I've got a Sony laptop PCG FRV-26 from late 2002 (X-Mas I believe) still kicking with original OS install (with updates). It post-dates XP SP1 by a few months if I remember.

I did have to replace the fan a few months ago. I let my wife use it for a couple years but when she got a new one it came back to me. I use it mainly for testing XP Logons and any other XP specific stuff while at home.

I just hope my ASUS laptop lasts as long.

Well Jafo.. I'll just say this.. there, I said it

Nah seriously now, the day I bought my system, I was chased home by a Raptor

october 2005 was when i bought my computer and it's still running along nicely. As long as the registry is kept in good order and with regular maintenance plus updates then there is no reason why it shouldn't keep chugging along for a good while yet.

before that i had a windows 2000 machine that i purchased in 1999 with win98, upgraded to 2000 in november 2000 and it ran very nicely until i got my new one. Still have that machine running as a jukebox in the lounge room.

There are lots of good arguments for reformatting every so often but i stick to the old adage "if it aint broke, don't fix it"

so if it don't need reformatting then why do it?.

Oh there's various definitions of 'broke'....how about a ten minute boot time?

Main point here is this is not 'one of several' machines....it's the one I'm on easily 99.9% of the time....24/7.

Even when I am on Terry's or the lappy....this one is still up and chugging along...

I've only formatted once in my life.. once was enough, I'll do anything not to format, the very word makes me shudder

Goin on 3 months, soon as I get around to thinking about installing '7' I'll format and Triple boot

February 2007 (Vista 64bit), inclusive a major (CPU, GPU, RAM) Hardware upgrade.

Why break something that is working?

I usually reformat once a year. Gives me something to do in the xmas holiday and cleans out all the dren from my pc too.

Ummmm.....HP sent me this instead of a new HDD They said something about it being a SATA-(Xtremely Light) drive:

My main rig is a Dimension 3100 3.2 Ghz processor with 2 gig ram.  I bought that in 2005 and still use it daily.  I have however had to reformat a few times.  2 due to a nice little pop-up virus courtesy of the wife and once upon the install of a 500 gig HD.  I sure wish this thing could handle more ram and a better video card.  The processor is what keeps me in it.

My installation actually goes back to 2003! Still running lean & mean as well, throughout all of the service packs and patches...not to mention several versions of WindowBlinds and a few mobo/CPU upgrades. I'm actually reluctant to start over since there's so much on there, but will likely build a new system later in the year with Windows 7 (assuming it actually comes out). Whew!

XP SP1 since 2002, no reinstall, no backup used,
I somehow even managed to swap out the mainboard and CPU without having to reinstall.

Getting close to having to though, the only programs still running somewhat stably,
are PSP X, X1 & X2, eMule, mIRC, Dreamweaver 4 (8 used to work, but unfortunately no longer starts),
ThumbsPlus, and a couple of minor programs.

I can't even get a defragger to run dammit...

My dell dimension dates back to 2005.  I have 2 gigs ram (installed myself), Nvidia geforce6200 pci , 256 mb memory (installed myself)...it came with 256 mb ram, 40 gb hard drive and only 64mb video card.  I also have installed a 500gb external hard drive.  i have formatted my internal 40gb drive  aeveral times...this brings up a question...does anyone know if reformatting your hard drive numerous times causes any problems?  currently i am using XP sp3.  I tried vista basic for awhile, but my games run too slow on it.

I usually reformat and reinstall every couple of months, mainly because i always end up doing something, and its easier to reinstall than spend the time trying to fix something i never should have messed with, oh and my machine i built 2 months ago, so i guess i dont qualify for this thread LOL

I have xp (pre service packs, though it's been updated) installed on a system I built in 2000. It boasts a PIII and 512Mb's of ram and 12 GB HD.  Though I admit it's not my main rig.  I use it daily when the Mrs. kicks me off mine to play her games. I'll keep it as long as it it'll last.

When 7 is released, I'll go all out and build the best rig I can.

No....it's just the eqivalent of a single read/write....something that happens a wee bit more than once in the general usage of a HD [just watch that little led light...all day, every day]...

Yesterday I was running a mostly vanilla install of XP in Vmware.....and gee it boots/shuts down fast...