Corrupted PCs find new home in the Dumpster

"In the face of a constant stream of pop-up ads, malfunctioning programs and performance slowed to a crawl or a crash--the hallmarks of spyware and adware--throwing out a computer 'is a rational response,' said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a Washington-based research group that studies the Internet's social impact."

Well, ahem, not really that rational. It is however an understandable response.

A rational response is wiping the hard drive and starting over. I contend that it will take longer to purchase a new machine than the 40 or so minutes it takes to do a clean install of Windows XP. That doesn't even account for the wasted resources.

If it must be disposed of, take that infested machine to someone who restores them and donates them to those in need. Now that's a rational response.