I use to have that format bug and do it 3 - 4 times a year. The machine I'm currently working on has been running 98SE for well over a year now - it's sort of an enigma. It has been the most stable system I ever had (98SE, BX chipset), i've must of installed/uninstalled countless trash in the past 15+ months and it still rarely crashes. I'm a true believer in 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!', if I ever re-format this PC, it will never be the same again!
I also had a friend (you probably know people like this) who seemingly every time I talked to him was in the process of re-formatting his hard drive! Poor chap, probably spent so much time doing so, never really enjoyed his programs or his system (he's probably re-formatting right now).
-VTrider