Be REALLY careful what you download to fix this. Half the 'free fix-it' programs you find are spyware in disguise. Stick to known-good stuff like the tools from major sites, and always scan downloads with your antivirus before running them.

My advice: don't overthink it. Pick the option that works best for your situation right now. Technology changes every 2-3 years anyway so nothing you choose today is permanent. The best technology is the one you actually use.

I work in IT and see this question a lot. The short answer is yes, it's worth doing. The long answer depends on your specific setup. What operating system are you running? That makes a big difference in the approach.

I posted this exact question on a newsgroup a while back and got a ton of helpful replies. Don't sleep on Usenet — comp.* groups are full of people who actually know what they're talking about, way more than some web forums full of script kiddies.

My nephew set this up for me and it was easier than I expected. Don't be intimidated by the technical stuff — most of it is just clicking Next a bunch of times. If you get stuck, the Help file actually has decent instructions for once.

I've been using computers since the early 90s and the answer to this has changed dramatically over the years. Right now, the best approach is to use open source alternatives when possible — they're usually free and often better than commercial products.