Will this get rid of viruses?  My computer has been crashing a lot in the last 3-4 months and has started with just the desktop backround (but no icons or taskbars) several times in the past two weeks.  The desktop backround also changed shape a week or two ago.  I have Ad-Aware, Spybot, & AVG Free, but it is just getting incrimentally worse.  

Will returning the computer to "factory settings" solve these problems?

Cheers

"factory settings"

Is tech support lingo for and system reload.

Yes, it often helps a bunch with a condition known as "bit rot"

As you use your computer you accumulate cruft from installed programs, plugins, disk write errors, driver hickups... you name it.

A fdisk/format/reload cures all the above.

Sounds like you have that scummy "Spy Sheriff" bullshit, if it changed your desktop background.


Get the Microsoft Anti-Spyware, as well......  It works.  (Used to be Giant Anti-Spyware, before MS bought the program)


Get it here and you don't have to deal with the MS validation annoying BS, on their site.


If it's been a couple years since you've installed Windows or the computer was brand new, you might do well to backup all your important stuff, just wipe the drive and reinstall....  Or get someone who knows how, to help you do it, so you don't lose anything irreplaceable.


After a while, things just get 'messy' and a fresh reinstall is like having a brand new computer again.

Quoted: If it's been a couple years since you've installed Windows or the computer was brand new, you might do well to backup all your important stuff, just wipe the drive and reinstall....  Or get someone who knows how, to help you do it, so you don't lose anything irreplaceable. After a while, things just get 'messy' and a fresh reinstall is like having a brand new computer again.

+1

I do it every 6 months to a year.  It's 2 hours of annoyance (getting drives wiped, windows reinstalled, and needed programs reinstalled), but well worth it.  Feels like a new computer again.

I appreciate the input guys, I'll try that this weekend.  I do have the MS anti-spyware too btw.

Cheers

Quoted: HP and Dell both have a keysequence durring bootup that will give you the option to set the software up exactly as it shipped from factory.  This will wipe all data files, you will have to do any software upgrades from the microsoft site again, and all other upgrades/downloads of software you did.

Do I get that from Dell, or is the sequence fairly common knowledge (i.e. any computer store knows it).

Cheers

Quoted: Get the Microsoft Anti-Spyware, as well......  It works.  (Used to be Giant Anti-Spyware, before MS bought the program)

As of this week Microsoft Anti-Spyware is no longer Microsoft Anti-Spyware… it is Windows Defender and is now in a new Beta 2 release.

www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

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