How to Manually Remove Virus From USB Flash Drive without Formatting?

While installing a new software, while downloading a file from the internet , while plugging a USB device , while opening a malicious website and adding numerous other while's ...what we fear the most is --"does it have a virus"?

Most of the active viruses infect your windows system as soon as you double click on the Pen Drive icon in your my computer. As virus always creates a autorun.inf file which is a system ,hidden and a read only file on your pen drive. It point to the main virus file which is also located on the pen drive. When user double clicks on the pen drive files pointed by the autorun.inf got executed which copies the virus files on your system.

How To Know There Is Virus?

1. When you plugin a drive, Some Autoplay feature polls you to select a option. If you see a folder like icon that reads open using the program provided on the device. Does not select that. Also do not select Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer. Since the virus can execute with these options. Cancel it.

Note: Windows 7 has disabled the Autorun Option for Flash Drives, since the autorun source is usually unknown.

2. You will also see a folder like icon instead of Flash Drive Icon in my computer

How To Remove Virus Manually?

1. In Start Menu Click RUN and then type cmd. Type your Flash Drive Letter followed with colon. For eg:

J:

type attrib -r -a -s -h *.* and press enter.

This will unhide all files.

2. Correct Way of Opening Flash Drives

Do not open the Flash Drive by double clicking the icon in my Computer or By Right clicking and then Open,Explorer. Open the USB Drive by using Folders Icon. Click on the Folders icon then select your Flash Drive.

OR

You can select Your Flash Drive by using the Address Bar in Windows Explorer.

OR

Type your Drive letter in the Address Bar.

3. After Opening the drive. Select Details View.

You can now see what the virus does with your Flash Drive. The Virus does disguises itself as folder. You can see that system file icon as illustrated here is similar to folder icon. You actually click on the file.

Actually you click on those virus file thinking of them as folder and the virus executes. In the detailed view you can clearly see that the system file has a Type description of Application and the system folder has a Type description of Folder.

Delete all such files. Carefully do not delete the folders.

4. Delete the Autorun.inf file

5. You can also delete these files using 7-ZIP. Since it shows such virus files as having application file icon.

Download 7-ZIP from HERE

Or you can get PowerExes Pack that includes it.

Download PowerExes Extra Pack from HERE.

Open 7-ZIP and Type your Flash Drive Letter in the Address Bar. Here J:

6. Delete all the folders and files you think that you did not saved them.

The folders could have names like Recycler,System Volume. Delete them also. You can also see the Recycle Bin like icons delete them too. In this illustration these files are virus files:  0o.com, system.exe, 2m66sr.exe, abk.bat, etc.

7. Now Scan your Flash Drive with some Anti-Virus to delete exe infecting viruses. This is because some application files (which can be some programs like Adobe Reader Setup or else) be affected with exe virus.

If you do not have a proper Anti-Virus then Click on Search and select All files and Folders. In the All or part of file name field type *.exe. In the Look In field select Your Flash Drive. In the More Advanced options select Search System Folders and Search Hidden files and Folders. When search is complete delete all files.

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