Another AV question for the av newbies

  • Thread starter Thread starter Frank Booth Snr
  • Start date Start date
F

Frank Booth Snr

If you have a virus, exposed by a scan, and the suspect files are
quarantined, if any of these files are system files, does that mean that
one's operating system will cease to function or even boot up, once these
files have been isolated?
 
If you have a virus, exposed by a scan, and the suspect files are
quarantined, if any of these files are system files, does that mean that
one's operating system will cease to function or even boot up, once these
files have been isolated?
Click to expand...
Long time since I got a virus Frank but as I recall the AV on finding
an active virus in your PC system files stops the machine doing
anything else until you fix it which normally is done by taking you to
a related webpage on the AVs home site which gives you access to a
removal tool / fix.

The only time that happened to me was when I foolishly used a non
protected PC I had just put 98SE on to look for a application update
before I installed NIS 2003. The procedure went as above.

In the past you sometimes had to download the fix from another machine
to cure the infected one but that was mainly dummies who open "I Love
You" e mails before the AV people had time to react with an updated
signiature. These days the signatures are updated hourly if necessary.

IMO the main aid to virus writers these days is the fantasticly
useless System Restore.

Jonah
 
From: "Frank Booth Snr" <[email protected]>

| If you have a virus, exposed by a scan, and the suspect files are
| quarantined, if any of these files are system files, does that mean that
| one's operating system will cease to function or even boot up, once these
| files have been isolated?
|

Depending on the importance of the file, anyone of those are possible.

The question is a true virus or a Trojan. If it is a true virus then the legit. file is
infected and the question is can it be cleaned ? If it can then the file is cleaned and the
file does not need to be quarantined. If it is a Trojan than the file itself is all bad and
either it has replaced a legit. file or uses a legit file name and resides in a different
folder.

If it replaced a legit. file, the OS is already corrupted. If it is a file that uses a
legit. name then if the file is quarantined then there are no side effects to the OS becuase
it was never a legit. file in the first place.

HTH
 
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