Having a computer Infected with malware can lead to disastrous consequences such as having a completely unworkable computer or, at worst, identity theft. While prevention is always the best cure in such cases, sometimes things can happen which are completely out of your control. Malware comes in many different forms from the relatively harmless prank to severe problems which can end up with your computer being under the control of a remote hacker. Some types of malware, such as rootkits, are designed so that hackers can install more malware on your computer with ease. Before long, the situation can spiral out of control. To get rid of malware, follow these tips.

A virtual hard disk, often referred to as a VHD file, is a hard disk image stored in the form of a single file. These files are used for virtual computers (emulated computers within a host operating system). The format is used by a variety of applications including VirtualBox, Windows Virtual PC and the Windows Backup utility. Using the Computer Management console in Windows 7, it is also possible to mount a virtual hard disk file. Once the file is mounted, you'll be able to access and use it from Windows Explorer and it will act just like a real hard drive.

Performing a clean installation of Windows 7, whether on a new computer or an old one, is a major job which will probably take you half of the day. On a new computer which does not come with an operating system preinstalled, you'll need to install Windows 7 (or another operating system) in order to use the computer. Fortunately, most new computers already come with Windows 7 preinstalled, in which case setting it up does not take very long. On an older computer, making a clean install of Windows 7 is a great way to get it up and running like new again. Over time, computer systems inevitably develop problems and get bogged down with unused data and software. There comes a point when the most effective way to optimize your computer and to fix problems is to start from scratch and install Windows 7 on a formatted hard drive. This also ensures that any malicious software is wiped out.