The benefits of a Clean OS install is well known, as well as the time it takes to re-install all your favorite software. What is seldom talked about is the time and effort it takes to backup all your data.
I've installed Windows 8.1 many times, so that in itself is no problem and goes fairly fast. Even installing a dozen or more Programs takes some time, but is no real problem. What can be a real headache, is getting and saving the date files created by some of those old programs.
What has given me the most difficulty this time around, is saving the Web page logins and passwords that Firefox has been saving for me, for several years. Firefox has given me the ability to Export those files, in .csv format, but on the new install, there is no place that will let me Import those .csv files. Someone at Mozilla really screwed up on that one!!!
So I did the next best thing.... I opened the .csv file in Wordpad, increased the point size of the text, made it BOLD and Wordpad painted all the Web pages (links) Blue, which made them much easier to read and visually jump from web site to web site. When I sent that mess to my Printer, it took five pages to print out all my saved data. Every place I've logged in to with a Name and Password for several years is included in that one .csv file.
So I've not lost anything, it's just not IN Firefox where it would be much easier to recover.
Even with the problems I've encountered, I'd do a Clean Install in an instant, if the need arises. What I've learned this time, will help me greatly the next time. There is just nothing quite like a nice, Clean, Fresh Install of my OS.
