It took over 2 minutes just to start up XP. The computer was terribly slow, but my brother had only installed a few programs. It turns out that the system was okay when we got it, but installing just a handful of useful programs pushed his computer over the edge making it useless.

We formatted the computer with a clean install of XP and the results were AMAZING! He can't believe how fast his laptop actually is when it is not intentionally crippled from the factory.

Hardware Problems Solved By Formatting

I've found that sometime a piece of hardware just will not work on system. You can try everything you know, but the damn thing just won't work. I'm thinking of soundcards / computer interfaces here. 9 times out of a 10, if a soundcard will not function on a system that should be perfectly capable, a system formatting will solve the problem.

Recording Problems

If you find that you are having serious problems with your recording rig (and you are using the same computer system for your emails, internet browsing, and recording ) the problem can almost always be solved by giving your recording computer it's own space.

I guess recording computers are kind of like the Tigers at the Zoo. In captivity, just 2 or 3 tigers will take up a space that could hold a couple thousand monkeys. Their demands are very high and they don't want other animals in with them. I think recording software is very similar. If you want to get the most out of your recording system, you may need to get it it's own dedicated area.

Ways To Dedicate Computer Power To Your Recording Rig

Obviously, one easy way to make sure your recording rig is as powerful as ever is to use a dedicated computer system. This has its perks sometimes and is what I do. If you don't want to build an entire computer for recording, that's fine. (You are better off buying good mics, preamps, studio monitors, or improving acoustics anyway probably).

If you don't want to build a new recording computer, setup a dual boot system. The details are beyond the scope of this article, but the concept is pretty simple. If you want to load your standard Windows (like you do now) you click on the default Windows when starting up. If you want to load your recording Windows, click on your Windows you have setup for recording. This will allow you to create a Windows installation that is setup perfectly for recording. When you ditch everything that is unimportant, your recording performance will drastically increase.

Downsides To Formatting

Just to avoid the possible onslaught of hate mail, I wanted to discuss the downsides to formatting.

Data backup - You must have a system in place to easily backup anything on your hard drive to some other form of storage. I keep all my files in my “Brandon” folder on my desktop. To back up all my important files, I copy and paste the folder into a second hard drive on my computer. Done! If you have all of your files scattered all over the place, good luck. When you format your hard drive, all data is gone. If you don't have the files backed up to another hard drive or a DVD-R then these files will be lost. Be ready!

A big part of data backup is making sure that other files are backed up...like Outlook's email files, fonts, etc. I keep all of these types of data in my “Brandon” folder so that I can be back on my feet in no time without worrying about losing important settings.

Drivers – When you format your computer, your are erasing the hard drive. So you MUST have all your drivers somewhere handy. I keep all my drivers , you guessed it, in my Brandon folder. You do not want to be stuck with no internet connection trying to find the factory cd that came with your computer / motherboard.

Time – It takes about an hour to install Windows, give or take. On top of that, it can take quite a bit of time to install all drivers and necessary programs (depending on how many programs you use). If I'm backed up and ready to go, I can usually be back in business in 2 hours total. I have an efficient system for this. It will take longer the first time.

Required Knowledge – There isn't much to formatting a PC. This article is here to explain the benefits I get from frequently formatting my computers. This article is not designed to explain how to do it. This is a recording site, not exactly a computer site...at least not yet. I don't want to be responsible if you misinterpret my advice. There are tons of computer nerd sites that will explain the process in detail. I have to say that I consider it extremely simple to do.

Unplug Extra Hard Drives – Make sure you unplug any hard drives that you do not intend to format. I've watched people format the wrong drives because they didn't unplug their extra drives. The result is a total loss of data. (Although I've heard of data recovery software that costs between $50-1,000).

Conclusion

We have all faced computer problems when recording or otherwise. However, keeping a super clean system is the #1 way to prevent these problems from occuring again. The nature of recording tends to push recording computers to their limits and expose flaws that may not be obvious when checking email or checking Ebay.

The name brand computer manufacturers have went out of their way to make sure your system doesn't work as well as it could for recording, so keep that in mind when troubleshooting a current problem or trying to avoid problems in a future system.

As always, if you need help, just ask on the home recording forum.