In his column for Feb 19, 2006, Windows computer expert James Coates answers a question submitted by a reader who is "at wit's end" dealing with all the spyware and viruses that infect his IBM laptops. He is frustrated with spending money on "security software" that never really fixes the problems.

Coates expert advice for avoiding malware on Windows? Well, its simple, just wipe the hard drive and re-install your entire operating system, and all of your applications and data, every six months.

I have a much better solution.