XP gain in Minecraft uses a logarithmic growth model. That is what’s used for most game XP models. If it was exponential it would just get easier and easier to get to the next level.

For me, its Minecraft. I know it’s not the best game, in looks or gameplay, but it’s a great stress reliever. Every time I’ve said “I’m done with Minecraft!” I month later I’ll be back at it. There’s just something about breaking and placing primitive cubes that really soothes me. :)

A complete reformat shouldn’t take too long, maybe a few hours depending on your disk size. Last time I completely formatted a disk was a 350 GB dinosaur (like seven years old!) of a hard drive. Took maybe half an hour? If I were you, I would back up all my important data and do a reinstall of Windows 7. Totally worth…