Windows 7 Rots Just Like All Other Windows
Ever get that not-so-fresh feeling?
Managing a computer is like keeping your house organized. You always accumulate more stuff, and once in a while you have to do a massive clean (some do this during the first half of the year and call it spring cleaning).
Keeping a well-running PC is much the same, by being mindful of what you install, uninstall and reinstall. The only difference is that if your house was like Windows – especially a very messy and unkept one – you'd have to bulldoze or dynamite the whole lot to get things clean again.
Unfortunately, it seems that Windows 7 won't be doing much to change the phenomenon of "Windows rot." According to findings by LA-based iolo technologies, makers of System Mechanic PC tune-up software, Windows 7 is also susceptible to aging through use.
"Windows 7 slows down over time (ages) just like Vista, with boot times increasing more 330 percent over the course of two years of regular use," iolo technologies shared with Tom's Hardware.
Thankfully, it seems that Windows 7 might age more gracefully than Windows Vista, as the newer OS seems to be able to keep its legs in better condition even after months of usage.
In a comparison of three- and six-month systems, iolo technologies found that Windows 7 outperformed Windows Vista in the area of boot times.
iolo technologies will share more of its findings next week, hopefully with information on its simulation of systems estimated at two years of regular use. Stay tuned!

i seriously think almost everyone here at tom's knows how to keep things fresh and fast[if not, google is your friend]. iolo is just doing their job at trying to sell their products, which is not a bad thing, but it makes them look like fools here at TH
i seriously think almost everyone here at tom's knows how to keep things fresh and fast[if not, google is your friend]. iolo is just doing their job at trying to sell their products, which is not a bad thing, but it makes them look like fools here at TH
But this is only second time Ive heard this and both times were today.
QFT
Tom's do your own damn research. You have a research department for a reason! Stop reposting things from sites that have a VESTED INTEREST in the numbers they produce. Its like asking the Congress how much something is going to cost! The people for it are going to give you stupid low #s and the people against are going to give you stupid high #s. Which both usually turn out to be stupidly wrong in a random direction!
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On a serious note, Windows file system will "rot" over time as long as we have NTFS around. It's just the way it works. On the other hand...take a look at the ext2,etc on Linux which doesn't need defraging due to the way it's designed. I do hope Microsoft will have a new file system on Windows 8. NTFS is getting old.
For an more detailed explanation/example see: http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/index.php/2006/08/17/why_doesn_t_linux_need_defragmenting
If you are smart, you put your OS in a separate hard drive partition or separate hard drive altogether... then just reinstall every x months. Make it a habit and you won't need to pay anyone to "clean" or "speed up" your windows.
Researcher 1: Okay, we're going to see if it slows down after installing a lot of malware and other completley unescessary stuff.
::Installs everything you can find on the internet::
Researcher 1: Well does it run faster or slower then when we first turned it on
Researcher 2: It runs slower
Researcher 1: AH HA! Breakthrough! Hey Mike! Get Tom's Hardware on the phone, we got some breaking news!