George

These guys are dodging the question. Nobody in their right mind would "recommend that people trust their next year's worth of work to a computer that has had a root compromise." However, that is not the issue.

1. There has been NO reported root compromise based on the blaster virus. If the blaster virus is removed and the microsoft patch is applied, there is no further chance of a "root compromise".

2. Nobody said anything about recommending that people trust their next year's worth of work. The issue was a suggestion from UVa that the average computer user "Wipe out what's on your computer and then install windows from scratch." The question is whether this is good advice for the average computer user. IT IS NOT!

Gary

See also, How to Protect Your Computer From 'Blaster,' Step by Step