Windows clean formatting vs restoring through image backup

[radheyami]

We all face problem with Windows 7 due to virus or through any file damage. I had seen that there are two best option through which I can go ahead and fix the system. First is formatting the entire system. Formatting will delete all the files and virus and also improve the performance. But it is a time consuming option. Second is restoring the system through a system image file. That we can create through a image recovery software. It is a bit faster. I want to know that which option will be best every time whenever we face a issue with Windows. Anyhow in both the cases you will be losing your data.

[BethanyI]

I always prefer clean formatting. That is because of various reason. Here always keep a folder in a separate partition that has all required software and drivers. And keep on copy with you somewhere else. You can upload them on cloud also. Whenever you format you can then use that folder to install all the required drivers. Then you can one by one download the most latest version of software you are using. Like web browsers, Office suite, downloaders, media players, etc. In a image restore if there is any problem in the system that will be restored. There is no guarantee that you always get the perfect system after image restoration.

[Addison]

This are two different things. In many branded system you can find a hidden partition where all the drivers files and other stuff related to operating system is stored. You can just instantly restore all the things back with a single click. There is a ready to use software provided. Restoring your pc back through your recovery image will help you to instantly restore your system back to its original stage with all updated drivers. So this is a kind of time saving options. You don't have to install things one by one. And I am quiet sure that this will be working really stable.

[jaykant]

You can use a good recovery software that can provide you a easy option to restore your pc. Here format your pc and install only the drivers. Don't add anything else. Like software, antivirus, office suite, web browsers, etc. Just keep the pc clean with the only required things and that is the drivers. That's it. This will keep the recovery image size less. And if you load it with all required software then the size will be much higher. There can be bugs after restoration. You can use this recovery image to instantly restore the operating system. I think around 150 to 20 minutes would be enough.

[Agavoli]

It is right that clean formatting does takes some time. But it is the best way to clean your pc which has a virus issue. In a image restore if there is a virus still in your C drive then it wont be removed. Because a recovery image does not format your partition. It just copy the old data back from the image file. Image recovery is good for those who does not add much thing in their system. For those who are using too many software or games then it is good to go ahead with a clean formatting. That will be the best option I think.

[Jessalyn]

I am using Acronis software from long time and this works really well. There is no issue with that. It provides me the easiest way to restore my pc within less time. Before this I was using Norton Ghost. It is the best software according to me, but I had seen that after restoration there was constant blue screen in Windows. Later on switched to Acronis. I dedicate a partition in my pc which stores the files of operating system. And when I start the recovery it around 15 to 20 minutes hardly to restore the entire pc back. It is very fast and effective.