More "I Think It's Clean" Thinking

Just found another local computer company bragging that they don't have to reformat because they are experts at malware removal:

"At [name removed] , we are experts at malware removal and virus repair. The first thing many PC techs want to do is format your hard drive and reload your operating system. That shotgun approach works, but you then have to reinstall all your programs, printer software and data. We have the expertise to remove the infection while leaving your programs and data intact. We also have the track record to back this claim up. Rest assured that if we tell you that it will be necessary to back-up your data and reinstall your operating system it will be not only rare, but necessary."

Well, that sounds good--less trouble for them, and maybe less trouble for you.  Most computer folks really want to solve the problem, so it's natural for them to dive right in and try to "fix" an infection.  Trouble is, every tool you run will find different bits of malware.  Who has time to run them all when a single scan may take hours?  Which tools do you run? How do you know that you've found everything?  You don't!  You give the computer back to the customer telling them (and yourself) that it seems to be fine now, when in fact there could be a trojan waiting to trigger or a keylogger looking for the first time someone types a credit card number or bank password.  Remember, the best criminals don't get caught--even detected--until it is too late.  

At PCliferaft, we are not geniuses, but we've been disinfecting and reformatting (more often today, "system recovering") computers for over a decade now.  We can reformat and reinstall the most common software for you, minimizing the need for you to reinstall printers, etc. in less time than the "experts" above can run their scans.  If we deliver the computer, we'll set up the printer for you.  You get the benefit of knowing (at least as much is possible) that your computer is clean, and as a bonus you'll often find your system running faster and better than it did before malware slowed it down.  We install every driver and every patch and everything we know you need (but nothing you don't) to give you maximum protection for the future.

Disinfecting a computer is like vacuuming  a room without moving any of the furniture. Everything looks good from a distance, but when you finally have to move that sofa, the crud you find under there is not for the faint of heart.