If you've never been infected with a computer virus, it is likely you know someone who has.
They are real, nasty threats that can destroy information on your computer.
You might "catch" them by downloading illegal files, opening a bad attachment, or surprisingly enough, clicking on bogus browser pop ups that warn you've been infected.
It can be a frustrating and time consuming process to get the viruses removed.
However, you should never have to buy a new computer because of virus infections.
This "solution" occurs often enough that it's important to clear up the confusion by examining the difference between hardware and software.
Hardware are physical things you can touch, see, and feel.
This includes your computer, monitor, or hard drive, for example.
On the other hand, software is simply data: a large collection of ones and zeroes stored on magnetic, electronic or optical media.
Software can include Windows, your applications, and anything else stored on your computer...
including viruses.
Viruses wreck havoc and cause your computer to misbehave; however, they are really nothing more than data.
And, data can be replaced without replacing your computer.
Look at it this way.
You probably wouldn't replace your toaster if your bread was moldy.
You'd likely throw away the bread, clean the toaster and start with new fresh bread.
In the same way, you can get rid of the "bad software," clean your software and start over.
This solution works even after the worst malware infection.
Instead of throwing away the parts, here are a few better options for handling an infected machine.
Prevention: The smartest solution is of course to never become infected in the first place.
Effective prevention methods may include installing, and updating, anti-virus software, securing online mobile connections, and not falling for e-mail phising scams.
Also, avoid downloading software from places known for malware, such as illegal file sharing sites.
Attempt to Clean it: If your computer does get infected, the next step is to clean it by scanning with your anti-virus program, and other tools until they tell you that everything is gone.
You may have to scan several times before this happens.
Unfortunately, cleaning cannot guarantee your computer is virus free.
Start Over: Erasing everything and starting over is the only way to be 100% certain you've removed all traces of the infection.
This requires backing up everything, erasing the hard disk, and then reinstalling Windows and all your applications from scratch and selectively restoring your data files from your back up.
This process takes the most work, which is why it is preferable to focus on prevention and avoid this step in the first place.
But, it is the best solution.
Remember, computer viruses are an active threat and if you take precautions, you never need to worry about getting or removing them.
However, if you do become infected, buying a new machine is never a step you need to take.