Would you give your friends a computer virus if it meant saving your own data?

I have a few email addresses of  people I can't stand.

I wouldn't pass it on.. i just wouldnt, just couldn't .. as my mum said.. to thine own self be true.. part of that means that you have to be able to live with yourself and the consequences of your actions.. I couldn't do it.. not to a friend...  I'm no angel for sure, and there are plenty of people I'd deck if they pushed me too far but I would struggle to do that mean thing to anyone... well ok I'd make an exception.. but the only person I truly hate is Trump and I don't have his email address :P

no, that would be kind of mean to give your friends a virus just cause you want to save your own data, sounds a little selfish to me

oh my,
would be tempted to
give one to Trump 
and one to Putin LOL

I would have backed up all my important data, kept a backup image of my system, then wiped and reinstalled the operating system. Thus, I can retreive all my important data and get a fresh new install of my operating system without have to pay money or screw up a friend.

I'd keep my friends safe.

I could never be so treacherous to my friends. I value them above a load of computer files and a few web-site registrations. The best protection is as Dances-in-River describes, so even if you cannot retrieve the computer and have to replace at least the hard-drive you won't have lost too much.

As well as the protection by copying, there are also maintaining good security software, using strong passwords different for every account and replaced often but at random intervals, and general care in how you use the computer.

Do you really have to do everything on-line, with the risk for example of having things like bank details copied?

Do you really have to save files to the so-called 'cloud' (internet servers)? When I was trying to find a CAD programme I had some chance of learning, I tried one called 'Fusion'. Its 'Save as' default, with no obvious options, is the Internet! I asked an IT manager at work if many commercial organisations would risk putting potentially sensitive files on the "Cloud". He laughed and said, "Certainly not!"

If you use 'Office' applications, photo-archiving and the like, in areas like private-study or academic projects, do you have some second computer which stays off-line so you can use it as a safe but "live" haven for files that represent hours of work or are irreplaceable?

I don't think anyone using the Internet frequently can be 100% safe from attack, but we ought all do as much as we can to protect our assets.

just send it to people that i don't know.

I wouldn't do it.  Even if I detest someone, somehow I believe that karma would come back to me.

Do these attacks allow you to clean out the hard-drive and re-install everything, or do they lock the innermost parts of the OS too?

If the latter, would your only choice be a new hard-drive?