What is the primary purpose of using anti-virus software in relation to file infections?

The primary purpose of using anti-virus software in relation to file infections is to quarantine the infected file. Quarantine is a critical feature of anti-virus software that isolates potentially harmful files from the rest of your system. By moving these files to a secure area, the software prevents them from spreading the infection to other files or executing potentially harmful actions. This helps to protect the integrity of the operating system and other files while allowing users or administrators to evaluate the quarantined files later.

The quarantine process is typically accompanied by the ability to either delete the infected file or restore it if it is mistakenly identified as a threat, which is why it is a key component of an effective anti-virus strategy. The ability to clean infected files can be part of the remediation process, but the first step often involves quarantining them to contain the threat. Erasing all files on the system or boosting system performance are not functions typically associated with anti-virus software in the context of dealing with file infections.