Now that is where i would have to disagree. Since not all applications are compatable with each other (AOL) they can sometime cause a serious system crash with no other option but to format. I look after my system also but i also do some beta testing which causes me to run into problems. That is why i keep a Ghost Image available for that reason. I have know quite a few people that have had severe system crashes after installing AOL 9 Security Edition which left basically no choice but to format as AOL get into everything just like windows files. So no matter how careful you are and how much you take care of your system there are always situations that are beyond our control that would constitute a format of your drive. It is not required to format your system if you do maintance but it should not be said that a format should not be needed as some situations are beyond our control.