playBunny:

> Viruses can only affect Windows and programs, not the hardware. Reinstalling Windows will get rid of viruses and the like.

They can effect any OS if it's exploitable :) But getting away from technicalities, it is possible for viruses to affect the hardware: ACPI being a good example.

You could even consider using resources up as theoretical damage to hardware (overheating due to CPU being used constantly) - but then your hardware was fundamentally broken before that anyway ;)