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How do I wipe out my laptop? Does this get rid of viruses?
How do I wipe out my laptop if I don't have a recovery disk? Is there somewhere I can take it to or buy something to wipe it out?
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If you're taking about wiping the laptop completely clean and re-installing the OS from scratch, then this will definitely, 100% certainly remove any and all viruses. The virus that can live through a wipe & reload of the hard drive has yet to be invented.
HOWEVER, there are some things to keep in mind about this:
(1) You will need a disc from which you can reload the OS. If your computer did not come with this disc, you can still usually get one as long as your OS is legitimately licensed. Assuming it's Windows, if the computer came with it pre-installed, then you're OK. Contact Microsoft, have your licensing information handy (it's usually on a blue/green sticker on the machine itself) and tell them you need an OS disc. You might need to pay for it, but it should only be about five bucks.
(2) You will probably want to save your data (BEFORE you wipe the hard drive, obviously!), and this is where it gets a little tricky, because certain types of files can harbor a virus. You should be OK with Office documents, music files, pictures, and almost all types of video, but you'll want to be wary of zipped archives and definitely anything with a .exe extension. If you're not careful, you may end up restoring the virus along with your files. Use recordable DVDs instead of a flashdrive if you have the option; DVDs tend to be a little more virus-resistant, because they have no hidden system files.
(3) Make sure you have the discs and any license keys needed to reload your software as well.
It is not hard to reload an operating system on a drive; you just have to be thorough and make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you do anything which you can't back out of. Microsoft's official website should be able to give you more information; do a search for "Reloading Windows".
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You can take it somewhere but they will charge you a lot of money for it. You can probably buy a recovery disk. Inquire about it first before you pay someone to do it for you. Chances are, you won't effectively remove all of the virus though.
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