How to Remove a Virus in a Pen Drive
Viruses can be spread on USB jump drives (also known as pen drives). Many anti-virus programs can scan the USB drive and quarantine the infected files, but they can't sanitize the drive because the file containing the virus is usually password-protected, hidden or read-only. Once the files containing the virus are identified, they can be manually removed, without the need to format the USB drive.
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Instructions
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1
Insert your USB drive in the appropriate USB slot in your computer. If the Autoplay dialog box appears, select "Take No Action" and click the "OK" button. Launch your anti-virus program, such as AVG Antivirus or Rising Antivirus (see Resources).
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2
Select the USB drive for the program to scan. Click the "Start Scan" button or option.
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3
Open the scan history for the USB drive when the scan is complete to see a list of viruses and warnings identified by the antivirus software. If desired, select the options to "Heal All Infected Files" or "Move the Infected Files to the Virus Vault" to ensure these files are quarantined from your system.
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4
Highlight each infected file in the scan history. Write down the file name of each infected file identified on the USB drive. Minimize the application's window.
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5
Select "Run" from the Windows "Start" menu. In the Run window, type "e:/" at the command prompt to switch to your USB drive (or type the drive letter for your USB drive). Press the Enter key.
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6
Type "attrib -s -h -r -a *.*" at the command prompt to remove the system, hidden, read-only and archive file attributes. Press the Enter key.
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7
Type "del ####.+++" where "####" is the file name of the infected file and "+++" is the file extension, at the command prompt line. Press the Enter key. For example, "del terriblevirus.exe" will specifically delete the Terrible Virus executable file. Repeat for each infected file on your list identified in Step 4.
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8
Close the command prompt window; that is, exit the Run utility.
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9
Maximize the window for your anti-virus program (which is still open) and repeat Steps 2 to 7 until no virus is detected on your USB drive. Exit the anti-virus application.
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Tips & Warnings
Viruses often proliferate via USB through the Autorun.exe file. For security, disable automatic Autoplay for USB drives. Install an anti-virus program that includes a quick scan of removable devices (including USB drives and CDs) such as Rising 2009 to alert you of any infected files.
