Computer help.. reformatting?

my cousin used my pc and i think she disabled my pc security for some downloads.. and now my pc have been infested by spywares, adwares.. not to mention, trojan..

my pc is such a pain in the a** for functioning too slow.. i tried to download adaware, spysweeper and alike but it didnt help.. maybe it helped by blocking new cookies to come in but cant actually remove what has already been in the system..

if i'll buy norton or other anti-virus software, would it solve the problem?

or is it a good idea to reformat my pc.. but i dont know how to do it.. can someone teach me? is it easy to learn? im just worried that vital files/programs would be lost if i didnt do it right..

Computer help.. reformatting?anti virus protection

You are correct that you will lose your programs and files. You can backup your personal files such as pictues, spreadsheets, Word documents, and even you Outlook inbox. The problem is that you cannot backup your programs. The programs will need to be installed again. Hopefully you have a restore CD that came from the manufacturer of the pc. If you do, then just boot with the CD in and follow the directions after you have backed up your personal files to cd or another removable storage. If you don't have the cd or the pc is cutom built, then you really need to take it too a local pc guy. Please use somebody local and not one of the big names such as Geeksquad. The local guy will be cheaper and from what I have seen in the past, the big names are just people who really don't care.