Yeah. It doesn't damage hardware (if software could actually damage hardware, virus programmers would have been doing it for ages), like James says it screws up Windows!
StarForce is the reason I'm not buying the new Prince of Persia (at least not until there's a working crack, and working StarForce removal tool). No matter how good it is, it's just not worth the headache of potentially having to completely reinstall my computer. Again. Thanks alot Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
Besides which I hardly think 3000 USD is worth screwing up your hardware over.
This is actually possible and it has been done in the past, probably the most well known was the virus that turned off system fans. not all of course and only a few system were affected as not all systems have software controlled fans.
but some do.
Then there was the Bios virus that flashed your chip wrecking your motherboard.
then there was the Virus that did( I dont recall specifics) something to a hardrives file allocation table that made it write everything to the one cluster and segment which in the end just wrecks the drive.
there are tons of them. they are just not used as often as the others due to the potential for damage and the fact that they dont spread well, cos what they infect they destroy, and a virus cant spread if it kills off all its infected systems.
There was a smart arse in 1997 that wrote a virus that messed up a hardrive dont have a clue how it was done the source was never released, but he dropped in a timer and all infected systems were hit on the same day, thanfully tho the anti virus community got hold of it before d-day and most people were saved the pain.
Virus should never be taken for granted, never assume they cant do any harm and never assume that a format and reinstall will clear up all your problems.
You should all be using virus software, a good firewall and be carefull of what you download and where you download it from.