Format is a dirty word.

The word ‘format’ often signifies defeat to the technician. It is the final solution, but it is often the cheapest and most practical one for both the client and their computer...

Over the past 10 years, I have experienced first hand how difficult it can be to solve a software issue on computers. Occasionally, there comes a point at which the inevitable must be recognised. Format is the only way of ensuring that a clean slate can be drawn on which to build the system or restore it to it’s former state.
In recognition of the perils of this journey, Microsoft have endeavoured to make our job easier. But the problem is often complicated by faulty hardware and other external pernicious influences, such as Bots, Trojans and sometimes poorly written (but malicious) software that open the gateway for other harmful data that is usually designed to integrate with the operating system (so as to keep the user unaware of it’s presence in the machine) and or software present.
It is almost impossible for the average user to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent or misleading applications offered on the World Wide Web. Due to ‘Social Engineering’ considerations and the increasingly complex and professional appearance of ‘antivirus’, ‘anti-malware/spyware, ’ the end user is often left with no idea at all surrounding the question of trust and authenticity of an online identity. Who can you trust more? CA antivirus or WinAntivirus2007? To the novice, CA sounds dull, where Winantivirus 2007 sounds modern and specific to the operating system that 98% of home users are accustomed to... Not only that, but Winantivirus will always find a problem... Guaranteed. Install it on a freshly updated XP SP2 OS, and it will find vulnerabilities and exploits that haven’t even been discovered yet!
So, from this we can determine that a large percentage of computer users fall subject to the old electronic ‘sucker punch.’ People are always attracted to the ‘free stuff’ (or in the case of Winantivirus2007, actually pay for it), believing that the stuff you get for free is just as good as the commercial product. Now in theory, there is no reason why this should not be the case. However, in practise, there are few software engineers that would develop world class software in the name of charity alone.
‘Social Engineering’ relies mostly on the end user’s habitual behaviour. Things like skipping past long winded license agreements, and terms and conditions of use. The other thing that developers of malicious and so called ‘companionware’ software prey upon, is the end user’s unrelenting search for the ‘next’ button, knowing that at the end of the tunnel, there is the magical ‘finish’ button, that will restore their faith in computing technology. –Yeah, um right.

Well, people it’s time to wake up and smell the roses...

Nothing is for free (that will fit in an ip packet anyway), and guess what?

Sometimes webpages are bogus, and hey!!! Yes you! The bank is not really emailing you, and no, sorry you really haven’t won the lottery.

Sorry to get all negative on you kids, but it’s time for some sobering facts.

'Genuine Microsoft Software’ shipped direct from China at half price might not be a good idea (or even genuine).

The Sultan of Brunei has not left you his inheritance

The best antivirus programs are definitely not Free. Free stuff in general is always stuff you can do without and remember that Trojans will not prevent STI’s.

Facebook is no substitute for real life experience and not all Indian men are airline pilots for Garuda...

Your PC is not infected! You have Winfixer: The worlds best antivirus and registry error fixer. LOL... No, Limewire is not part of windows, and no, windows updates are not received via bit-torrent! Your eight year old computer will not get any faster, no matter how much money you fork out for performance enhancing software... In fact, your new performance enhancing software will probably slow your eight year old Pentium computer down by about a third.

The very fact that you have downloaded all that crap onto your PC (that promises to fix every one ofthe problems), means that it’s time to let a professional give it the old ‘F word’ Format Baby, format. Start backing up your precious photos and quicken files now, because once it’s sick, your PC is slowly but surely going to die and Winfixer (and all of that other crap out there on the web) will only speed up the journey. May the force be with you!