User question
Hello.
I often use my USB flash drive to transfer documents (well, print something for my studies, give something to someone, etc.). Once I was with a friend and inserted a USB flash drive into her laptop - an antivirus warning immediately appeared that there was a virus on it! And Avast does not find anything on my PC, he says, no threats were found ...
Tell me how to check a USB flash drive and remove viruses from it?
Good day!
Most likely, your friend has another antivirus product installed (it is possible that he was "reinsured" and there is no virus on the flash drive, or it is possible that your version of Avast simply does not see it (for example, due to the lack of an update)).
As a rule, additional signs of infection are the appearance of strange files on the flash drive (for example, "autorun", "tmp", shortcuts, etc.), the flash drive opens slowly, the PC freezes, and all sorts of errors occur.
Be that as it may, if there is a suspicion that something is wrong with the flash drive, even if you have an antivirus on your computer, I recommend checking it with alternative anti-malware programs.
How to do this - we will consider below! .. 👌
Preview to record // flash drive treatment
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"Treatment" and diagnostics of the flash drive
Checking a USB flash drive using an alternative antivirus
To begin with, I recommend using some antivirusthat does not need installation (they are also called scanners,, online scanners).
It is enough to download such products to your computer and run a system check (any drives). They can work in parallel with your installed antivirus and will not interfere with it in any way. 👌
What to choose:
- Dr.Web CureIt! - Antivirus utility that does not need to be installed. Allows you to run an anti-virus system scan in a matter of minutes (including selecting any disks, flash drives, memory cards to scan). I will show my example in it (👇).
- ESET's Free Online Scanner is a similar product from another company, from ESET. Also leaves a very positive impression;
- McAfee Security Scan Plus is a very famous software for quickly scanning a computer (although it is most popular abroad). It can work in parallel with your installed antivirus (there is no point in removing it after checking).
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👉 Remark!
The best online antivirus programs can be found in this article: //ocomp.info/onlayn-antivirusyi.html
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Running a USB flash drive check in Dr.Web CureIt:
- after downloading and opening the file, agree to the rules, and then click on the link "Select objects to check" ;
Selecting objects to check
- then specify the system disk with Windows and your USB flash drive;
Selecting a system disk and flash drive
- next step: check the checkboxes for RAM, boot sectors, system directories, etc., and start checking (see the screen below 👇).
We start the check
- after which we wait for the end of the check. In my case, the utility found 2 threats just starting the scan!
Doctor Web found 2 threats before it could start scanning ...
- after the end of scanning, press the button "Neutralize" ;
Neutralizing!
- if everything went well, you will see a message about the successful completion of the operation (with a large green checkmark). If Dr.Web CureIt has found viruses and you have a regular anti-virus installed, think about its effectiveness ...
Well done
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Special check utilities AVZ, Malwarebytes
No matter how good your regular antivirus is (if it is installed on the system), it cannot "see" and recognize some types of threats (for example, adware, AdWare, SpyWare, TrojanSpy, TrojanDownloader, etc. "good", which only recently began to be included in antiviruses).
To check your system and flash drive for this, you need to use a special. utilities. I would recommend getting to know these products first:
- 👉 AVZ - helps not only find viruses and malware, but also configure the Windows OS in the correct way, eliminate "holes" that may be present in your system;
- 👉 Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is one of the most effective tools for fighting adware and malware (moreover, it has recently begun to include the equally well-known AdwCleaner).
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Scanning a USB flash drive in AVZ:
- first download, extract the AVZ files from the archive (it does not need to be installed) and run the program. In the main window, you can immediately select a system disk and a USB flash drive to check. I recommend immediately ticking the box next to "Perform treatment" , and start scanning.
Scan settings in AVZ
- after the system scan and cleanup is complete, I recommend running Troubleshooting Wizard (this is to close possible "holes" in Windows).
Troubleshooting Wizard
- after which I recommend choosing "All problems" and start scanning. In my case, AVZ recommended prohibiting the auto-launch of programs from CD / DVD disks, from removable media (the same flash drives), etc. I recommend selecting everything that the utility finds and fixing the problems.
Troubleshooting
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Scanning in Malwarebytes:
- after installing and running the utility, open the tab "Check" and open the custom check settings (see screenshot below 👇);
Configuring validation
- then set the scan of memory objects, auto-start, archives, specify the letters of the scanned disks and start the scan (an example is presented below 👇).
Choosing drives to check
- then wait until the end of the scan, agree with the neutralization of threats (if any are found).
We are waiting for the end of the scan
A radical way to "clean" a flash drive: formatting the drive
Another way to completely remove viruses from a USB flash drive (and with them all files from it! Be careful!) Is to perform formatting drive.
To start formatting, just open "My Computer" ("This Computer"), right-click on the flash drive and select "Format..." .
Formatting a USB flash drive
Next, specify the file system, set the volume label, and agree to the operation (you can learn more about formatting here).
Start formatting
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👉 Supplement!
If your flash drive is infected with a virus (s), it is possible that you will not be able to format it so easily.
If there are any errors, freezes, or for some reason the operation cannot be performed, I recommend this instruction.
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Prevention: how to protect yourself from a new infection
- install one of the modern antiviruses on the system, and update it regularly (you can find out about the best of them here).
- configure your system to disabled auto-start applications from plug-in CD / DVD and USB drives (just above in the article I gave an example of how this is done in AVZ);
- if, as you work, you often have to connect your USB flash drive to other computers, then before opening any files from it on your system, check it for viruses;
- those documents that you carry on a flash drive would not be superfluous to have on your hard drive (such a copy can help if the flash drive is lost, or the virus "irrevocably" spoils the files on it).
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For possible additions on the topic - thank you!
All the best!
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First publication: 19.05.2018
Correction of the note: 5/10/2020
