This is like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut and I would say an option of last resort. Not least having to re-install everything and have to go online and re-download all windows update patches, etc. (especially when SP2 has just been released), not to mention all your programs and tweaks and settings (a real pain).

An other potential problem is getting infected when you go inline for hours to download the patches, taking you right back to square one. Recent reports state the average time to get infected (for a vulnerable PC) is 20 mins, I however feel that 20 minutes is a high figure.

People should have a reasonable backup and recovery strategy for when they experience serious system problems. I take an image of my C: (windows) and D: (programs and Data files) partitions every week and a backup of data files daily. I can restore an image in about 15 minutes or less and data in seconds.

If you don’t make a plan then you plan to fail.