Repair my computer or buy a new one

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked that question so here are some of my responses.

1 - Buy a new one - your computer is too old to justify putting $$ into it to rid it of viruses. Trust me, if a computer is not worth fixing, I'll tell you. I don't want to work on an old machine (probably with Win98/ME) that's slow and will take me twice as long to finish.

2 - The (once) new computer you have is what got you here now. Without understanding what led to your computer being infected (adware/bloatware/trialware, etc.), you're destined to be back in 3-6 months anyway. So, pay me now or pay me later.

3 - Viruses don't care what you paid for your computer. It's running Windows and that's all a hacker cares about. The knowledge and expertise needed to repair your computer is knowledge of Windows. Windows is just as complex on a cheap computer as on an expensive one and the effort required to repair an infection has nothing to do with the cost of the computer.

4 - When I'm done with your computer, it will be in better shape than when you got it. In fact, if you'd had me work on it when you got it, you might not be here now. See the blog about bloatware......