Got spyware? Replace the PC!?

A new article at NY Times claims many people rather buy a new computer system than trying to fix a system infected with spyware. Lew Tucker, an Internet industry executive with a Ph.D in computer science even claims he'd rather spend $400 on a cheap new machine than taking time to remove all the crap.

A recent survey of 2,001 adult Internet users claims 43 percent of the users had problems last year with spyware and adware. Twenty percent of the people who tried to fix the problem couldn't find a solution, and those who searched for a remedy spend $129 on average.

Peter Randol, 45, a stockbroker for Charles Schwab in Denver, is at his wits' end, too. His family's four-year-old Dell computer has not been the same since last year when they got a digital subscriber line for high-speed Internet access. Mr. Randol said the PC's performance has slowed, a result he attributes to dozens of malicious programs he has discovered on the computer.

He has eliminated some of the programs, but error messages continue to pop up on his screen, and the computer can be agonizingly slow.
"I may have no choice but to buy a new one," he said, noting that he hopes that by starting over, he can get a computer that will be more impervious to infection.

Read more at NY Times.

Buying a new computer to fix spyware problems is simply insane. If it is really that bad you'd be better of to back up your data and format your hard drive. That will save you hundreds of dollars.

A quick anti-spyware guide:

Install a good anti-virus program, some good ones are even available for free like Antivir. Don't forget to update your antivirus program on a weekly base (or even more frequent).

Install some anti-spyware programs. Like Microsoft AntiSpyware (very good one!), Spybot Search&Destroy and Lavasoft Ad-aware. Don't forget to scan and update these programs regularly.

Use your brain. Don't visit shady places on the web and don't always click 'Yes' when a strange pop-up asks you to install a program.

Educate family members who use your PC about the dangers of spyware.