# Reformatting / reinstalling Windows Vista **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746 "2016-12-15T03:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/1 "2016-12-15T03:49:54Z")
7 years back, I posted a [similar thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508044) dealing with our older computer. That got us several more years on that machine, until we had to upgrade it because it simply could not run some newer games etc. Its successor runs Windows Vista. Like its predecessor, it’s becoming wonkier and wonkier - slower than molasses, frequent crashes, etc. We’ll probably replace it at some point but until that happens, a wipe-and-reinstall might well get us a year or more. For our needs, there’s no urgent need to update that OS to Windows 10 or whatever, so I’m inclined to just wipe / reinstall Vista. Any suggestions beyond what was in the original thread? We do have an external hard drive that I can copy various files over onto - dunno if there’s an easy way to capture / install all the Windows Update files to copy there. And if I did that, how would I get Windows to recognize and use those, before I reconnect the thing to the net. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/2 "2016-12-15T07:13:30Z")
You can download and keep Windows Vista Service Packs 1 and 2 - then install these offline after a fresh install of the OS. If you’re going to do this, do it fairly soon. Windows Vista is quite close to end of extended support life (April 2017). I’m not exactly sure when, in the lifecycle process, Microsoft turns off the activation servers for a product, but if you reinstall the OS after activation has been withdrawn, you’ll get nag screens and potentially limited functionality. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/3 "2016-12-16T05:05:17Z")
There is also a handy dandy utility called “Easy Transfer” in Vista and Win 7. Plug in an external back up drive, run the utility and transfer all of files, settings, bookmarks, etc to the back up drive. Reinstall Vista. Then run the “easy transfer” utility and it reinstalls all your stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/4 "2016-12-16T09:44:32Z")
Take the opportunity to replace the HDD with a SSD. As a by-product, you’ll have a full backup of your PC, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/5 "2016-12-19T03:55:26Z")
We have tons of room on the regular external HD, so I’m not eager to spend the cash on a new external drive (until such time as we upgrade the whole computer of course) but I’ll definitely keep it in mind. I’ll definitely check into the Easy Transfer utility - and Mangetout, thanks for mentioning Vista going EOL. I knew it would happen at some point within the next couple years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/6 "2016-12-20T02:21:44Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You can download and keep Windows Vista Service Packs 1 and 2 - then install these offline after a fresh install of the OS. > > If you’re going to do this, do it fairly soon. Windows Vista is quite close to end of extended support life (April 2017). I’m not exactly sure when, in the lifecycle process, Microsoft turns off the activation servers for a product, but if you reinstall the OS after activation has been withdrawn, you’ll get nag screens and potentially limited functionality. Windows XP still activates (as of a few weeks ago) despite being being out of all support for 2.5 years, so I wouldn’t worry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/7 "2016-12-20T07:08:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Windows XP still activates (as of a few weeks ago) despite being being out of all support for 2.5 years, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I didn’t know that. I guess the activation servers must be cheap to run. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reformatting-reinstalling-windows-vista/774746/8 "2016-12-21T22:47:40Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Windows XP still activates (as of a few weeks ago) despite being being out of all support for 2.5 years, so I wouldn’t worry about that. > [@Mangetout](#): > > I didn’t know that. I guess the activation servers must be cheap to run. Well, I think servers for activating Win XP are idling most of the times by now (at least I hope so).