Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
I think I built this new Win 11 computer sometime before the pandemic.

In the last ten years, I have found it beneficial to format the drive and start over every two or three years.

Is this logical?

This time I want to replace the C drive with a larger drive on the MB.

I was thinking of using this 2 TB drive.

SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 Gaming M.2 Internal Solid State Drive Memory Card + 2mo Adobe CC Photography, Maximum Speed, Thermal Control (MZ-V8P2T0B)

This is the current system.
Win9x:NO 64Bit:YES GiveIO:NO SpeedFan:YES
I/O properly initialized
Linked ISA BUS at $0290
Scanning ISA BUS at $0290...
Found WDC WD10SDRW-34A0XS0 on AdvSMART
Found Samsung SSD 860 QVO 1TB on AdvSMART
Found WDC WD10EALS-00Z8A0 on AdvSMART
Found SCSI drive SSD (1000.2GB)
ProbeSCSI: WARNING: hard disk skipped because of invalid returned LogSense data
Found SCSI drive WD10EALS-00Z8A0 (1000.2GB)
ProbeSCSI: WARNING: hard disk skipped because of invalid returned LogSense data
Found SCSI drive Samsung SSD 970 (1000.2GB)
Found SCSI drive Expansion HDD (2000.4GB)
Found SCSI drive easystore 2648 (1000.2GB)
Found System manufacturer System Product Name
Found ACPI temperature
Found Radeon RX 570 Series
Found Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9900K CPU @ 3.60GHz
End of detection
Loaded 0 events

Thoughts?



Billy

Last edited by Planobilly; 06/28/23 10:21 AM.

“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,592
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,592
I generally develop enough of a problem in that time frame that I choose to start over, rather than wait for any schedule.

My drives are very similar to what you propose. Great choice. My CPU is also similar.


BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Thanks, Matt

There is a 4 TB drive also. It is by WD, called Iron Horse, as I recall.

There is a fair amount of software that only writes to the C drive.



Programs seem to continue to get larger.


Thanks, again

Billy


“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
I like to wipe/upgrade the C:\ drive every two years or so as well. Nice to have a clean system.




Steve

BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Thanks, Steve

My system is becoming a bit unstable. Time to start fresh.

Billy


“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,895
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,895
There was a guy back in the day on the old legacy Cakewalk forum who reformatted and reinstalled everything every year. He said it cleared out all the garbage that gets written to files that take up space on the drive. I think he copied the data off to a portable drive and then let it rip.

Only one time did I ever have to rework a C drive..... I was running out of space IIRC, so I got a new, much larger drive and it came with cloning software. The cloning was very fast... I think it was done in around 15 minutes. I only had to reinstall 2 of the operational programs and it was back up and running without anything major.

phones, computers, they're all the same. They seem to fill up with something that eats up hard drive space. Yet, when you go in to clear up space, in most cases you pick up a couple hundred MB of real estate and most of the space seems to be out of touch totally. I believe the computer companies put software in the OS that writes random invisible files simply to eat up space so you have to upgrade every so often. I have reset some of my phones and computer laptops to the FACTORY RESET and they came back up running like new. Of course.... everything on them was wiped.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
Well, the new 980 Pro arrived today. The bad news is now I have to do a bunch of work I have been putting off for some time now.

Sorting out what I want to keep in software and what I don't need will be a project/work/PITB.

I don't have much choice because the stability issues are getting worse.

Billy


“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,845
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,845
I rebuild my software installation every couple of years. I have all my installation software on an external drive along with an installation spreadsheet and accompanying word document that describles the installation process for each app (and I've got way more apps than anyone needs, but you never know). I keep the drive up to date as I install updates along the way. The spreadsheet also has all my activation codes and login information. I also have a list of all the apps that need de-activation before starting the process.

This has allowed me to keep my desktop and laptop pretty well in sync (configuration-wise), so if one dies, the other can pick up the work. I also use SyncTrayzor to keep data files in sync between the two boxes that are hard wired into a switch.

I have a full backup of that installation drive, and offline backups of my data, and restoration is just the time it takes to run the installs and copy the data (if needed).

This has worked great for me for many years now.


John

Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD
Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA

BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK

http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,766
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,766
I fortunately haven't had to do this in a long time - mostly as I'm a Mac user and don't typically have major issues - but I probably ought to do a clean install on my one Windows machine. It's a home theatre and gaming machine so it doesn't get a lot of use, but it's been ~3 years since I installed it, and there are a few gremlins starting to peek out. Similarly I have a 2tb NVME drive in this machine - worth every penny!

Typically I back up and restore the entire Users folder when I do this - makes setting up programs easier, as most of the time your preferences are in there.

Glad to see you doing well Billy, and the rest of you!


I work here
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Moderated by  Andrew - PG Music, PeterGannon 

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!

Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.

Holiday Weekend Hours

It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:

Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Regular hours
resume Tuesday, May 19th!

Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!

Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!

Don't wait - order today!

Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!

Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.

Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.

If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!

202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!

With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!

Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.

Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.

Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!

And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.

The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!

All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!

It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.

What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?

XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!

The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.

The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,316
Posts803,260
Members40,094
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
guitarharry, Duncan-RTFM, 65Jaguar, Jazzmando, sergiop
40,094 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 118
vicarn 88
rsdean 88
DC Ron 82
dcuny 58
Today's Birthdays
Sid
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5