As far as programs, I don't really run much. Word, Final Fantasy XI, Firefox, iTunes, and MSN Messenger, really. No more than two or three at a time. As far as how long I go without rebooting my computer, the longest was about a week, but it's usually not that long.

How would I go about just reinstalling my operating system?

Despite what my dad says (he's big on the "Oh, we have a warranty. They say they'll just fix it right up!" thing, which has worked in the past with my sister's virus ridden computer), I had a feeling that going to Dell probably wasn't the best of my options.