On the other hand, I consider a reformat to also be a time to get rid of all the dumb programs I've installed that I've either been too lazy to uninstall, or in some cases, weren't uninstalled correctly. I happen to enjoy reinstalling my programs. And I absolutely never store any data files in their program folder like so many default to. I can't stand that.

What I think we can all agree is essential is that it's a good idea to keep a seperate file storage area. I've had one for years now and couldn't imagine reformatting without it. I don't like partitioning one disk, since I didn't start that way and partitioning after all my files are on the drive doesn't sit well with me. I love having additional drives for storage.