Something new got through my security on Monday (Avast/BlackIce/Adaware/etc.) and caused a multitude of application problems, one being disabling explorer.exe so I couldn't search through the files. Folder Guard continued to keep my D: data partition safely under lock and key. I spent a few hours last night reformatting C: and doing a clean install of XP. The old notebook is humming again.
No matter what security you have, something will break through occasionally and for a large organization there's no alternative to fixing such things by running clean-up programs on the network. Reformatting a couple of thousand PCs isn't an option. For single user home PCs though, its simply good practice to back up data regularly and do a clean install once in a while to sort out all the corruptions and orphan files that build up over time. Its the only way to really keep your hard drive nice and clean and efficient.
Incidentally, when reinstalling BlackIce, I was informed that my extended download had expired and I would need to purchase a renewal. Now, given that BlackIce let whatever caused me to do a clean install through the door in the first place, I see that as a Rip-Off, so as with Norton AV, I'm not inclined to do business with them anymore. Using the XP firewall for now, but any suggestions for good alternatives to BlackIce?