will a memory resident virus stay in my computer if I delete my partition & re-install OS?
thanks
2006-12-20 10:49:01 · 6 answers · asked by crazycivic66 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
this was an old virus....
I think the whale virus
2006-12-20 10:55:16 · update #1
modern viruses don't tend to be as 'memory resident' in the way old viruses used to be. if they are not starting up with windows anymore, which is very easy to spot and remove, the viruses file(s) are not a danger unless they are re-run which will start the infection process again.
i would go so far as to say that modern viruses although numerous are pretty tame and easy to remove compared to old viruses because old viruses used to actually inject their own code into any *.exe or *.com files on the hard drive so that every time you ran a program the virus would also run without you knowing.
nowadays they just run in the background as a normal program so they're much more conspicuous and easier to remove.
but in answer to your question, there is very little chance of retaining a virus on your system after a format unless it is coming from another infected machine on a fairly unsecure network or if the virus code has been attached to what you think is a 'safe' file which you then run again after reinstalling the operating system.
EDIT:
old viruses, and i mean really OLD, like before windows 95, were alot sneakier than today. for example they would infect the boot sector or master boot record of the hard drive or of a floppy disk and so would indeed still be there and running after a format provided the boot sector or master boot record hadn't been wiped - i don't think these kinds of viruses would even be able to exist on a modern hard drive though, even outside of windows.
2006-12-20 10:53:41 · answer #1 · answered by piquet 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2
2016-08-23 06:39:03 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not if you boot from a clean disc and reinstall OS.
2006-12-20 10:51:52 · answer #3 · answered by cs_gmlynarczyk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, unless youve got a bios virus, etc... which is very unlikely.
2006-12-20 10:50:40 · answer #4 · answered by Michael Burns 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the HDD is damaged physicaly then yes..
2006-12-21 17:22:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anointed71 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no...TSR programs are removed from memory when the system is powered off.
2006-12-20 10:53:20 · answer #6 · answered by lv_consultant 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋