viruses

  • Thread starter Thread starter Albert Smith
  • Start date Start date
A

Albert Smith

2 short questions: If I detect a virus on an usb external drive is it
contained on that drive or can it spread to my computer and does formatting
the drive destroy the virus?
 
Without specific knowledge of the type virus can't say if it will spread.
Reformatting the drive will delete the files or files containing the virus
but if it has already spread then you're not out of the woods.

JS
 
A Complex question. How was the virus detected? Did you scan the drive with
a virus detect program? How do you know it was a virus? Name of virus?
Formatting the drive, in effect, destroys everything on the drive.
 
2 short questions: If I detect a virus on an usb external drive is it
contained on that drive or can it spread to my computer
Click to expand...


It depends on the virus, but in general what makes something a virus
is that it is self-replicating--in other words, it spreads by itself.

and does formatting
the drive destroy the virus?
Click to expand...


In general yes, but there are some viruses that don't live within the
data portion of the drive. Formatting won't destroy them.

Also note that formatting the drive can at best remove the infection
on *that* drive. If it has already spread elsewhere, the formatting
won't help.
 
JS

Removing System Restore points is usually prudent. Of course System
Restore should not be set to monitor a removable drive.


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Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
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