I have an old PC that's infected with a nasty virus. What's the best way to wipe it?

You're best bet may be to start from scratch. Get a full copy of XP and do a clean install. Make sure you do a full install instead of just a repair when it gives you the choice.

Depending on the age of the old computer and your cost to get an XP disc it may not be worth your time. I'd try to download a bootleg copy if possible.

So I've got another idea that could be a pain in the ass. I'd like to set up my house with at least 4 TVs. The only thing is I want each TV to be able to access the same DVR. Ideally I would like it to be a single PC with a big HD and a capture card that I can pump 4+ unique signals in & out of. Basically I'd like the functionality of having 5 2 channel DVRs stacked with their hard drives clustered into one large pool that can be accessed by all. Another hangup I could foresee is the remote control issue. I'd need remotes that go through walls to access the PC in another room, but I'd also need them to not interfere with other TVs.

Is any of this making sense or is it just a pipe dream that only makes sense in my head?

be sure to erase the hard disk when you do the re-install. If you can download and burn HIren's Boot CD, I recommend doing so. It has a full copy of Active KillDisk, which you can use to completely and permanently erase the entire hard drive. Simply reformatting only erases the MBR, leaving all the data on the hard drive until it gets overwritten.

It's ambitious, it'll be a pain in the ass to pull off, but it seems mostly doable (except the remotes going through walls and not interfering with one another.)

1st, how do you get your cable?

2nd, are you wanting to record from 2 at the same time?

for once, I may be able to help someone else and give back....maybe it will work out as my 1000th post....that would be just jiggity awesome....

Fdisk to rebuild the parititions, format and format /mbr then reinstall the OS.

1. right now I have cable, but I'm looking into the free to air satellite.

2. I'd like to be able to do simultaneous recording on everything.

Since there's been some discussion on this, I'll give you an update on the hardware. It was a real bitch to set up. The documentation is terrible. Even the HTML manual doesn't tell you how to set it up. Their support is Mon-Fri only, so you can't call them for help if you have a job. The website has a user forum that had a lot of complaints.

The default account doesn't have write access to the disc, even though it says it does. Had to set up accounts for everyone in the house. A real PITA. Finally got all the computers attached to it. The big problem is the thing never powers down (even though the configuration is set to go to sleep after 5 minutes). This is a deal breaker for me. I don't want another thing running all the time. I would expect it to go to sleep and wake up when it's accessed. It runs very hot since it never stops spinning. I'm not even going to bother trying to set up the print server. I'm boxing it up and returning it.

It's a nice idea, but I think the implementation needs some work. I'm sure there's a future for this technology, but it's not ready for the average person yet.

dgstan-Since the network drive didn't do what you wanted it to do,what do you think about taking an older pc with 2 large drives attatched and using it as a family network server?
I think if you use XP pro to set up what size storage each user is allowed to access and what files(make a music server accessed by all,and a movie with adult only password access). And have your bios set so that the pc can wake up on NIC card to conserve power.
I used to have my whole house networked with a p2 400mhz running xp home,I just never had to limit access to kids so I never tried the xpPro version for the partitioning.I kept it under the stairs in the closet and with a shitty 14"monitor I could perform any updates/maintenance.
Maybe someone can bat this idea around for any holes.