1) BACKUP EVERYTHING.
2) Double check you backed up everything.
3) Check again.

After that, it depends on OS and stuff. If Ubuntu, just pop in the installation CD again. Same with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 pretty much. (Well, 7 Enterprise at least.) Not sure on Macs.

What do you suggest by everything, any particular well-hidden files I should make note of?

Cause so far I've got all my doc/pics/music and some vidyagame configs&files

Video game save files, your bookmarks (I recommend the Xmarks extension to do this for you if you use Firefox), your browser extensions (as a list in a text file), and any greasemonkey scripts you use if you have that extension.

After that, your docs folder covers most of what you need. I'm sure these guys can chip in some I forgot.

Xmarks is available on the four big browsers now, Chris.

Funny. I'm about to do the same thing. As much as I love Ubuntu, the fact that it apparently doesn't like my processor (or something to deal with my hardware, likely), I'm actually going back to Vista. I never thought I would, but I can't even watch YouTube videos anymore without it freezing. >_<

.. I also need to do this and soon. My computer has gotten so slow and I fear it may have a virus or many lol. My solution = use dells (reset to manufactures settings). However I always seem to get a problem again down the road. Carelessness or does my tactic not do the trick?

(sorry for thread hijacking )

Hotshot: Just use a damn virus scanner then. Avast is good AND free. And computers slow down over time anyways.

I will, but still the computer takes a good five minutes or so to start up. Its very frustrating.

No way. Avira. It's better and lighter weight. Not that Avast isn't one of the best ones out there. I used it for a long time and it did great. But Avira is simply better. It catches things faster, things Avast doesn't, and it's scans take less time and don't bog down your computer.

Also, Chris, Ubuntu has no uninstall option with the disc. You just have to reinstall over it. A fresh reinstall should erase the hard drive pretty much completely, anyway. Otherwise, there are complicated-ass ways to properly uninstall it (such as if you have it on a partition and want to remove it without putting another OS in its place).

I never said anything about uninstalling, did I? o.O I just said boot from the CD and reinstall the same way. Backups to me infer offsite backups if you were thinking it because of that.

Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I inferred that.

Also, would you guys suggest taking the time to install all the little windows updates, or would you go straight for the service packs only?

Being that I don't trust Windows to run properly the way it is, I try to install any and all updates. Just in case it matters. I don't usually pay much attention to them.