How to Get Rid of Boot Sector Viruses

The computer's boot sector is what controls its booting operations.

A computer's boot sector is the section of the hard drive that controls the start-up procedure. If a virus attacks the boot sector, your computer may not be able to boot at all. When this happens, the normal methods of removing a virus are useless. You have to get rid of the virus and repair the boot sector using your original Windows CD.

Things You'll Need

• Windows Installation CD

Instructions

1. Insert a Windows installation CD into your computer's disc drive. It does not need to be your own. It just needs to run the same operating system.

2. Turn on the computer. The machine will detect the CD in the drive and run off it, bypassing the infected boot sector.

3. Hit the "R" key to begin a hard drive scan.

4. Click "Repair" when prompted to get rid of the boot sector virus(es). This will replace the corrupted boot sector data with fresh code from your disc. It will not delete your other files.

5. Eject the disc and restart the computer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have a Windows installation CD, contact Microsoft support for a replacement. The number U.S. users can call is 800-360-7561.

References

• How to Replace Microsoft Software