How to Remove a Boot Sector Virus

A boot sector is the part of the hard drive that's accessed when the computer starts. A boot sector virus infects the boot sector, resides in memory and runs when the computer is booted. Boot sector viruses can prevent the computer from booting or from running Windows. They're usually spread by infected floppy disks.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Open the computer. Remove the infected hard drive. Install the hard drive in a computer with virus definitions that are up-to-date. Run a virus scan on the hard drive.

2. Download or purchase an anti-virus software package that includes a boot sector program.

3. Put a bootable floppy disk in your floppy drive. Turn on the computer. At the "C:" prompt, type "cd" followed by the name of the folder where your anti-virus software is installed. Run a scan command from the folder. Follow the instructions to clean the virus. If the sector is still damaged, you may need to repair it with Windows.

4. Start your computer with the Windows CD. At the "Setup" screen, choose "R" to repair. Choose the version of Windows to repair. Enter the administrator password. At the "C:" prompt, enter "fixmbr."

5. Insert a Windows boot disk in the floppy drive. Turn on your computer. At the "A:" prompt, type "fdisk/mbr."

Tips & Warnings

• Running Windows utilities to repair your MBR could damage your drive and make in unreadable. Do not run Windows utilities like FDISK or FIXMBR without trying antivirus software first.