Why do so few Microsoft Windows users make a set of Restore Disks for their new computers when they get them home and set them up?

Well dean I think you just got your answer in Smilodon32's post.

People don't care to learn - they just want to turn on their pc's and use them with not a care in the world....

Its not that they're mystified its that they're lazy and don't care. Smilodon32 is probably not being truthful anyway - if he was he would've said he did in fact make a back-up or a recovery disk because a) Microsoft hasn't released a pc in 10 years that comes with one and b) without making one there is no...

"I can just re-install Windows and put the same product key in so its reset and legit"

Along with all the tools, services and applications we download and install every week you're recovery disk will only install the basic and bare programs you had when you made it. Even if its a factory issued disk you're still only going to have the basics on there - and no updates. It's not just a "reset" its a whole new install so you have to start all over again with the updates, browser add-ons, tools and services, etc.

He also doesn't seem to realize that maintenance and back-ups are necessary as well and you need to keep your hardware/firmware clean and up to date so files do not get corrupted

Disks are Ok as a last resort backup but they are a very slow recovery system.

System Images or Differential/Incremental back-ups are much better.

I make an Image when the computer is new, then six months later re-install it, update, make any changes etc and then make a 2nd image.

Irepeat this every so often. Then I freeze the entire system in time so nothing can mess up, works perfectly forever.

5-10 years down the line you have a computer that's 100% working like brand new, day one, and it's fully updated.

If you were to use disks to make a restore to factory conditions you'd have 5-10 years of changes, back-ups and total re-installing of all software etc.

This could take days or a week. Last time I did that I took over one month to re-install over two hundred various programs/plugins/configurations.

A System Image takes 1/2 hour to restore the system

Do you use System Images, Cloning, software to do differential/incremental backups or synchronized file/folder online cloud backups.

Just curious?

Many people just don't know these disks exist.

We were both noobs once ourselves.

I personally do not make a back up for my PC because I can just re-install Windows and put the same product key in, so it is reset and legit. The only reason i would back up is for important documents or files.

Because they don't get it when they are told to read the PC User Manual first.