Computer VIRUSES know-how. What happens when you reformat?

Question

well what should i do specifically before reformatting my laptop? it has a norton but the baca bro virus won't make it work. i hate it. please help me. what are the disadvantages of reformatting and advantages? is it time consuming?

Answer 1

Hey... reformat only if it's your only option... It will piss you so bad!
here are some things to know if you have a virus..

First, you may think you have a virus, but how do you really tell? Viruses often cause erratic behavior, smiley faces may pop up, your screen may disappear, or your computer may crash. The trigger that activates the virus can be almost anything. For instance, the virus can be activated the minute it is installed. Or it may start its dirty work the next time you start your computer. In many cases, a virus can reside inside your computer in an inactive state, waiting for a certain event (like a certain date) to happen.

From the moment the virus infiltrated your computer to the time that it made itself known to you, you could have innocently spread the virus to others. A very disconcerting sign that you have a virus is when friends call or e-mail to let you know you have sent them a virus-infested e-mail. It can also be transfered via IM's and Peer to Peer's like limewire, Bearshare and Kazaa... SO beware!!!

Now... If you notice any of this CRAPS (lol) in your system.. The first thing you gotta do is STAY CALM.. lol... because people tend to panic when they notice something like viruses... Thats what I did sometime in the best and I deleted some of my system32 thinking the virus is there... and KABOOM!!! I cant start my pc anymore...LOL!!!!

What you gota do is, download an antivirus... My personal reccomendation is AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/... Because unlike Norton and PCcillin or Mcaffee.. It's not resource hungry.. It's simple.. lol...
another recommendation is zonealarm.. but... It cost like 50$ for the fulll version... but you can email me for a serial (LOL!!).. anyways...
other programs are:
Anti Vir www.free-av.com
Panda anti virus www.pandasoftware.com
Avast! www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home...
My etrust antivirus.cai.com
clam win anti virus www.clamwin.com
and Last but not the least.. KAPERSKY... ( I dont actaully know if it's free or something.. But because it's not that popular, There's less hacks for that program...)

But.. if you dont want any programs.... Try just to scan first...
housecall.antivirus.com
or jsut use free mcaffee virus scan...
but.. remember,, better be safe than sorry!!LOL!!

anyways...
They say only use one anti virus program... I say not... Because... base on my experience... There was this virus that got scanned by Avast but not by AVG.. Well thats just my opinion...

Now... sometimes... your anti virus says they have scanned something.. But cant delete it... what your gonna do is, google the virus name.. then there should be some step by step instructions in some forum... Try that... lol...

anyways... last but not the least but the most annoying and irritating and pissing (lol)
If you still cant delete it.. the last way is to reformat your PC... that sucks I know.. but... It'll surely kill the viruses.. and your files.. LOL!!

And ya... before I forget...
Sometimes... viruses seem to restrict you from accessing the net.. sometimes... it kills your connection or something... now great.. you cant download softwares.. what you gotta do is go to a clean PC.. then download the latest installer from there... now... burn it to a cd or something... then load it to your pc... it shall work... lol

now good luck with you!!!!

Answer 2

Reformatting the hard drive removes all programs on the computer. Try using another virus scanner/cleaner to get rid of the virus before doing this drastic step. Reformatting will usually take 30 - 60 minutes depending on the speed of your processor and size of the hard drive.

Answer 3

One thing to make sure of is that you have all the drivers required to reinstall the hardware contained in your laptop. Many PCs/laptops are sold without specific driver CDs, so go online and download, download the drivers, and copy them to CD.

The disadvantage of formatting is that you lose ALL data contained on your harddrive. Backup everything you dont want to lose before you start.

The advantage of formatting is that you lose ALL data contained on your harddrive, including viruses and other malware. Personally, I format every few months to clean all the crap that gets left over from various programs etc.

How time consuming it is depends on your computer. The more powerful your computer, the quicker it will be. The most time consuming part is the actual format itself. The larger your drive, the longer it takes. On my PC with an 80gb drive, it takes around an hour or so from the time I start the WinXP setup prog to the time when Windows is installed and ready to go. That doesn't include installing all the drivers and other software I need though.

Also, make sure you physically disconnect from the internet before you start. WinXP can automatically detect and setup your connection as it installs, meaning its possible to be connected before you have the chance to install your anti-virus software.

Answer 4

Ok there is many ways to solve this problem. But the only thing you must do is downloadone peice of software. That program is System Mechanic 6 with drivescrubber2. After that is downloaded and installed you will have to do this in precise steps. And youmust do this precisley. Here are the steps.

1. Run Drivecrubber2
2. Restart Windows.
3. Run System Mechanic 6
4. Run all scans starting from the right to the left.
5. Restart Pc again.
6. enjoy pc

That is all you have to do to fix this problem.

Answer 5

It's always best to remove the virus instead of reformatting. as you lose all your settings. There are removal instructions on the Norton website and here:

http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/[e-mail]

Answer 6

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